The formal recognition of sport as a developmental tool by the United Nations in 2003 brought sport into the development arena. The alignment of Sport for Development (SFD) with development distinguishes it from community club and high-performance sports. SFD is also distinguished by the fact that SFD implementing organisations rely on external funding to maintain operations. The funder-implementer relationship is, therefore, crucial as this interorganisational relationship (IOR) support the sustainability of the sector. In this study, we conducted a scoping review of the scholarly literature examining the IORs between and amongst funding and implementing organisations involved in SFD. Guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, we searched peer-reviewed academic literature published between 2009 and 2024. Searching four electronic databases, we identified 27 journal articles exploring aspects of the IORs between funding and implementing organisations in SFD. The thematic analysis identified four themes: a) motivation to engage in an IOR; b) issues of power impacting on IOR; c) tensions within funder-implementer IORs; and d) strategies to create value within the funder-implementer IOR.

The Sport New Zealand Outcomes Framework (SNZOF) details the contribution of the physical activity (PA) system to national wellbeing. However, it is unclear whether the SNZOF meets the needs of the country’s diverse populations. This paper aims to review the SNZOF to assess whether it adequately addresses wellbeing for Māori and Pacific rangatahi (young people aged 12-17). We conducted a literature search of wellbeing frameworks for these populations and compared it to the SNZOF to identify gaps. Three themes were then formed by comparing similar gaps identified across the compiled literature; 1) the depiction of PA contribution to national wellbeing in the SNZOF is not adequately holistic; 2) the role of culture is not clearly detailed; 3) population autonomy is not included as a long-term outcome. To address the identified gaps, we made three overarching recommendations for future iterations of the SNZOF; 1) acknowledge all domains of long-term wellbeing equally as part of a more holistic approach; 2) make culture an overarching principle to the entire framework; 3) apply systems thinking to embed autonomy as a long-term outcome. Enhancing the SNZOF has positive future implications for equity across diverse rangatahi populations, creating a robust PA system and improving national wellbeing.

Introduction: This study investigates the effectiveness of a 20-week Sport-Based Positive Youth Development (SBPYD) program aimed at enhancing resilience among inner-city adolescents. The research focuses on how participation in structured sports activities can improve key resilience factors, including self-esteem, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging.

Methods: The intervention involved a combination of physical activities, small group remedial lessons in language, reading, and mathematics, and individual coaching sessions to set personal developmental goals. To assess the outcomes, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to measure self-esteem, while the Sense of Belonging Scale from the OECD’s PISA study evaluated adolescents’ sense of belonging. Additionally, self-efficacy was assessed using the self-efficacy statements from the Sense of Mastery Scale. Participants completed surveys at the beginning and end of the intervention to capture changes in these constructs.

Results: The findings indicated significant improvements in adolescents’ self-esteem. Equally, participants reported a stronger sense of belonging in the intervention context compared to the school context. These results suggest that the SBPYD program effectively fostered resilience among adolescents.

Discussion: The findings suggest that SBPYD programs effectively enhance resilience in adolescents by fostering self-esteem and a sense of belonging through structured sports activities. The study highlights the importance of such interventions in promoting positive youth development and suggests that future research should include control groups and larger sample sizes to further validate these results and explore the long-term impacts of SBPYD programs.

Sport has the potential to play a valuable role within justice systems where the influences of institutionalized inequities are witnessed on a concentrated scale. Despite potential benefits, there has been found to be limited and varied access to sport programming across youth justice systems, and gaps exist in our understanding of how programs are implemented, including the factors that affect implementation in secure settings. Utilizing a theoretical framework from implementation sciences, this study identified important characteristics of implementation among a sample of exemplar sport programs in juvenile facilities. Findings highlight the value of using an ecological approach to understanding sport program implementation in a unique and non-traditional setting, such as the correctional system. Further, our findings reveal promising practices for the implementation of sport in juvenile justice to promote positive youth development and wellbeing and have implications for efforts to address inequitable access to sport and its related benefits among youth who are incarcerated.

This study used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the full-scale implementation of a sport-based positive youth development (PYD) program—the 1616 Program. The 16-week program was delivered to 88 ice hockey teams from North America who were introduced to PYD principles via storytelling by professional ice hockey players. Quantitative (retrospective pretest-posttest questionnaires [RPP]) and qualitative (e.g., focus groups) methods were used to collect outcome and process data, which were subsequently mapped onto each RE-AIM dimension. Reach – In total, over 1400 youth were registered in the program (participants were primarily boys who self-identified as White). Effectiveness – Although few significant pretest-posttest changes were observed, within-program RPP evaluations completed by a subsample of participants (n = 111) demonstrated significant changes in multiple dimensions of competence, confidence, and connection. Adoption – Whereas the majority of participants watched the program videos and completed the reflection activities, a 78% attrition rate for questionnaire completion was observed from pretest (n = 727) to posttest (n = 161). Implementation – Participants described having fun throughout the program and thought the content was relatable to their lives. Maintenance – Facilitators of program participation included the online delivery, while the length of the athlete surveys served as a barrier. This evaluation will inform future iterations and we put forth recommendations for similar program evaluation initiatives.

Coen van Putten1 1 Former Regional Sports Director, Special Olympics Asia Pacific Citation: van Putten, C. (2025). A formative and utilization-focused evaluation of assessment efficacy in Special Olympics coach education programmes across the Asia Pacific region. Journal of Sport for Development. Retrieved from https://jsfd.org/ Download article as PDF ABSTRACT Research has shown that sports participation […]

Trauma-informed care has shown promise as an intervention for preventing and mitigating the negative effects of childhood adversity. This study evaluated the impact of a trauma-informed sport training on youth sports coaches’ attitudes related to trauma-informed care and how their experiences with a trauma-informed sport training explain their attitudes. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the 35-item Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale (ARTIC-35) was used to measure coaches’ attitudes towards trauma-informed care before and after a 90-minute trauma-informed sport training (n=16), and interviews with participants were conducted between 1-2 months after the training to further explain the quantitative data (n=10). Quantitative results demonstrated significant improvements in coaches’ attitudes related to trauma-informed care and satisfaction with the training’s delivery, content, fit, and value. Themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis of interviews included that the intervention: provided a new perspective on youth behavior; demonstrated the importance of trusting relationships and safe environments; offered complimentary approaches to current coaching practices; raised awareness about coaches’ stress and its impacts; and increased knowledge of brain science and regulation. These study findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the impact of a trauma-informed sport training on coaches’ attitudes.

Background: In developing countries, participation and success in elite para-sports are relatively low primarily because of the numerous barriers para-athletes face. The objective of this study, which focused on elite para-athletes from Kenya, was to investigate their lived experiences and how they overcome these barriers to participate and excel at the international level.

Methodology: A qualitative research approach was employed to collect data from the participants through virtual interviews. Five participants (three females and two males) were selected using a purposive sampling strategy and interviewed using semi-structured questions. The data obtained were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

Findings: Based on the gathered data, four primary themes emerged: local para-sports events, a supportive environment, media, and international aid. These factors play a crucial role in enabling para-athletes to excel in their respective sports and achieve international recognition.

Conclusion: The lived experiences of para-athletes shed light on strategies for approaching and overcoming barriers to para-sports participation, ultimately leading them to compete at the highest levels of para-sport events. This study provides valuable insights for para-sport practice, policy, and research and can guide the development of intervention programs for para-athletes in developing countries.