The experience of community sport development: a case study of Blaenau Gwent

Abstract

In this paper, the experience of community sport development (CSD) is explored through case study evidence from Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council – an area of social disadvantage in the South Wales valleys. An empirically informed theoretical account is presented based on three key themes: (a) community development and social capital; (b) nurturing citizenship; and (c) resistance to paternalism. As a result, a re-conceptualisation of CSD is advanced in which there is an explicit recognition of the tripartite relationship between community, citizens and providers as part of an understanding of new governance. This in turn requires a shift away from dichotomous ‘bottom–up’ and ‘top–down’ approaches towards a non-hierarchical emphasis for CSD.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful to the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council for supporting this research, and to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier draft of the paper.