Start Date
16-6-2025 3:30 PM
End Date
16-6-2025 5:00 PM
Abstract
Sport and physical activity have intentionally been used as a tool to contribute to social development in areas such as disability inclusion, yet this approach tends to offer merely micro-level initiatives to remedy larger scale social or structural issues. Therefore, it has commonly been suggested that the sport sector needs to engage more in policy advocacy to enact larger scale structural and social change. Policy advocacy is understood as a deliberate effort to influence policy in the interest of an organisation or the people it serves. It can provide the opportunity to challenge power structures that oppress marginalised groups, strategically position organisations within the policy landscape and ensure programmes are sustainable. The Policy Advocacy for Sport and Society (PASS) project was designed to address gaps in knowledge and help enable sport organisations to engage with policy advocacy and widen their impact. In our recent mapping survey, two-thirds of the sample report that they engage with policy advocacy, however, much of this was self-interested advocacy (such as to secure funding for their organisational activities). Additionally, we've collated promising practice activities from a range of organisations working in sport and society who have managed to successfully influence policy on a broader scale. The mapping survey and promising practices will be presented to offer an overview of policy advocacy strategies. These results will inform the development of a comprehensive set of tools and resources to raise awareness and capacity for policy advocacy within the crucial and growing sport and social development sector.
Recommended Citation
Richardson, Alana and Fischer, Sally-Ann Jennifer, "Policy Advocacy in Sport and Society" (2025). International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity and International Symposium on Physical Activity and Visual Impairment and Deafblindness. 22.
https://sword.mtu.ie/isapa/2025/day1/22
Policy Advocacy in Sport and Society
Sport and physical activity have intentionally been used as a tool to contribute to social development in areas such as disability inclusion, yet this approach tends to offer merely micro-level initiatives to remedy larger scale social or structural issues. Therefore, it has commonly been suggested that the sport sector needs to engage more in policy advocacy to enact larger scale structural and social change. Policy advocacy is understood as a deliberate effort to influence policy in the interest of an organisation or the people it serves. It can provide the opportunity to challenge power structures that oppress marginalised groups, strategically position organisations within the policy landscape and ensure programmes are sustainable. The Policy Advocacy for Sport and Society (PASS) project was designed to address gaps in knowledge and help enable sport organisations to engage with policy advocacy and widen their impact. In our recent mapping survey, two-thirds of the sample report that they engage with policy advocacy, however, much of this was self-interested advocacy (such as to secure funding for their organisational activities). Additionally, we've collated promising practice activities from a range of organisations working in sport and society who have managed to successfully influence policy on a broader scale. The mapping survey and promising practices will be presented to offer an overview of policy advocacy strategies. These results will inform the development of a comprehensive set of tools and resources to raise awareness and capacity for policy advocacy within the crucial and growing sport and social development sector.