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AbstractCurrent literature suggests that community sport contributes to social cohesion. Yet, empirical research is still scant, and existing conceptualizations of social cohesion in the context of community sport are dominated by a social capital approach emphasizing the individual over the structural conditions that need to be addressed if social cohesion is to be achieved. This article aims to provide more insight into how social cohesion is operationalized in community sport practices. Qualitative research on the practical understandings of community sport practitioners was undertaken across three cities in Flanders, Belgium. The findings suggest that practitioners adopt both individual and structural understandings of social cohesion. Moreover, they experience that their efforts to develop a structural approach are pressured by a dominant individualized approach. These findings reveal a disjuncture between academic constructs of social cohesion and the practical understandings of community sport practitioners. The article proposes ways to address the need for the empirical and conceptual development of social cohesion in the context of community sport and the broader community development field.

Social capital has been emphasized as a way to solve various community problems, and sports are considered one way to build social capital as a catalyst for that purpose. Comprehensive community sport clubs offer not only various sports but also opportunities for communication among club members. However, most traditional community sports clubs are designed for only one type of sport, and their scope is limited in terms of gender, age, and technique. This study compares the varieties of community sport clubs, which can be separated into two types in terms of social capital. To accomplish this, we investigate the relationship between the location of sport clubs and social capital. Data obtained from written questionnaires were analysed using a t-test to determine the different types of sport clubs according to degrees of social capital. This study also examines the effects of the relationship between the type and location of community sport clubs as far as social capital is concerned. One-way ANOVA was chosen for this analysis. The results show that some differences exist in the relationship between types of sport clubs and social capital. The findings also show that the location of community sport clubs is critical to the production of social capital.

Purpose– The paper aims to utilise Adam and Kriesi's network approach to policy analysis to examine the range of exogenous factors that affect interactions in the community sport policy process from a local authority perspective.Design/methodology/approach– The research is based upon two case studies. Each case study involved semi-structured interviews with three local authority middle/senior managers, three senior County Sport Partnership (CSP) representatives, and eight regional/county national governing bodies of sport (NGB) representatives.Findings– While the two cases exhibit distinctive socio-economic and structural profiles they provide valuable evidence regarding the operation of the network of partners involved in community sport and also illustrate the utility of Adam and Kriesi's analytical framework. In relation to Adam and Kriesi's power/interaction model both cases illustrate the fragmentation of power at the community level although interaction in one case exhibits a pattern best characterised as "competition" whereas interaction in the other is more closely associated with "horizontal cooperation".Research limitations/implications– The paper highlights the need for improved theorisation of partnership arrangements in community sport, in particular: examining the relationship between issues such as resources, organisational capacity, and traditional involvement in sport development and attitudes toward the community sport policy process; linked to this, mapping the causal relationships in partnerships, i.e. what factors lead to what actions or behaviours; and investigating the utility of various strategies in developing a more cohesive and effective sub-regional policy system.Originality/value– Local authority perspectives of community sport policy is an under-researched topic. It is timely to study these perspectives due to the refreshed community sport policy for 2013-2017, the traditional status of local government as the major funder of community sport, and the public sector budget reductions and reported implications for non-statutory services, such as community sport

This study employs a spatial analysis to critically examine gender relations within an Australian football and netball community sports club that has sought to address gender inequity and promote the participation of women across the club. Notable changes included increased female representation in the club's decision-making structures, growing numbers of female members, and the establishment of a women's and girls' football section. Using an in-depth case study that combined interviews and observations over a 6-month period, we investigated the impact these changes have had on transforming gender relations and in challenging perceptions of the club as a privileged space for its male members. The study utilized spatial and feminist theory to illustrate that, despite the club's efforts to change gender relations, men who are able to embody dominant forms of masculinity (i.e., high ability and able-bodied) continue to be privileged within the club environment. The article highlights the importance of spatial analysis in illuminating the ways in which various micro-level practices preserve dominant gender relations within community sports. The findings reinforce that although a greater number of women and girls are participating in community sport, this alone is not significantly reshaping gender relations. Policies seeking to promote gender equity in sport need to enforce changes in club environments in addition to focusing on increasing women's participation.

