Advising a major sporting body following a fatality

Following a tragic incident during a major professional sporting event, Instinctif’s crisis management experts were called to support a broad range of the sport’s stakeholders and the team affected by the death of one of their players. 

Working closely with legal counsel, as well as various bodies across the professional and amateur game, and the sport’s governing body, we provided strategic advice on a rapidly evolving and expanding media interest. We acted quickly to establish clear and consistent messaging regarding player safety which provided reassurance while recognising the extremely difficult personal and emotional impact the incident was having on a large number of people.

By creating a single point of contact for the sport, we could address the issues raised by the incident sensitively while being cognisant of the ongoing legal discussions and police investigation. Our strategy and actions resulted in a significant reduction in speculative commentary and focused media attention away from those personally impacted to a single point of information.