“Déjà vu all over again”

Photo by Andrew Buchanan on Unsplash

The Recovery Game  Part One:
 
Yogi Berra was an American baseball legend. He played an incredible 19 seasons, 18 of them for the New York Yankees. He won 10 World Series as a player, and three as a coach.  For all his baseball feats, Yogi Berra is better known these days for an almost endless list of weird and wonderful quotes, including this one:
 
“It’s déjà vu all over again.”
 
That quote keeps going through my head as I consider how the sporting sector will bounce back from the general effects of COVID-19, and lock down in particular. I really have a strong sense of déjà vu all over again because managing recovery after a traumatic event is something I am well used to.
 
After the Christchurch earthquakes, I spent three years working as the Earthquake Recovery Manager at Sport Canterbury.  I collaborated with regional sports organisations to get participation levels back on track, and develop long-term rebuilding strategies for the sector. It was a massive job. Never did I think we’d face another salvage project on a similar, or even bigger, scale. Unfortunately I was wrong!   
 
Getting the sports sector back in shape after this crisis presents a different set of challenges than the earthquakes but, based on my experience, there will be similarities. For example, despite the magnitude of the task, it will come down to simple things. Like reaching out to people, asking what they need, and delivering for them. We can’t take a “we know better approach”. It has to be a time for reaching out, checking in, asking, and listening.
 
For this to work, we’ll need to collaborate. A bureaucratic approach might attempt to deliver outcomes from on high, but that presumes that what fits one sporting organisation will fit all of them. It won’t. That’s why it’s vital to come down to a level that overlooks our bowling greens, footy fields, netball courts, etc, and get onto their page.      
 
Another reason to work closely together is so we can understand how people are dealing with their own issues. Plotting a recovery schedule is one thing but expecting everyone to be able to keep pace with that schedule is quite another.  Things like unemployment, lack of cash, relocation, and changed priorities will all be consequences of what we’re going through, and that has to be factored into any future planning. I saw it after the earthquakes, and I know I’ll see it after lockdown as well.
 
Just like the post-quake recovery, there’s an opportunity here. Organisations within the sporting sector can re-invent themselves, and most of them will have to! I work with many organisations in my current role, many of them live from hand to mouth. By changing the way they have to operate, they can become more efficient and profitable organisations, with long-term viability and addressing the essential priorities.   
 
I started with a Yogi Berra quote. I'll finish with one.
 
“The future ain’t what it used to be.”
 
Yogi is right on the money.  A few weeks ago, we had a fair idea of how the future might look, and made plans accordingly. That future is now very different. For example, I was planning on continuing my work in sports and event management consultancy e.g. helping regional sports organisations activate fundraising and sponsorship opportunities. But right now, I have a feeling that my experience in sports recovery could be more helpful, so I’ll put my hand up again just like I did after the earthquakes. It really is a case of déjà vu all over again.  

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Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash