Community sport development: where sport development and social justice meet

Once described as the ‘cutting edge’ of sport development practice, community sport development (CSD) reflects concern for how conventional club and facility-focused development often failed to realise the ambition of ‘Sport for All’. Community models are central to CSD, born from the realisation that top-down sport policies often fail to address sporting and social exclusion in diverse communities. Current efforts to address inequalities in sport are at risk of reinventing the wheel. Recent policy and initiatives claim newness but may be more accurately identified as a case of ‘old wine in new bottles’ or ‘inititivitis’. As a result, CSD practice has become almost ahistorical. Existing literature provides a thorough account of government intervention and interest in sport development. However, a comprehensive account of CSD as a distinct policy area remains absent. This chapter will address this omission. It will conceptualise CSD as a distinct area of sport development and chart its evolution over the past 40 years. It will address key principles and processes central to future policymaking. Recognising and learning from past CSD efforts and incorporating lessons into future policy will be essential in alleviating persistent sporting and social inequalities.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.432...