Discrimination cases in grass-roots sport: comparing Australian and English experiences

Abstract

Although sport is often regarded as a site of social inclusion that can provide rare opportunities for otherwise marginalized social groups, it harbours some of the most overt and extreme forms of discrimination and abuse. Recent high-profile discrimination cases involving professional footballers and spectators in the English Premier League and the Australian Football League have led to increased interest in the way national sport organisations deal with such incidents – particularly from politicians, lawyers and the mass media. This article explores the various ways in which cases of discrimination are handled in sport in two national settings of Australia and Britain, particularly at a grass-roots level. Drawing upon the professional, personal and research experience of both authors, the article surveys the changing nature of discriminatory abuse in grass-roots sports in both countries, before comparing and contrasting the various approaches taken to dealing with discrimination in Australian sport and English grass-roots football.

Notes

^1. Australian Sports Commission NSO forums conducted in Sydney in 2011 and Melbourne in 2012.

^2. Outcomes from a Play by the Rules National Reference Group forum held in Adelaide in May 2012.

^3. See the various programmes and strategies at: http://www.ausport.gov.au/supporting/ethics

^4. Personal correspondence with current FA personnel, 27 February 2014.

^5. For more information on MPIOs see: http://www.playbytherules.net.au/mpio.

^6.Play by the Rules strategic plan. Viewed at: http://www.playbytherules.net.au/home/our-strategic-plan.

^7. Interview by the author (Paul Oliver) with Peter Downs on 2 January 2014.

^8. Interview participant responses in 2013 to Paul Oliver's PhD project ‘The Power of Sport: Building social bridges and breaking down cultural barriers’.

^9. Interview by the author (Paul Oliver) with Dr Grange on 12 February 2012.