Daniel Parnell

Objective: We investigated what young children considered as being the outcomes of their participation in sport and physical activity. Methods: This study adopted a drawing elicitation method with 80 children (42 boys and 38 girls) aged 7-10 from 2 primary schools in the North of England. Results: Regardless of sex, 'getting fitter' was considered a main outcome of participation in sport and physical activity. Boys also identified 'becoming muscular' as a main outcome, while girls considered 'making new friends' as a main outcome. Conclusions: Parents, teacher, and coaches who are responsible for constructing sport and physical activity experiences for children need to ensure children are given opportunities to learn about the outcomes of sport and physical activity.


Authors: Cope, Ed; Bailey, Richard; Parnell, Daniel; Kirk, Ben
Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 5, Number 1, January 2018, pp. 103-113(11)

http://ingentaconnect.com/contentone/psp/hbpr/2018/00000005/00000001/art00011

Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) offers a key vehicle to support the development of lifelong participation in children and young people. At a time of government cuts and the emergence of external providers, including professional
football clubs, it is pertinent to explore current practice. This research set out to explore the delivery, and partnerships involved within the School Sports Premium, particularly the relationship between the community arms and registered
charities of professional football clubs and schools to deliver PESS. Semi-structured interviews with community managers from football community programmes and head teachers revealed two key themes; partnership working and the role of the community coach. Findings suggest the need to develop the scope of the partnership and to build methods of evaluation to understand the impact of the coaches’ practice in schools. Further evaluation of the partnerships between professional football clubs and schools would bring an increased understanding.
of the effectiveness and impact of the partnerships, in order to improve
practice and the subsequent effectiveness of PESS, in terms of its contribution
towards lifelong participation for children and young people.

The UK’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) in 2010, outlined £81 billion of cuts across government departments by 2014/2015. The Conservative–Liberal Democrat reform was premised on the ‘Big Society’ making up for their austere cuts to the state. In this piece, we debate the impact of this on sports development, taking the case study of inner city Liverpool. This example is marked because, on the one hand, it presents cuts to municipal sports facilities which are threatened with closure as a result of shrinking local authority budgets, and on the other, this role is partially taken on by an offshoot of Everton Football Club (EFC). The points we debate are: (1) is the change in responsibility from the local authority to a private enterprise, staffed by volunteers, a new turn in sport policy? and (2) what are the consequences of this on grassroots sport participation?

Providing pragmatic interventions (through sport) to tackle social issues in hard-to-reach communities, including those in Aboriginal and black minority ethnic (BME) communities, this study highlights how a community football club was able to deliver positive outcomes for racism, discrimination and health. The article compares findings geographically originating from Australia with those in the UK. The program highlighted herein does not have the so-called ‘power’ and backing of a brand (of a professional football club) to rely on, and the appealing factor is football alone; football in its purest sense: the activity. We call upon those strategically placed in funding and commissioning roles to draw on the evidence base to support non-professional football (and sport and recreation) clubs to deliver on the health agenda. Adding further conclusions that this mechanism and context of delivery can support positive social and health changes, but requires further examination.

http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/PY14177.htm

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a Premier League football club’s Football in the Community (FitC) schemes intervention in promoting positive healthful behaviour change in children. Specifically, exploring the effectiveness of this intervention from the perspectives of the participants involved (i.e. the researcher, teachers, children and coaches). A range of data collection techniques were utilized including the principles of ethnography (i.e. immersion, engagement and observations), alongside conducting focus groups with the children. The results allude to the intervention merely ‘keeping active children active’ via (mostly) fun, football sessions. Results highlight the important contribution the ‘coach’ plays in the effectiveness of the intervention. Results relating to working practice (i.e. coaching practice and coach recruitment) are discussed and highlighted as areas to be addressed. FitC schemes appear to require a process of positive organizational change to increase their effectiveness in strategically attending to the health agenda.