Reducing social exclusion through interventions designed to sustain school engagement is a key aim of the education and social policy of any government. This paper is a response to the call for there to be more focused empirical sports coaching research through examining the transformative potential of community based sports coaches to support schools in arresting school disengagement. By embracing an understanding that challenges the definitional core of sports coaching as simply improving the sporting performance of an individual or team, and, drawing theoretically on the work of Carlisle et al. (2006) and Shields (2010), the role of 'coach as transformative leader' is articulated. Analysis of data collected by means of semi-structured interviews with a group of community based sports coaches (n=8), revealed three factors salient to our understanding of re-engaging young people with formal education through sport. These were the impact of the community sport programme, the relationship between schools and community sports groups and, the implementation of transformative leadership qualities by sport coaching practitioners. Importantly, this paper explicates the pivotal function that coaching practice which embraces transformative leadership principles can have on re-orienting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds towards more optimistic futures and educational objectives.

The objectives of this research are 1) to analyze administration context and problems in subdistrict administrative organization (SAO) pertaining to community sports and recreation management; 2) to analyze behavioral context and needs to receive sports and recreation services in a community; and 3) to propose guidelines to improve the management of a community sports and recreation in local administrative organizations (LAO) in Thailand. The research was conducted by mixed methods using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative data was collected through in-depth interview with 20 key informants who are the stakeholders in the community from 4 regions of Thailand. The qualitative data was analyzed by content analysis method. The quantitative data was collected through questionnaire from 906 samples who received sports and recreation services in their local communities. The qualitative data was analyzed by using frequency distribution, percentage, means and standard deviation. The result shows that LAO, especially for SAO, should devise these managerial approaches to improve community sports and recreation center i.e. 1) place an emphasis on community sports and recreation which reflects vision of executives and results in effective resources management for local sports and recreation; 2) apply marketing mix concept concerning demand in sports and recreation services; 3) develop management processes comprising planning, organizing, leading, controlling and evaluating; 4) treat output as indicators for organizing health and well-being activities for better quality of life of people in the community, enhancing inclusive services and creating good governance; and 5) analyze the context of national policy and national strategy concerning community sports and recreation, socio-cultural aspect, technology, economy and local politics.

Community sport clubs are a type of membership association largely run by member volunteers who organize and deliver opportunities for recreational and competitive sport participation. These clubs are where people are most likely to engage in organized sport, and have become a focus for achieving social policy objectives. It is important to understand the structures and processes that enable these organizations to meet their member-focused mandates. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework of organizational capacity in this context by uncovering critical elements within multiple capacity dimensions, namely, human resources, finance, infrastructure, planning and development, and external relationships. Focus groups with presidents of 51 sport clubs across Ontario revealed key strengths and challenges that impact the ability of these organizations to achieve their sport delivery goals. Variation by club size was observed. Implications for practice and future research on community sport clubs and membership associations are presented.

Diversity is a key term used in a range of public and private organizations to describe institutional goals, values and practices. Sport is a prominent social institution where the language of diversity is frequently and positively used; yet, this rhetoric does not necessarily translate into actual practice within sport organizations. This paper critically examines diversity work in community sports clubs. Drawing upon qualitative research at 31 amateur sports clubs in Australia, the findings show that diversity work in community sport organizations is often haphazard and accidental, rather than a strategic response or adaptation to policy. This paper concludes that while individual champions are critical to the promotion of diversity, persistent tensions and resistance arise when they seek to translate the language of diversity into institutional practice and culture change.

Few studies have been conducted into the use of mobile technologies at community-based organizations. Community sport organizations (CSOs) typically operate within a defined geographic area and rely on the primary support of volunteers. Based on the characteristics of mobile-based information services, this article proposes a model that provides a guide for CSOs to classify mobile applications through four mobile utility factors and three innovation adoption determinants (cost, skill requirements, and compatibility). The model is supported visually by the use of Microsoft Excel generated "radar graphs" to illustrate desired practical and actual performance. The contribution of the theoretical model is one of providing a vehicle for evaluating mobile technology applications by CSOs to identify the potential effectiveness of mobile devices, particularly in a preadoption scenario.