Sport-for-Change: Some Thoughts from a Sceptic

Abstract

Sport's historic attraction for policy makers has been its claims that it can offer an economy of remedies to seemingly intractable social problems-"social inclusion", "development". Such usually vague and ill-defined claims reflect sport's marginal policy status and its attempts to prove its more general relevance. The dominance of evangelical beliefs and interest groups, who tend to view research in terms of affirmation of their beliefs, is restricting conceptual and methodological development of policy and practice. There is a need to de-reify "sport" and to address the issue of sufficient conditions-the mechanisms, processes and experiences which might produce positive impacts for some participants. This requires researchers and practitioners to develop approaches based on robust and systematic programme theories. However, even if systematic and robust evidence is produced for the relative effectiveness of certain types of programme, we are left with the problem of displacement of scope-the process of wrongly generalising micro level (programme) effects to the macro (social). Although programme rhetoric frequently claims to address social issues most programmes have an inevitably individualist perspective. Further, as participation in sport is closely related to socially structured inequalities, it might be that rather than sport contributing to "social inclusion", various aspects of social inclusion may precede such participation. In this regard academics and researchers need to adopt a degree of scepticism and to reflect critically on what we and, most especially, others might already know. There is a need to theorise sportfor-change's limitations as well as its "potential".

Football for Inclusion: Examining the Pedagogic Rationalities and the Technologies of Solidarity of a Sports-Based Intervention in Sweden

“…At the same time, research spotlights that sport cannot target the fundamental conditions that create segregation and conflict in society (cf. Coakley, 2011;Coalter, 2015;Ekholm, 2016;Hartmann & Kwauk, 2011). With specific reference to sport as a means of inclusion, some problematic aspects regarding its potential have been identified.…”

Promoting Social Inclusion through Sport for Refugee-Background Youth in Australia: Analysing Different Participation Models

“…Moreover, sports interventions and programs targeting refugee-background young people frequently lack a clear theoretical rationale and are often short-term, ad hoc and difficult to sustain (Refugee Council of Australia, 2010). Several researchers have emphasised that the capacity of sport to promote social inclusion is limited and shaped by broader social and structural exclusionary processes rendering the social impacts of sport highly contextually dependent (Coalter, 2015;Hoye et al, 2015;Kelly, 2011;Spaaij, Farquharson, & Marjoribanks, 2015). Theoretically informed investigations are therefore needed that take into account factors such as cultural and social diversity, gender and local processes of inclusion and exclusion.…”

A Systematic Review of Life Skill Development Through Sports Programs Serving Socially Vulnerable Youth

“…Also, Eime et al did not distinguish between studies on sports programs and so-called sports-fordevelopment programs or sport-plus programs. Sports-for-development programs are sports programs intentionally structured to serve socially vulnerable youth's sports participation and/or life skill development (Coalter, 2015). Only Lubans et al (2012) systematically reviewed studies on the benefits of sports programs serving socially vulnerable youth.…”

“…A final reason for conducting the present review is that previous reviews in this field have ignored the conditions conducive to life skill development that have been investigated in the included studies. This is unfortunate, because it has been shown that sports programs need to meet certain conditions to provide a setting that supports life skill development (Coalter, 2015;Fraser-Thomas et al, 2005), such as positive peer relationships and sports coaches creating a task-oriented sports climate (Haudenhuyse et al, 2014;Newton et al, 2007;Smith, Smoll, & Cumming, 2007). Conducive conditions seem to be particularly important in sports programs serving socially vulnerable youth.…”