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This article calls for a sophisticated investigation of policy enactment in sport-related environments, with community sport coaching used as an example case. Emphasis is placed on the need for in-depth empirical research into and theorisation of: 1) political skills involved in the enactment of policy; 2) performative and fabricated aspects of policy enactment; 3) emotion management when enacting policy; and 4) impacts of policy enactment for the health and wellbeing of workers. In doing so, this article challenges scholars to move beyond the study of policy actor types and to develop more nuanced understandings of the political, economic, organisational, interpersonal, and intrapersonal forces influencing those involved in policy enactment. It is hoped that this article will encourage original and high-quality research into how sport, physical activity, and physical education policies are enacted by its workforce and provide a stimulus for professional learning about policy work across sporting communities.

Research question: This article addresses the need to develop a comprehensive understanding of research on the formation and content of youth sport policies by presenting a review of studies across the period from 2000 to 2020. The review examined the scale and scope of these studies, collective research findings, and theoretical and methodological approaches utilised. Research methods: Compatible approaches to research synthesis were utilised. Scoping review methods supported searching within 31 relevant journals . Scoping review techniques augmented by those of ‘meta-study’ were used to analyse the 71 articles that were identified through the review. The definition of youth sport policy research through inclusion/exclusion of articles was determined Results and Findings: Youth sport policy research was dominated by studies in Europe and North America. There was also a predominance of qualitative methods, with studies being collectively limited in their utilisation of theory. Forty-four percent of studies examined policies focused on schools, with similar proportions (between 17% and 20%) addressing policies for welfare and safeguarding, community-based participation, and high-performance sport. Youth sport policy goals were often found to overlap and be influenced by other policy agendas, with health being a prominent policy concern. Implications: Besides the need for a wider geographical spread, improved theoretical underpinning and expanding quantitative methods should be priorities for future youth sport policy research. Extending normative analysis and study of democracy and inclusion in youth sport policy-making should also be pursued, especially as young people appear commonly excluded from these processes.

This chapter presents a review of published research on youth sport policy, focusing specifically on the representation of coaches in this literature and the policies that are examined. Comprehensive searching of relevant academic journals identified a total of 81 articles on the formation and content of youth sport policies that had been published across a 20-year period. While 41 of these articles included some mention of coaches or coaching, there have been very few studies that focus to any great extent on the role or representation of coaches in youth sport policy making. Similarly, a more in-depth review of research on youth sport policies across four areas – school sport and physical activity, community-based participation, welfare, and elite sport and events – gives almost no indication of coaches having an active role in the development of national policies. Where coaches are highlighted as a focus within youth sport policies, this tends to be in terms of increasing professionalisation and regulation especially in relation to child protection and safeguarding. The chapter concludes by highlighting some concerns with regard to these policy trends, and also identifies the need for further research specifically on the role and engagement of coaches in implementation of youth sport policies.

The mental health and wellbeing of elite footballers is beginning to receive much needed attention in research and practice terms. However, to date much of the knowledge generated and initiatives designed to improve provision for elite footballers’ mental health and wellbeing is centred on adults. The mental health and wellbeing of junior footballers attached to elite development programmes have largely been overlooked. In England, this is particularly concerning given an estimated 12,500 young professional academy footballers are attached to such systems. Semi structured interviews were conducted to explore the extent to which social ties and interactions with significant others shaped the mental health and wellbeing of twelve professional academy footballers based in four category one football academies in England. Drawing on concepts derieved from symbolic interactionism, the analysis of the findings highlighted; i) the demands and expectations of their role often negatively affected emotions, ii) concealment of mental health and wellbeing issues to significant others in primary and secondary social networks, and ii) portrayals of the self-intended to foster positive relations with significant others to avoid stigmatization. Future research and practice should seek to inform and promote more effective interventions and models that more adequately support the mental health and wellbeing of professional academy footballers.

