Crisis Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in Sports: The Case of Valleys Gymnastics Academy

This case-study examines how Valley Gymnastics Academy (VGA) engaged in innovation and entrepreneurship in reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors suggest that there is a consensus in the literature that a crisis management team should consist of a group of people who can reasonably sense the signs of a crisis, identify areas of the organisation where the crisis may cause damage, transparently communicate with stakeholders, prepare the crisis management plan, implement the plan while motivating employees. Crises trigger a positive innovative and entrepreneurial mindset for sporting organisations, leading to income generation and organisational stability. The facility’s crisis management team acted in a way to ensure business continuity in part by their gymnastics coaching online almost within 24 hours of the announcement of the national lockdown. They not only maintained its core business activity but also found numerous funding sources to financially sustain its operations. As a result of this entrepreneurial and innovative activity, there were important associated benefits that were generally experienced by VGA’s members as well as the wider community in which they serve.