The Journal of Sport for Development (JSFD) was founded in 2012, with the first issue published in early 2013. In light of this ten-year anniversary, we reflect on the current state of the field and highlight important opportunities for strengthening Sport for Development (SFD) knowledge and practice.
Sport for development (SFD) has continued to evolve as a field to the point where it has been suggested as an institutionalized sector within the broader international development discipline (Darnell et al., 2019; McSweeney et al., 2019). Research, practice, and policy related to SFD has increased greatly since the new millennium, including empirical analysis related to the management, innovative processes, and partnerships of organizations (Welty Peachey et al., 2018; Svensson & Cohen, 2020; Svensson & Hambrick, 2016), sociocultural investigations into the power relations across and within North/South contexts (Darnell, 2012; Hayhurst, 2014, 2017; McSweeney, 2019), explorations of gender (in)equalities and (de)colonization (Darnell & Hayhurst, 2012; Oxford, 2019; Oxford & McLachlan, 2018), and studies of the (un)intended consequences of SFD programs for participants who are “targeted” as development beneficiaries (Spaaij, 2011, 2013a; Whitley et al., 2016), to name but a few. Yet, although critical and important insights into the complexities and premise of SFD continue to grow, and organizations continue to emerge within the field (at least pre-COVID-19), there remains a need to examine further the potential opportunities of sport, if any, for promoting and offering livelihood opportunities to specific populations (Schulenkorf et al., 2016). This special issue aims to advance theoretical, empirical, and practical insights into the relationship between SFD and livelihoods.
Esta edição da Revista de Esporte para o Desenvolvimento tem como objetivo apresentar a crescente literatura sobre “Esporte para o Desenvolvimento e a Paz” (EDP) na América Latina e no Caribe. Ela foi concebida durante pesquisas de campo em Medellín (Colômbia) nos anos de 2014 e 2015 pelos editores desta edição especial. Essas pesquisas envolveram trabalhos com departamentos governamentais, acadêmicos e grupos comunitários com o intuito de examinar o papel do esporte e do futebol e seus diferentes impactos sociais. Nosso período em Medellín nos permitiu ver o EDP como um esforço comunitário coletivo e uma genuína abordagem colaborativa do governo e das universidades locais.
Esta edición especial tiene como objetivo ofrecer un punto de enfoque para la creciente literatura sobre el “Deporte para el Desarrollo y la Paz” (DDP) en América Latina y el Caribe. Fue concebida durante visitas de campo a Medellín (Colombia) por los editores de esta edición especial en 2014 y 2015. Estas visitas implicaron trabajar con departamentos gubernamentales, académicos y grupos comunitarios para examinar el papel del deporte y del fútbol dentro de una amplia gama de objetivos sociales. Nuestra visita a Medellín nos permitió ver el DDP como un esfuerzo colectivo comunitario y como un enfoque de colaboración genuino por parte del gobierno local y las universidades.
This Special Issue aims to offer a focus point for the growing literature on ‘Sport for Development and Peace’ (SDP) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was conceived during field visits to Medellín (Colombia) in 2014 and 2015 by the editors of this Special Issue. These visits involved working with government departments, academics and community groups to examine the role of sport and football for a broad range of social outcomes. Our time in Medellin allowed us to view SDP as a collective community endeavour, and a genuine collaborative approach by local Government and Universities.
In March 2013, the Journal of Sport for Development (JSFD) published its first issue as an online, open-access academic journal explicitly dedicated to sport for development (SFD) research. JSFD’s mission was to embark on a journey towards advancing, examining and disseminating best practices and evidence of effectiveness from programs and interventions that use sport to promote (international) development in the seven thematic areas of: education, disability, gender, health, livelihoods, social cohesion, and peace.1 Five years from its inauguration, it seems timely to look back and reflect on some of JSFD’s organizational developments, key achievements, and future challenges.
Ian Brittain1, Eli A. Wolff2 1 Coventry University, UK 2 Brown University, USA Citation: Brittain, I., Wolff, E. Disability Sport: Changing Lives, Changing Perceptions (Editorial). Journal of Sport for Development. 2015; 3(5): 1-3. Download article as PDF Editorial Welcome to this special edition of the Journal of Sport for Development (JSFD) entitled Disability Sport: Changing […]
As the Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, it is with great pleasure that, I would like to take this opportunity to provide my heartfelt support for the Journal of Sport for Development (JSFD). With the continued growth of the sport-for-development sector – and the increased expectation to show project impact – it is timely to establish an academic journal that is specifically dedicated to evidence-based research in and around sport-for-development…
This editorial clarifies for researchers, implementers, funders and policy-makers how JSFD fits into the expanding sport for development landscape. Our objective is to examine, advance and disseminate evidence, best practices, and lessons learned from SFD programmes and interventions. We aim to publish both quantitative and qualitative studies that can better inform the SFD sector. This includes […]
Journal of Sport for Development 