The study was part of a European Commission funded project – under the 2011 «Preparatory Action in the Field of Sport»- that aimed at understanding and increasing organizational capacity for good governance with a specific focus on grassroots sport associations organisations. There is a certain number of theories that, collectively provide a lens or framework to guide activity in this area, but  informal sports organisations and small community clubs, arguably the true grassroots, appear not to be accounted for in a realistic and practical way in current governance. Through a research methodology that blended primary data collection and a meta-analysis of secondary data, the study identified a simple model of good governance based on three themes – policy, people and process- and linked to four principles, i.e. inclusivity, accountability, democracy and transparency.