Urban social regeneration through local sports clubs: a case study of Ballymun, Dublin and Setanta GAA

Abstract

Urban deprivation has led to governments implementing urban regeneration initiatives to combat the decay of disadvantaged urban areas. However, such initiatives often fail to tackle the social problems which affect these places and as a result they fail to benefit the residents of these neighbourhoods. This article will explore how local sports clubs can positively influence the social regeneration of disadvantaged areas by looking at how sports clubs can strengthen social capital, along with mitigating stigma attached to these areas. Ballymun in Dublin, Ireland will be used as an example of a disadvantaged urban area, while Setanta GAA will be used as an example of how local sports clubs can facilitate high levels of social capital and mitigate self-stigmatisation. Based on the findings, we recommend that the role of local sports clubs, along with integration from other local community groups, should be introduced into urban regeneration policy.

Keywords:

• Urban regeneration
• urban deprivation
• social capital
• sports-based regeneration
• Gaelic Athletics Association
• Ballymun

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.