About our project
About our project
The project aims to deepen understandings of how equity and inclusion policies within community sport can address inequities in participation.
Our rationale
Sports environments can be exclusionary and discriminatory, benefitting and prioritising White, able-bodied, heterosexual, cis-gendered men and women.
Despite several decades of investment and policies aimed at addressing inequities in sports participation, community sport spaces continue to exclude, discriminate and marginalise diverse populations.
This project will explore how peak sporting bodies can better support equity and inclusion in community sport.
United Outcomes
The project will provide practical recommendations for sporting organisations, policy makers and government to better address discrimination, inequity and exclusion within the sport sector.
Our Approach
Our research will be undertaken in four phases.
Phase 1: Policy Analysis
Aim: to identifying strengths and weaknesses of current equity and inclusion sport policies across Victoria, Australia and Canada
Phase 2: Key sports policy actors
Aim: Identify current challenges and areas of resistance restricting the capacity of key sporting stakeholders to transforming approaches to equity and inclusion
Phase 3: Case studies from community sports
Aim: Understand lived experiences of discrimination and exclusion and learn what has worked in creating inclusive community sports settings through observations, interviews and focus groups
Phase 4: Participatory design workshop
Aim: Inform the development of guidance that can support approaches to equity and inclusion policy and practice that are responsive to intersectional forms of discrimination
Expected Benefits
Benefits include:
- Identifying what policies and practices underpin the successful development of equity and inclusion opportunities in sport;
- Developing evidence-based, community and stakeholder led practical resources outlining how sport organisations and other stakeholders can support local communities to initiate and sustain equity and inclusion;
- Providing ‘multi-level’ guidance to support the development of new policies, strategic planning and local level operating systems to foster equity and inclusion across sport.