Lifestyle Sports and Public Policy

Lifestyle Sports and Public Policy is the first book to develop a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between lifestyle sports and the public policy environment which frames and regulates them. Drawing on a wide range of lifestyle sports from across the globe, including parkour, skateboarding, mountain biking and climbing, it identifies the critical issues facing practitioners and policymakers as these sports become increasingly popular.

Part I examines public sector bodies that provide lifestyle sports opportunities to the public, either through funding partners or by managing facilities themselves. Part II looks at the use of lifestyle sports to promote policy agendas such as improving public health, while Part III considers the impact of public sector regulatory actions on the lifestyle sports industry. Each part contains case studies which investigate a policy issue from the perspective of a different lifestyle sport, including some sports which have traditionally been under-represented such as rodeo and curling.

This book is a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in lifestyle sports, leisure studies, sport tourism, leisure management or sport policy.

Daniel Turner is Programme Cluster Leader for Marketing, Events and Tourism within the School of Business and Enterprise at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. His research interests revolve around the use of socio-cultural theory to understand better the interplay between public policy and sport, events and tourism. In particular, he has written on the value of figurational sociology for analysing lifestyle sports and public policy

Sandro Carnicelli is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Events Management and Tourism Management at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. Sandro has been working in the field of Adventure Tourism in Brazil, New Zealand and Scotland for 10 years. He was awarded the Skills Active Outdoor Recreation Research Scholarship in 2010 and the Carnegie Trust Grant in 2011 for his work on adventure guides and with event volunteers. Sandro has published articles in journals including Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Annals of Leisure Research, Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, and World Leisure