Despite the importance of the coach developer in supporting coach learning, there is a limited understanding of how they develop. In response, this study explored the theories in practice of twenty-three English coach developers who undertook a continuing professional development (CPD) course. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations of coach developers’ practice and engagement on the course. The data were analysed using a phronetic-iterative approach, with Argyris and Schön’s ideas on theories in practice, mostly espoused theories and theories-in-use, providing the primary heuristic framework. The findings identified how before the CPD course the coach developers articulated espoused theories but as the course progressed there was a move to theories-in-use. This was due to their (re)constructed understanding of learning and working environment. The findings are discussed in light of how the CPD course, and tutors’ pedagogic approaches, influenced the coach developers’ knowledge and understanding. Based on these findings, it seems there is much to gain from supporting coach developers with a deconstruction and reconstruction of theories in practice.

Research question: The purpose of this study was to examine the talent identification and talent development experiences of referees in England. We explored with referees what they perceived to be the relevant strengths and weaknesses of the talent identification and development mechanisms utilised by football governing and development bodies in England. Currently, no research on the talent identification and development of football referees exists anywhere in the world. Research methods: The paper employs a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews with 28 participants across four different County Football Associations (CFAs) in England were conducted. Referees on the development pathway and Referee Development Officers were interviewed. Results and findings: Three overarching themes were identified; recruitment processes, talent identification and development, and support mechanisms. Opportunities for progression were affected by age, provision and quality of training, knowledge of the progression pathways, regional and national differences in both the recruitment and delivery of information regarding talent identification and development, and variability in the formalised support networks. Implications: Organisations who identify and develop referees at varying levels should understand the barriers associated with maximising referee progression. FIFA, UEFA, national football associations, and regional referee organisations are aware of the diminishing refereeing numbers across football, and therefore effective identification and development of referees becomes even more essential. Governing bodies should recognise that the progression pathways in place have a significant impact on referee development and therefore a successful standardised approach is essential both nationally and internationally.

This article focuses on the response by 2056 football referees across all 51 County Football Associations in England, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey to an online survey conducted from 30 September 2015 to 30 November 2015 regarding their experience of officiating since the implementation of a Respect programme in 2008 by the English Football Association. In assessing the impact of the programme, whilst 54 per cent of referees felt that it has been somewhat successful, there remains a need to implement stronger sanctions and show greater support when dealing with cases of misconduct. Some 60 per cent of referees still experience abuse every couple of games and 19 per cent have experienced some form of physical abuse. With 42 per cent of our sample officiating for less than five years, there is an urgent need for the impact and effectiveness of the programme to be re-evaluated.

The launch of the Respect Program in 2008 was intended to improve the working environment for referees at all levels of the game. However, eight years since the launch, this article has identified significant issues with the organization and management of the campaign and the verbal and physical abuse to which referees are subjected. Findings are concerned with the experiences of 2056 referees across England, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, who responded to an online questionnaire, and given the emergent themes from the data are linked to a figurational framework through location within Norbert Elias’s Civilizing Process. Findings identify a disenfranchised workforce, an uneven distribution of power and wider issues connected with the very structure of the game itself within England. The article concludes with specific recommendations designed to review and reinvigorate the Respect Program and as a consequence the working conditions for referees.

Introduction.

Since being adopted by The English Football Association as the preferred format of football to be played by children aged 10 and under, mini soccer has evolved and expanded into a popular activity for children. Yet little is known about the experiences of those participating in the game. In addition, adult-organized activities such as mini soccer are increasingly seen by parents and adults as suitable pursuits for their children to participate in. Yet the perspective of the child participating in mini soccer, as with many other activities, is largely ignored in academic literature. This is especially true in the social sciences, where research has historically been done ‘on’ children, rather than ‘with’ children. In this study, we seek to address this imbalance by including children as active participants in the research process. In doing so, we devised a methodology based on audiovisual methods to create participatory conditions between children and researchers interested in investigating their experiences of mini soccer in England. Children were asked to identify aspects of their experience which they felt were noteworthy to create video recordings of critical incidents that directly involved them participating in mini soccer. These were used as a discussion tool in focus groups to explore how and why children felt the incidents were critical, and how their experience of them shaped their participation. The methodology employed helped capture children’s differentiated views of the same incidents, and highlighted the diversity of their experiences. It is recommended that similar audiovisual methodologies are employed to inform future policy and strategy development in grassroots football that includes children as participants.

PSA 65th Annual International Conference.