The 3 Pillars of a Functional Sport System: Participation, Pathways, Performance

What Every Nation—Big or Small—Should Get Right

In any sport system, no matter how large or well-funded, there are three pillars that hold everything together:

Participation. Pathways. Performance.

When these three elements are aligned, sport thrives. Athletes stay longer. More talent is developed. Success follows. But when even one of them is missing or neglected, the entire structure begins to crack.

Let’s take a closer look at each.

1. Participation: The Foundation of the System

You can’t build a sporting nation if people don’t participate. Participation is about access, inclusion, and opportunity. It starts in schools, community centres, and grassroots clubs. It welcomes all abilities and backgrounds.

A system that values participation:

• Provides quality PE in schools

• Offers affordable access to sport

• Promotes fun, development, and movement

• Focuses on enjoyment before early specialisation

Without wide participation, the pyramid narrows too quickly. Talent can’t rise if it never enters the system.

2. Pathways: The Link Between Potential and Progress

Pathways are what turn interest into ambition. They allow athletes to grow, challenge themselves, and move through clearly defined steps.

A system with clear pathways:

• Has aligned development stages (LTAD models)

• Supports multi-sport development in youth

• Offers coaching, competitions, and mentoring that scale with ability

• Makes transitions between stages smooth and transparent

  
  

Pathways are often the weakest link in smaller or politically-driven systems. Athletes drop out not because they lack talent—but because the path ahead is unclear or blocked.

3. Performance: The Visible Outcome

Performance is what most people see. It’s medals, championships, records, and rankings. But performance isn’t just about elite sport.

A healthy system supports:

• Club-level excellence

• National team preparation

• Sport science integration

• Athlete welfare, education, and dual-career support

Performance must be built on top of participation and pathways—not in isolation.

What Happens When These Pillars Are Imbalanced?

• Too much focus on performance = burnout, dropouts, exclusion

• Too much focus on participation without pathways = no talent retention

• Clear pathways but limited access = elitism, inequality

Building the System in Malta (or Any Nation)

For Malta, the challenge is scale. We don’t have millions of athletes to choose from. That’s why the system must be smarter, more aligned, and more strategic.

Sport policy must:

• Fund all three pillars

• Reduce silos between federations, education, and government

• Evaluate outcomes not just by medals, but by sustainability and retention

We cannot continue building only the top of the pyramid. If we want sustainable success, we must strengthen the entire structure—starting at the base.