Sport and the 'Big Society'

Published 22 February 2012

Chelsea School of Sport recently hosted a one day workshop on Sport and the ‘Big Society’.

With speakers drawn from academia, think tanks and local government, the workshop reflected upon the meanings of the ‘Big Society’ and its relation to sport.

The workshop also enquired into other policy sectors and whether they could learn from sport's response to current policy changes in a time of austerity.

The presentations covered aspects such as volunteering, community development, social innovation, leisure, social capital, localism, citizenship and fan activism.

Attendees of the Sport and the 'Big Society' workshop

The symposium did not generate a consensual definition of 'Big Society', though several working definitions were offered. It did offer a valuable exchange of current knowledge of the impacts, innovations and responses to the 'Big Society' being felt throughout the UK in the sport policy community at various levels.

The workshop held was organised by Dr Paul Gilchrist, co-convenor of the Political Studies Association’s (PSA) Sport and Politics Study Group. He said: “The event was a timely intervention into political dynamics that could rewrite the nature of community sport in the UK. There are certainly many challenges ahead for sport policy deliverers in managing change and embedding newer models of sport governance.”

The event was kindly supported by an award from the PSA’s specialist activities competition.

A full report of the workshop is available from the Sportpolitics.net website.