Participation in Sport: International Policy Perspectives

Although there is growing interest from governments in participation levels in sport, the extent to which governments actively promote ‘sport for all’ and their motives for doing so vary greatly. This is the first book to examine the sport participation policies of national governments across the world and to offer a comparative analysis of the motives for, and successes and failures of those policies.

Organized around a series of sixteen national case studies, including the UK, the US, Australia, China and India, the book enables students and practitioners to compare and contrast the development, implementation and impact of sport participation policies throughout the world. An introductory chapter provides a framework for understanding and interpreting those case studies and each chapter then addresses the following key themes:

• national structures for sport
• national sporting cultures
• participation levels in organized sport
• the nature and extent of government intervention
• implementation of governmental policy
• the impact of government policy.

With contributions from many of the world’s leading experts on sport policy and sport development, this book is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the role of governments in relation to supporting and regulating their citizens’ involvement in sport.

Matthew Nicholson is Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Centre for Sport and Social Impact at La Trobe University, Australia. His research interests focus on sport policy and development, the contribution of sport to social capital and the relationship between sport and the media. His most recent books include Sport and Policy: Issues and Analysis (2010), Sport Management: Principles and Applications (2009), Sport and Social Capital (2008), A National Game (2008) and Sport and the Media: Managing the Nexus (2007).

Russell Hoye is Professor of Sport Management and Director of the Centre for Sport and Social Impact at La Trobe University, Australia. His main research areas focus on the governance of sports organizations, the impacts of public policy on sport and the engagement of volunteers in sport. His most recent books include Sport and Policy: Issues and Analysis (2010), Sport Management: Principles and Applications (2009), Sport and Social Capital (2008) and Sport Governance (2007).

Barrie Houlihan is Professor of Sport Policy in the Institute of Sport and Leisure Policy in the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Loughborough University, UK. He has written widely on many aspects of sport policy including doping, sport development, theorizing the sport policy process and sport and young people. His most recent books include Sport and Policy: Issues and Analysis (2010), Comparative Elite Sport Development: Systems, Structures and Public Policy (2008) and Sport Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Stability and Change (2007).