Dr Dan Bates

Inclusion in sport and recreation activities is consistently utilised as a pragmatic response for many contemporary social issues. The understanding of participation in sport as an ‘unambiguously wholesome’ endeavour (Smith and Waddington, 2004) is exemplified in the wide array of ‘Community Sport Development’ (CSD) initiatives and programmes in England. These programmes have at their heart, to varying degrees, an acknowledgement of the transformational potential for personal and communal betterment through sport participation. However CSD in England is an under-researched and under-theorised practice, due in part to the resilience of ‘dominant uncritical narratives’ (2011a) that continue to frame participation as a functional apolitical mechanism for positive social change. CSD is in need of theoretical refinement if its potential for contributing towards social outcomes is to be fully understood.  This thesis demystifies ‘CSD’ in the mixed economy of sport provision, with particular emphasis placed on exploring the empowering capacity of CSD programmes. Drawing upon the notion of researcher-as-bricoleur (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998; Kincheloe, 2001), this study utilises a selection of critical sociological concepts to provide an apt theoretical frame through which to demystify CSD. The thesis draws upon Giddens’ (1984; 1998) notion of the duality of structure’ to provide an ontological premise for theorising CSD practice. In addition, Bourdieu’s (1977; 1990; 1998) concepts of habitus and doxa are utilised to enable a deeper theoretical focus on the constitution of CSD practice. The research fieldwork consisted of a two-stage emergent methodology. The first stage consisted of semi-structured telephone interviews with practitioners who self-identified as practicing CSD, or whose activities resonated with preexisting conceptions (Haywood, 1994; Coalter, 2002; Hylton and Totten, 2013). Constant comparative techniques (Corbin and Strauss, 2008) provided the methodological toolkit through which to conduct chain referral sampling iv with practitioners; the aim of which being to explore the range and characteristics of contemporary CSD practice. In building upon conceptual foundations established during fieldwork stage one, the second stage of data collection comprised of two case studies of organisational practice. Through these case studies the research sought to identify the processes that lead to the purported aims of organisations, whilst also illuminating the principles and philosophies underpinning ‘empowering’ CSD practice. This research concludes that, far from a benevolent and politically neutral activity, CSD practitioners negotiate and embed dominant conceptions of desirable social change through sport and recreation within ‘communities’. Whilst an examination of the two case studies demonstrates that both organisations practices warrant merit, the cases highlight that the creation and development of participatory communal structures, the fostering of community ‘assets’, and a more critical engagement with the ideas and conventions underpinning ‘mainstream’ provision are conducive to sustainable and empowering CSD practice.

Structuration theory appears to have been overlooked or neglected by sport sociologists, perhaps to the detriment of our ability to grasp the complex and myriad factors at play in sport policy, process and practice. This chapter provides an introduction and overview of the central tenets and concepts of structuration theory, which will be especially useful for those exploring theoretical frameworks for researching sport and class. In doing so the chapter provides a primer, detailing the conceptual utility and empirical applications in the context of community sport research. The chapter will be of particular interest to researchers who have minimal understanding of structuration theory, but who would like an accessible introduction with ample examples of potential application and indicative future research lines of enquiry to help ground otherwise abstract ideas. For those with an existing grasp of structuration theory, the chapter provides a useful reminder of the nuance of structuration theory as well as the breadth and ambition of Giddens’ wider works.

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound implications for our social and leisure lives. This chapter illustrates the important role that outdoor recreation, in this case Walking for Health groups, can play in creating and supporting community resilience during unprecedented social catastrophes. The research draws upon the community capitals framework to illustrate how physical activity can be developed and delivered with sustainability and community-resilience in mind. The research demonstrates how access to community capitals-as-resources enabled continued social and sporting participation even during COVID-19 lockdowns. Findings provide insight into the lived experience of participants’ negotiation of health and social catastrophes, whilst also indicating how future place-based physical activity provision could be developed ways that are conducive to community resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound implications for our social and leisure lives. This chapter illustrates the important role that outdoor recreation, in this case Walking for Health groups, can play in creating and supporting community resilience during unprecedented social catastrophes. The research draws upon the community capitals framework to illustrate how physical activity can be developed and delivered with sustainability and community-resilience in mind. The research demonstrates how access to community capitals-as-resources enabled continued social and sporting participation even during COVID-19 lockdowns. Findings provide insight into the lived experience of participants’ negotiation of health and social catastrophes, whilst also indicating how future place-based physical activity provision could be developed ways that are conducive to community resilience.

