Social Inclusion in Community Sport: A Case Study of Muslim Women in Australia

Abstract

This paper considers how organizational practices facilitate and inhibit the social inclusion of Muslim women in a community sport setting. A case study of social inclusion practices in an Australian community sport organization (CSO) was built through interviews, focus groups, secondary data, and documentary evidence. Drawing on the work of Bailey (2005, 2008) the analysis employed a social inclusion framework comprised of spatial, functional, relational, and power dimensions. Findings indicated that there are a range of practices which facilitate social inclusion. Paradoxically, some of the practices that contributed to social inclusion at the club for Muslim women resulted in social exclusion for non-Muslim women. Examining each practice from multiple perspectives provided by the social inclusion framework allowed a thorough analysis to be made of the significance of each practice to the social inclusion of Muslim women at the club. Implications for social inclusion research and sport management practice are discussed.

Community sports clubs: are they only about playing sport, or do they have broader health promotion and social responsibilities?

“…Additionally, in the Australian context Maxwell et al (2013) acknowledged the paradox that practices leading to the inclusion of one social group in the community sport setting, may lead to the exclusion of another.…”

New approaches for studies of Muslim women and sport

“…Kristen Walseth's qualitative study of Norwegian Muslim women's experiences of physical activity stands as a landmark study in this area (Walseth, 2006a(Walseth, , 2006b(Walseth, , 2008, although investigations of Muslim women's participation in physical activity spans a variety of countries and continents, as evidenced in the edited collection Muslim Women and Sport (Benn et al, 2011b), which offers investigations of Muslim women's sporting experiences from countries in Europe, North Africa and what Western commentators term the 'Middle-East'. A number of studies coming out of Australia have also investigated the potential of sport to foster Muslim women's social inclusion (Cortis, 2009;Maxwell et al, 2013), the relationship between sport and identity politics for Muslim women who play sport (McCue and Kourouche, 2010;Palmer, 2008Palmer, , 2009, and the potential health benefits of physical activity for young Muslim-Australians (Knez et al, 2012).…”

Exploring organizational capacity in a Sport for Development and Peace setting.

“…Directors also noted how they have developed or are working on changing their cultures within their respective nonprofits. This supports findings from prior literature indicating how managers can transform an organizational culture over time (Jaskyte & Dressler, 2005;Maxwell & Taylor, 2010;Maxwell et al, 2013). However, SDP leaders should also make sure that volunteers understand the culture and mission of the organization (Haski-Leventhal & Bargal, 2008), since the mission statement is arguably the most influential aspect of a nonprofit organization (Studer & von Schnurbein, 2013).…”