This article outlines a partnership between an academic institute and a third sector organisation attached to a professional football club in the United Kingdom. The partnership concerns a sport for development intervention. The purpose of the article is to outline the development of applied monitoring and evaluation and the application of intervention mapping for an intervention to tackle anti-social behaviour through a football-based social inclusion project for children and young people. This case supports the development of third sector-university partnerships and the use of intervention mapping to meet shared objectives in relation to articulating the impact of interventions to funders and for research outputs.

Despite the fact that physical activity is universally acknowledged to be an important part of healthy functioning and well being, the full scope of its value is rarely appreciated.  This paper introduces a novel framework for understanding the relationships between physical activity (and specific forms of activity like sports) and different aspects of human development.  It proposes that the outcomes of physical activity can be framed as differential ‘capitals’ that represent investments in domain-specific assets – Emotional, Financial, Individual, Intellectual, Physical, and Social.  These investments, especially when made early in the life course, can yield significant rewards, both at that time and for years to come.  The paper also outlines some of the conditions necessary for the realization of Human Capital growth through sports and physical activity, focusing on the social factors that influence participation for children and young people.

Background Older adults (OA) represent a core priority group for physical activity and Public Health policy. As a result, significant interest is placed on how to optimise adherence to interventions promoting these approaches. Extra Time (ET) is an example of a national programme of physical activity interventions delivered in professional football clubs for OA aged 55+ years. This paper aims to examine the outcomes from ET, and unpick the processes by which these outcomes were achieved. Methods This paper represents a secondary analysis of data collected during the evaluation of ET. From the 985 OA reached by ET, n=486 adopted the programme and completed post-intervention surveys (typically 12 weeks). We also draw on interview data with 18 ET participants, and 7 staff who delivered the programme. Data were subject to thematic analysis to generate overarching and sub themes. Results Of the 486 participants, the majority 95%, (n= 462) were White British and 59.7% (n=290) were female. Most adopters (65.4%/n=318) had not participated in previous interventions in the host clubs. Social interaction was the most frequently reported benefit of participation (77.2%, n=375). While the reach of the club badge was important in letting people know about the programme, further work enhanced adoption and satisfaction. These factors included (i) listening to participants, (ii) delivering a flexible age-appropriate programme of diverse physical and social activities, (iii) offering activities which satisfy energy drives and needs for learning and (iv) extensive opportunities for social engagement. Conclusions Findings emerging from this study indicate that physical activity and health interventions delivered through professional football clubs can be effective for engaging OA.

Background: Smoking is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in England. This formative research involved the evaluation of SmokeFree Sports (SFS), a novel community sport intervention to prevent smoking among children and young people (CYP).

Methods: SFS was implemented in five youth clubs situated in deprived communities, between February and June 2011, involving 246 CYP (6-18 years). Seventy-one CYP (median age=10.0 years, 56% male) and five youth club managers participated in this formative evaluation study, which utilised a mixed methods design.

Results: Smoking prevalence at baseline and post-intervention did not differ significantly (2.8% vs. 1.4%). However, positive educational effects were observed: A lower proportion of respondents believed that smoking cigarettes was associated with weight gain or loss (80.0% to 66.2%). A higher proportion of respondents felt that once a person started smoking it would definitely be difficult to quit (52.1% to 62%). Qualitative data revealed that CYP’s awareness of smoking factors increased while youth club managers provided suggestions for future implementation.

Conclusions: Sport may be a viable mechanism to educate CYP about elements of smoking and health. This study raises key characteristics for the implementation and evaluation of a definitive trial.

The UK’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) in 2010, outlined £81 billion of cuts across government departments by 2014/2015. The Conservative–Liberal Democrat reform was premised on the ‘Big Society’ making up for their austere cuts to the state. In this piece, we debate the impact of this on sports development, taking the case study of inner city Liverpool. This example is marked because, on the one hand, it presents cuts to municipal sports facilities which are threatened with closure as a result of shrinking local authority budgets, and on the other, this role is partially taken on by an offshoot of Everton Football Club (EFC). The points we debate are: (1) is the change in responsibility from the local authority to a private enterprise, staffed by volunteers, a new turn in sport policy? and (2) what are the consequences of this on grassroots sport participation?

