President’s Message March, 2022

Dear ISSP members, every two or three months, I provide an update on the activities of the International Society of Sport Psychology. During the previous four years, there was considerable time and energy devoted to strategic execution of our ISSP projects, items discussed at length in previous messages and found as a video on the front page of the website in my Congress Report to the membership.

The execution of our projects, for one, materialized into a rapidly trending academic peer-reviewed outlet in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Considerable thanks go out to my Co-editor Dr. Athanasios Papaiounnou for his tremendous and consistent devotion to the journal. As we are all aware, the IJSEP has undergone a strong positive trend in its impact factor from when we first received it in 2020 through 2021. This year, within the next three months, expect to hear further positive news about our journal. Sakis and I have worked closely with an engaged series of internationally respected section editors and editorial board members in a time where submissions have increased steadily from many countries.

The ISSP Registry is also growing steadily. During 2021, the ISSP-R was launched and received with great interest. We gained applicants from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The number of applicants is growing, with interest expressed from several national societies, now joining the ISSP-R movement. Dr. Chris Harwood the ISSP Registry Committee Chair and his committee have done a wonderful job of offering courses, evaluating candidates, and promoting this incredibly important world initiative, which also included educational modules and an ISSP-S supervisory designation.

There are several new initiatives ongoing, but instead of discussing further refinements to existing projects, such as the 2025 World Congress and ISSP World Think Tank, which are also developing well, this moment in the ISSP most importantly, needs to be recognized as a historical step forward for the society in its professionalization. Two weeks ago, the ISSP reached a short-term agreement with Holland-Parlette Management Group. HP, as they are known within the International Association for Applied Psychology (IAAP) and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, are specialists in growing international psychology societies. They help societies, such as ours increase our membership benefits, adding more value for you, and therefore more reason to spread the word of our value to colleagues.

Nicole Brandt is our new executive Director. She comes to ISSP with tremendous experience as the Executive Director, also of the IAAP. She has tremendous expertise in working with world societies, where cultural bridges are a priority. Welcome, Nicole, we look forward to working with you for many years to come. Nicole, will be steadily moving into her managerial position, freeing the Managing Council to focus mostly on strategic developments for the future of the ISSP.

With Nicole Brandt’s appointment, we are going to take a few immediate steps forward. Primary to this society is the need for a new strategic plan. This Spring, 2022, into early Summer, the ISSP will be hard at work developing our new strategic plan. You can expect to receive a membership survey. I strongly hope for a high response rate, so that the membership help guide our priorities for the next four years. The strategic plan is anticipated for release in July 2022.

Concurrent to the development of our new strategic plan, there will be considerable preparation of new projects. One of these, which you will hear about within the coming month or so, is a late Fall, 2022, virtual experts panel on an important subject area to our field. World experts will be leading discussions and interactive workshops as part of this virtual event. Each year following, there will be at least one annual event offered by this society to its members, so we increase and deepen our relationship and exchanges with the membership.

More generally, there will be an increase in President’s Messages and electronic blasts to increase our reciprocal communication in this four-year cycle. For now, I encourage you to examine the new organizational chart found at the website in the drop-down menu “About the ISSP” and consider your involvement in a committee presently open to membership. There are several such committees, and we always hope for and welcome diverse voices and perspectives in this society. This is an opportune time to further engage with the ISSP and begin or continue a relationship with this exciting, growing world society. Our future is bright, and evolving rapidly, in accordance with our commitment to you.

Robert Schinke
President International Society of Sport Psychology