Sport Policy Across The United Kingdom

This book provides a comparative analysis of sport and physical activity policies, processes, and practices across the home nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) of the United Kingdom. Drawing upon in-depth analysis by internationally recognised experts within the sport policy and management field, and applying a novel analytical framework, this book offers the first comprehensive intra-country comparison of the most significant features of the sporting infrastructure across the home nations. With chapters focusing on each of the four nations in detail, followed by a comparative chapter that identifies themes regarding the evolution of sport policy across the UK, the book examines the differences and similarities across elite, community, and school sport policy. It provides an important insight into how sport policy interacts with national and devolved political structures and with sociocultural factors to drive both elite sporting success and community sport development. This book is essential reading for any student, researcher, policymaker or sport practitioner with an interest in sport policy, sport development, sport management, public policy, or politics.

Sport, Policy and Politics is a genuinely comparative analysis of sport policy-making in five countries - Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and North America. Some of the issues raised in this book include: * the process of sport policy-making * the administrative framework for sport: the responsibilities of central or federal governments, state governments and local authorities * the division of responsibility between different levels of government * how policy-making has addressed the topical problems of drug abuse in athletes, and the provision of sport and physical education in schools.

Since 1990, Britain has seen a period of unprecedented public investment in, and political commitment to, sport. This book provides an analysis that examines sport policy as a field of government and discusses how the various sectors have been affected by government and the competition for public resources.

The London Olympics of 2012 acted as a focal point for an examination of UK sport policy. Individual chapters from leading specialists in their fields focus upon the central components of the UKs model of sport - for example elite, school and community sport and talent ID policies - and discuss what kind of legacy 2012 is likely to leave on the sports landscape in years to come. The concept legacy is a common theme running through all contributions which themselves stem from a wide variety of academic disciplines and sub-disciplines, including sport psychology, political science, sports studies, cultural studies and sociology. A wide range of topics and organisations are covered throughout the volume, including coaching, talent ID, school sports partnerships, PE and youth sport, participation in sport, the IOC and the Olympic Charter, the Olympic Movement and Islamic Culture and, finally, issues of regeneration through sports mega-events. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Sport Policy.

Sport Policy and Development introduces the key themes in sport and social policy and provides students with a base for understanding the process of social policy creation more generally. Bringing a distinctively sociological perspective to the subject, the text provides a comprehensive analysis of the ways in which pro-sport policies are thought to influence the community and the individual.

This book critically examines the roles and contributions of different organisations in the implementation of sport policy in the UK and, therefore, provides an important guide to the complexities of implementing sport policy and of achieving policy goals through, and for, sport. Presenting analytical chapters by leading sport researchers alongside shorter commentaries by practitioners working in the field, this book outlines the uneven path between policy planning and real-world outcomes. Adopting a multi-level analysis, this book examines the interlocking structures and challenges of organisations, from grassroots voluntary sport to national governing bodies and professional clubs, and considers the most important issues affecting UK sport policy today. This is fascinating reading for any student, researcher or practitioner working in sport policy, sport for development, sport management, sport coaching, physical education and related areas of policy such as public health, community development, social policy, public policy and education.

For small nations like Grenada, New Zealand and Norway, medal counts relative to population are increasingly touted as the most meaningful comparisons with sporting superpowers China, the United States and Germany. In acknowledging that 60% of the world’s states have populations of less than 10 million and 48% of these have less than 5 million inhabitants, this book explores how the ‘minnows’ can build or sustain their sport programmes. Despite the immense variation among and between small states, this book suggests that scale ‘matters’. The contributors, from Antigua and Barbuda, Finland, Lebanon, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden demonstrate the challenges and opportunities of governing sport in their respective countries. These works highlight the distinctive policy ‘ecologies’ of sport in small states, marked by the unique responses to global pressures, the domestic realities of having limited resources, and by the close-knit networks of accountability. This volume will help scholars and policy makers to better understand the significance of having fewer ‘degrees of separation’ and the implications this has for sport. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.

The classic groundbreaking text for understanding organizational theory in the sport industry is back in an extensively revised new edition. With an added emphasis on organizational behavior and practical applications of the theory, Understanding Sport Organizations: Applications for Sport Managers, Third Edition, provides a logical progression to understanding the many components of and processes in sport organizations. Readers will gain a strong theoretical foundation while learning how it applies within the context of the ever-changing field of sport management. In this third edition, new chapters incorporate critical concepts that sport managers in the current era must be familiar with: Different policy types and the responses of sport organizations to policy Perspectives of marketing of sport and marketing through sport Control in sport organizations Sex and gender in sport organizations Volunteer management in sport Dimensions and assessment of governance in sport organizations Mental health difficulties and management strategies within sport environments Applying statistical analysis to support analytic decision making in sport Corporate social responsibility Procurement and sport organizations To facilitate comprehension and application, each chapter opens with a list of key concepts and a real-world, contemporary scenario to demonstrate the relevance of theory and behavior in the sport industry. Time Out sidebars offer accounts from actual sport organization situations or from research findings to further illustrate issues being discussed. Chapter summaries and review questions are provided to stimulate discussion about the central issues from each chapter. Key Issues for Sport Managers boxes highlight how chapter content is applied at the level of sport manager, and closing Case for Analysis examples allow readers to directly apply information from each chapter. Real-world examples throughout the text provide opportunities for additional exploration and application of relevant concepts. Every chapter references key articles that build on the foundational framework presented and includes suggestions for further reading within general management and sport management literature. This thorough presentation of subject matter will guide readers to a greater and more practical understanding of core issues. Synthesizing modern conceptual and empirical research from many fields of management into a practical, engaging look at the sport management field, Understanding Sport Organizations: Applications for Sport Managers, Third Edition, is an invaluable resource for students and current practitioners alike.