Older adults are a priority within policy designed to facilitate healthy lifestyles through physical activities. Golden Goal is a pilot programme of physical activity-led health improvement for older adults, 55 years and older. Activities were delivered at Burton Albion Football Club. Sessions involved weekly moderate to vigorous intensity exercise sessions including exer-gaming (exercise-orientated video-games), indoor bowls, cricket, new age curling, walking football, and traditional board games and skittles. Secondary analysis of data collected through the original programme evaluation of Golden Goal investigated the impact of the intervention on participants. Older adults completed self-reports for demographics, health screening/complications and quality of life. Attendees, n = 23 males (42.6%) and n = 31 females (57.4%) with a mean age of 69.38 (±5.87) (n = 40), ranging from 55–85 years took part. The mean attendance was 7.73 (±3.12) sessions for all participants, (n = 51). Older adults with two or more health complications (n = 22, 42.3%) attended fewer sessions on average (6.91 ± 3.322) compared to those reporting less than two health complications (8.65 ± 2.694). Self-rated health was higher for women (87.32 ± 9.573) vs. men (80.16 ± 18.557), although this was not statistically significant (U = 223.500, p = 0.350). Results support the potential of football-led health interventions for recruiting older adults, including those reporting health problems.

Thorpe and colleagues (2014) offer a pertinent review of the literature and qualitative insight into an Aboriginal community sporting team and it's environment on the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of young Aboriginal men. Extending to the identification of barriers and motivators for participation. The impressive prospective outcomes highlighted within the article ranged from racism and discrimination through to health. There are many parallels in Thorpe's work that also emerge in Long et al's (2009) study of the literature on black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in sport and physical recreation in the UK. Disparities in patterns of participation, experiences of racism, and institutionalised attitudes manifest by players, practitioners and policymakers were merely some of the themes relating to barriers and constraints for BME groups. For us the conclusion that, participation in sporting environments with strong social networks, which reinforce cultural identity and pride, enhances the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people needs to be further examined. Thorpe and colleagues (2014) assessment of the role of the football club is something that we wish to explore further. In some senses the club, at least for the men, facilitated a number of positive outcomes that are worthy of further examination in regards to the chain of causation and consideration of process. Thorpe's argument reads in key places as a case of post hoc ergo propter hoc [after this (outcome) because of this (the club)]. The question for us is, can Thorpe conclude that football is ideally placed for these health promotion interventions that support health benefits, identity, cultural and communty cohesion or can we take more from this that the most important thing for Aboriginals is the bringing together of the community around shared enthusiasms because of its psychological potential for protection from racialised psychological harm? This then becomes the major catalyst for subsequent rather than consequent positive health benefits of being in a club. If Thorpe and colleagus (2014) were to consider their research from a different perspective that considered how social capital manifest itself, then they might draw out some insightful commentary on how sport can reinforce exclusion between groups and promote positive health messages at the same time. This contradicts dominant policy discourses. While playing in predominatly Aboriginal teams/settings, they were not only more conspicuous as targets for bigotry but they also used sport as a form of resistance. In this case the Aboriginal respondents emphasise the racialised processes that forced them to self-exclude from predominantly white teams/clubs, due to the oppression of racism. This process reflects the same strategies used by black migrants in Ireland who experienced similar forms of racialised barriers (Hylton, 2011). As a result, their self-exclusion and recourse to 'safe spaces' factor into their 'choice' of physical or leisure activities and hint at possible considerations in establishing health promotion strategies for the Aboriginal community.