Rationale: Community sport practitioners often face the dual challenge of creating and sustaining inclusive provision, whilst also aspiring to demonstrate the wider social impacts of their interventions. This enduring challenge has prompted a growing interest in the adoption of “asset-based” approaches as a way to facilitate provision without the resource-intensive commitments of programme delivery. Approach: This article draws upon a case study of asset-based community sport development to reveal an application of this innovative approach. Findings: A community-orientated ethos and participatory processes are identified as key components of an asset-based approach. The findings provide much needed theoretical and practical insight into the actualities and implications of their adoption. Practical implications: The paper concludes that an asset-based approach has the potential to aid practitioners and policymakers in their laudable aspirations of inclusive provision and pursuit of social goals through sport. Research Contribution: This research is the first to examine the use of an asset-based approach in community sport provision, providing insights into a particular “family of mechanisms” crucial to understanding the potential of Community Sport Development.

Evaluating the impact of sport for development is fraught with practical and methodological challenges. The evaluator is often presented with complex and messy social realities compounded by ill‐defined interventions with hard‐to‐follow outcomes. Further, those subject to an impact evaluation can feel under the spotlight with little contribution to the research programme, which complicates the potentially informative learning and developmental processes of the evaluation. This article provides an introduction to ripple effects mapping (REM) as an evaluation technique and draws on the case study of a community‐based, physical‐activity intervention within the UK. This article will demonstrate the utility of REM as a co‐productive technique for exploring programme outcomes but also as a tool to capture and understand the impact of the programme on participants. Through the presentation and analysis of the example REM, produced collaboratively with programme participants and stakeholders, the discussion illustrates the suitability and potential of REM as a process evaluation tool. The article presents REM in the context of evaluating sport for development practices and provides a critique and reflection about the refinement of REM as a robust evaluation tool.

The case presented here is of interest to those concerned with areas such as programme management, organisation management and approaches to learning, and the field of Sport Development. The case Active Through Football (ATF), is a Sport Development project funded by the National Lottery and jointly managed by Sport England and the Football Foundation. The primary goal of the programme is to engage adults in the ‘pre-contemplation’ or ‘contemplation’ stages of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982) of physical activity who live in the areas of England with the highest levels of deprivation. Prospective project areas across England began community engagement and consultation in 2021 to fulfil the demands of the bidding process, with 25 locations across England then selected with project delivery commencing in 2022. The 25 projects established locally defined community outcomes through their community engagement work and bottom-up model of delivery. The presentation straddles session themes such as strategy, leadership and stakeholder management; critical aspects of sport management; and sport governance and policy. Aims and Research Question: As part of the monitoring, learning and evaluation team, the researchers have been contracted to work with the successful programmes to understand how and if programmes are leading to significant change in their areas. However, the reporting process is not, as is typical, centred around participation in numbers, but rather each project reports on a range of objectives not typically associated with sport. Examples are the funders emphasis on whole systems change, co-creation, ‘place-based’ approaches, and innovation. The main emphasis of this presentation and central research question is ‘how have programme managers responded to changes in reporting focus, new opportunities, and additional resources made available through ATF programme architecture?’ Literature Review: In the UK the use of sport in the pursuit of wider social outcomes has been characterised by shifting flows of funding and political support, a simplistic view of the transformative potential of participation, and with a tendency to over-emphasise facility development rather than community development (Bates & Partington, 2023). This has led researchers to lament chronic issues in the field such as; short-termism, top-down approaches, a lack of understanding community needs, a lack of targeted focus at those most in need, and the ongoing challenge of demonstrating impact (Coalter, 2007; Draper & Coalter, 2016; Harris, 2018). ATF has been conceived to overcome the above noted issues in the use of sport for development: the 25 projects are funded for 5 years; a flexible ‘place-based’ ‘bottom-up’ approach to service delivery is fundamental; co-creation and a whole systems approaches are actively encouraged; and opportunities to ‘test and learn’, reflect, innovate and share new ideas have been central from the beginning. Research Design & Methodology: The presentation draws on both online and in person interviews and focus groups, as well as field work carried out by both authors with all ATF projects over the first 18 months of programme development and delivery. Furthermore, the authors also facilitate a monthly online learning event and bi-annual in-person workshops as part of a ‘Community of Learning’. This level of engagement with the programme suggests an active-participatory research approach which emphasises an active-iterative immersion in a programme, reflexivity and flexibility on behalf of the researchers. For the purposes of this presentation relevant field notes and interviews have been transcribed and thematically analysed utilising a ‘data led’ thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2022) based upon programme managers perspectives of changes they have consciously made, and also unconscious/unintended responses to the additional resources and shift in programme focus. Findings: Firstly, we aim to establish aspects of ATF programme delivery that are demonstrably different from previous forms of community sport development. Following is a discussion of key thematic areas of change such as 1) programme flexibility 2) behavioural responses such as increased uncertainty engagement, innovative approaches and learning 3) systems integration and streamlining 4) relationship-based investment, among others. Conclusion: Active Through Football is currently in the second of its five-year programme, as such findings at this stage are tertiary and largely based on the impacts of initial community engagement work. However, through the above noted themes we explore how changes in program ‘architecture’ has led to changes in project managers’ behaviours in the field, and we explore their perspectives of the long-term implications of these changes in regards to the broader impacts of their work. The central remit of Active Through Football is the engage the hardest to reach inactive audiences or those most in need who have co-morbid health complications due to a lack of movement. Not all projects have succeeded in this regard, however, our main focus is to explore exemplary projects who have clearly indicated that changes in programme architecture have resulted in successful new approaches to their work.

