Hugh Robertson, the minister for sport and the Olympics, has backed a new voluntary code published by the Sport and Recreation Alliance (SRA) to encourage good governance.

The code has been drawn up in a bid to help sports and recreation organisations to maintain levels of effective management and to help ensure accountability and transparency. Key principles covered in the SRA report also incorporate recommendations for board sizes with the "right balance" of skills, as well as independence and diversity on boards.

SRA chair Brigid Simmonds said: "The key characteristic of this code is that it is authored by sport, for sport. It's a project that the Sport and Recreation Alliance has supported but which has been led by its members - governing bodies. "Some UK sports bodies can already boast some of the best standards of governance in the world but the code can help every organisation reach those standards."

Robertson added: "This code will help make sure that sports have the best possible governance structures in place to meet the challenges and opportunities of the coming year."