Adab et al [1] highlight the challenges associated with tackling the obesity epidemic and the role professional football clubs may play in this process. There is a common assumption by some in government, media and the general public that sport is unequivocally good. Football, and the brand English Premier League, has a global reach and mass youth appeal, which one could easily associate with a potential vehicle to harness health awareness and promotion messages [2]. However, adopting a philosophy of ‘football is good’ may be unwise, especially when exploring complex issues, such as obesity in children.

The inverse relationship between physical activity and obesity is relatively well-established [3], and there is growing evidence supporting the football as a context that can support the reduction of obesity [4], including clinically significant weight loss [5]. Yet, we need to understand the policy and practical conditions, such as physical education and school sport (PESS) settings, if we are going to realise the potential outcomes of any intervention. It seems appropriate to view the current PESS landscape within a broader policy context of austerity, triggered as a political tool to potentially mitigate the impact of the economic downturn in the UK and elsewhere.

Austerity-related policies impact sport through the closure of sport facilities [6], often hitting those in the most deprived areas hardest, whilst helping create a reality whereby government sport participation goals have not been met [7]. Within an environment of declining opportunity for sport participation, and the proverbial tightening of belts in school funding for PESS, the emergence of external providers and the outsourcing to private companies, including professional football clubs has become widespread [8]. This is a dramatically changing and unfamiliar environment, but one with which the different stakeholders in the battle against obesity must become familiar.

We support this research as adding further evidence about the potential of professional football clubs to deliver effective interventions and rigorous evaluations. Yet, we urge policy makers to strive for better-organised and delivered interventions, alongside challenging the false economy of broader austerity related policies, notably cuts to sport and leisure services and the outsourcing of PESS that may impact individuals, families and communities opportunities for quality physical activity and sport. Otherwise, there are likely to be further, and potentially more severe, public health and financial consequences in the future.

The austerity measures ushered across Europe and Worldwide are not just worthless news headlines, meaningless figures on balance sheets, pointless social media notifications, or cuts to abstract places that exist ‘somewhere’. Rather cuts on public spending imposed by such measures have unintended consequences on real people and places.  The long-term interaction between sport and politics is well documented. An example of this is the United Kingdom (UK).
An example of this is the United Kingdom (UK): The UK was governed for 13 years by the Labour Party. ‘New’ Labour, champions of the ‘third way’, ‘governance’ and ‘partnership’, who invested heavily in public services and reforms. By 2010, the British and global economy was in disarray, arising from a financial crisis that first emerged in 2008. Since May 2010, the UK has had a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government, which has made significant attempts to tackle the economic downturn. Ultimately, via the Comprehensive Spending Review 2010, an outlined £81 billion worth of cuts across government departments by 2014/15 was delivered. Interestingly, a quarter of this was targeted at the welfare budget (which has been expanded further). Ultimately, an era has come to an end where sport has been supported and applauded, partly because of the financial crisis and partly because of a change in ideology.  The consequences of this include wide-scale closure of leisure services, the transferal of physical resources to private or voluntary sectors, reorganization and reduction of local authority sport development units.
The purpose of this short UK example and insight is to pick out some of the pertinent (but not exhaustive) issues to the special issue: Sport management issues in an era of austerity. The aim of the special issue is to explore the consequence of these types of changes for sport, in doing so, we hope to (a) highlight the current state-of-play within sport development across European and International contexts, (b) to highlight some of theoretical, practical and policy implications related to sport management and (c) highlight future considerations for policy makers, applied researchers and practitioners.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
• Changes in responsibility shifting from local authority to private enterprise,
• Staffing changes towards the use of volunteers,
• The role and servicing needs of volunteers and coaching staff,
• Reduced funding for elite sport and impacts on sport policy,
• National Governing Body strategies to deal with funding reductions,
• Reduced funding for grassroots sport and its impact on lifelong participation,
• The current state of school sport,
• The emergence of social enterprise.

Please contact Dr. Dan Parnell via email if you have any questions: d.parnell@leedsbeckett.ac.uk