Newly elected chair? Here are 12 things you should take care of in your first 90 days — from registration in Brønnøysund to coordinated reporting.
In short: As chair of a Norwegian sports club, you have legal responsibility for the club’s operations, finances and reporting. Most new chairs underestimate the scope. This guide gives you 12 concrete checkpoints for the first 90 days — so you avoid the most common pitfalls.
What is the chair’s legal responsibility?
The board represents the sports club externally and is responsible for ensuring that legal requirements are met. This means:
- Sound financial management (regnskapsloven – the Norwegian Accounting Act, bokføringsloven – the Bookkeeping Act)
- Correct reporting to NIF and Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration)
- Processing of personal data in accordance with the GDPR
- Health, safety and environment (HSE) responsibility if you have employees or rent out facilities
- Correct handling of volunteers (rules on volunteer work and income)
Personal liability is limited when the organisation is set up as an “association” (forening), but negligence can still have consequences.
What do I need to do within 30 days?
- Familiarise yourself with the articles of association — especially the purpose clause and the board’s authority
- Check the Brønnøysund registration: is the board’s composition up to date?
- Get an overview of bank accounts, signatories and powers of attorney
- Meet with the general manager/secretary (if you have one) for a full status update
- Schedule the first board meeting — at least once per quarter is the minimum
What deadlines come up during the year?
- January–February: Close the previous year’s accounts
- March: Hold the annual general meeting (the articles of association require it by the end of March)
- April: Coordinated reporting to NIF
- 15 August: Application for VAT compensation (NIF members)
- Ongoing: A-melding (monthly employer report) if you have paid employees
How do I get the accounts in order?
Three options:
- Have a competent in-house treasurer — works for small clubs with fewer than 50 members
- Use a local accountant — a common solution, but expensive over time and requires training in the special rules that apply to sport
- Outsource to a specialist — such as Rubic Regnskap via ECIT, which knows sports and association accounting inside out
What should we do about the member register?
Check that:
- All active members are registered in the correct category
- Contact details are up to date (especially email addresses for parents)
- Former members are marked as resigned — the GDPR requires deletion once the purpose has ceased
- The system handles children under 18 with parental or guardian consent
Managing things manually in Excel quickly becomes a problem once you have 100+ members.
How do we manage volunteers and volunteer work (dugnad)?
Document:
- Who has taken part and how many hours
- What is mandatory vs voluntary
- Any “dugnad duty” (mandatory volunteer work) tied to membership
- Reimbursement of expenses (driving, food, materials)
What about coaching fees and salaries?
If coaches are paid, it is an employment relationship — even if it is called a “fee”. This means:
- Registration in the Aa-registeret (the Norwegian employer and employee register)
- Calculation of employer’s National Insurance contributions and tax deductions
- Monthly A-melding report
- Mandatory occupational pension (OTP) and insurance, if applicable
The easiest way to handle this is through a payroll system integrated with your accounting.
What about the GDPR — what do I need to know?
The sports club is the data controller for its members’ personal data. Requirements:
- A privacy policy published on the club’s website
- Deletion of data when membership ends
- Consent for newsletters and use of photos
- Correct role assignment in the membership system (not everyone needs to see everything)