Community sport and social inclusion: international perspectives

Abstract

This opening article examines the relationship between community sport and social inclusion in research and practice. We discuss the notion of community sport, its multifarious meanings and diverse applications in different parts of the world. We further explore the conceptual and practical links between community sport and different conceptions of social inclusion. In doing so, the article draws together key themes, issues and debates addressed in the collection of articles in this special issue. We conclude by formulating implications and directions for future research and practice.

Keywords:

• Social exclusion
• inequality
• sport for all
• sport-based intervention
• community sport

Acknowledgements

This article is part of the “CATCH” project (Community sport for AT-risk youth: innovative strategies for promoting personal development, health and social CoHesion), carried out by the research group Sport and Society (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, and the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy (Ghent University). CATCH is a strategic basic research project (150060), subsidized by the Flemish Government Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We would like to acknowledge the assistance of RamÓn Spaaij and Cora Burnett, who convened the sessions on community sport and social inclusion at the 2017 World Congress of Sociology of Sport in Taoyuan, Taiwan. These sessions were the initial impetus for this special issue. The conveners” constructive feedback contributed to the realization of this project from the outset. We also thank Boria Majumdar (Executive Editor) and Sean Brown (Associate Editor) for their assistance throughout this journey. Our gratitude also goes to all the contributing authors. Last but not least, we thank all reviewers for their contributions to this special issue on community sport and social inclusion.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.