Structuration theory appears to have been overlooked or neglected by sport sociologists, perhaps to the detriment of our ability to grasp the complex and myriad factors at play in sport policy, process and practice. This chapter provides an introduction and overview of the central tenets and concepts of structuration theory, which will be especially useful for those exploring theoretical frameworks for researching sport and class. In doing so the chapter provides a primer, detailing the conceptual utility and empirical applications in the context of community sport research. The chapter will be of particular interest to researchers who have minimal understanding of structuration theory, but who would like an accessible introduction with ample examples of potential application and indicative future research lines of enquiry to help ground otherwise abstract ideas. For those with an existing grasp of structuration theory, the chapter provides a useful reminder of the nuance of structuration theory as well as the breadth and ambition of Giddens’ wider works.

Engaging those most disaffected from participation in sport and physical activity is an enduring challenge for policymakers and practitioners. The barriers to participation are most acute for individuals and groups that experience a complex and emergent set of social, cultural and economic issues within their local communities. In light of these challenges, in the UK over the past decade, there has been a proliferation of funding and strategic buy-in for place-based working. A place-based approach is now often advocated as the model for community-based provision, though the evaluation of place-based approaches delivered through community sport systems remains limited. This paper illustrates novel insights into how a process evaluation, when integrated with a place-based programme, can increase the chances of securing public health benefits that incorporate considerations of equity. To do this we reflect critically on the national evaluation of the Active Through Football (ATF) programme which began delivery in 2022. The paper presents a generic theory of change for place-based physical activity interventions based on our accumulated learning across 25 ATF place-based programmes. Our findings demonstrate how activities within a place-based approach contribute to a range of outcomes through the activation of key underlying programme mechanisms. This theory of change will be useful for those who wish to emulate ATF’s place-based approach, or evaluate key processes within place-based practice. This understanding of programme mechanisms is central to the continued accumulation of practical and theoretical knowledge to guide place-based sport practice and policy.

Once described as the ‘cutting edge’ of sport development practice, community sport development (CSD) reflects concern for how conventional club and facility-focused development often failed to realise the ambition of ‘Sport for All’. Community models are central to CSD, born from the realisation that top-down sport policies often fail to address sporting and social exclusion in diverse communities. Current efforts to address inequalities in sport are at risk of reinventing the wheel. Recent policy and initiatives claim newness but may be more accurately identified as a case of ‘old wine in new bottles’ or ‘inititivitis’. As a result, CSD practice has become almost ahistorical. Existing literature provides a thorough account of government intervention and interest in sport development. However, a comprehensive account of CSD as a distinct policy area remains absent. This chapter will address this omission. It will conceptualise CSD as a distinct area of sport development and chart its evolution over the past 40 years. It will address key principles and processes central to future policymaking. Recognising and learning from past CSD efforts and incorporating lessons into future policy will be essential in alleviating persistent sporting and social inequalities.

The final phase of Sport England’s consultation on their new 10-year strategy, due early 2021, is coming to a close. Their purpose to “transform the nation’s relationship with movement, physical activity and sport” got us thinking about what we would like to see in the new document, especially in relation to our shared interest in inclusive community sport practice.

There is an increasing demand for sport and leisure programmes to demonstrate their contribution to broader social outcomes. However, demonstrating social impact is a challenging endeavour in both theory and practice. There is a need for measures that sufficiently capture the complexity of participant experience whilst being practicable for those engaged in the delivery and management of sport and leisure activities. Through the adaptation of a Sense of Community (SoC) scale, this research note presents one such measure in the context of a community Walking for Health group. With further validation, the measure presented here may provide a reliable social impact assessment instrument to capture participants’ relationship to, and strength of feelings about, being part of a community. This exploration will be of interest to those seeking to understand and rigourise the social value of sport and physical activity provision.

Working within the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society (CSJ) at Leeds Beckett University, UK, has provided opportunities for the authorship team to work with sports organisations on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. What has become increasingly apparent is the need to conceive inclusion in ways that move beyond issues of access and participation, a policy or targeted programme. What emerges across our research projects is the significance of belonging to inclusion. Within this paper we offer insights into the embodiment of belonging through four processes – feeling seen, heard, valued and known which form our ‘Anchors of Belonging’ framework. We bring each anchor to life using examples from the CSJ’s research portfolio. We pose several reflective questions organisations might use as a guide to leverage the anchors and adopt a more proactive ­person-centred approach to create an inclusive environment for their workforce.