Management of Sports Development

Now in a fully revised and significantly expanded new edition, Management of Sports Development is a complete introduction to the theory, policy and practice of sports development. With a focus on professional knowledge and managerial competencies, this book defines conceptually and semantically the field of sports development and explains how a clear vision, managed processes of change and effective delivery can lead to the best sustainable outcomes for people, communities and sports organisations.

The first section of this book introduces the developmental doctrines that underpin contemporary sports development and considers how research and writing about sports development influence policy and practice. The second section of this book then explores the diversity of perspectives and interests in the sports development landscape, from public policy, international sports development to cultural perspectives and social value. The third section takes a closer look at the personal, organisational and social change stimulated by sports development visions, a critical consideration for effective strategy, programme implementation and management, including current issues such as social justice, sustainability and mega‑sporting events. The fourth and final section of this book looks closely at delivery, unpacking key functional areas such as governance, building organisational capacity, networks and partnerships, volunteering, digitalisation, and monitoring and evaluation.

Management of Sports Development is an essential textbook for any sport development course and is invaluable reading for any policy maker or practitioner looking to improve their subject knowledge or professional skills.

Vassil Girginov, PhD, is a Professor of Sport Management at Brunel University London, UK. He also serves as the President of the European Association for Sport Management and the General Editor of Routledge Resource Online: Sport Studies. Girginov has authored and edited several books with Routledge and other publishers. His most recent book is Running Events: Policies, Marketing and Impacts (Routledge, 2018).

Mathew Dowling, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Management in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, UK. His research focuses on sport governance and organisational and systemic change within not‑for‑profit sport organisations. He has an established track record of publishing in leading journals and has co‑authored books within sport management, sport governance and comparative methods in sport.