Challenges, opportunities, and managerial implications in sport for development: insights and reflections from the ‘SFD field’.

Recent research in the field of sport for development (SFD)<br/>has examined how organisational dynamics, such as the<br/>structure and management of SFD organisations, might<br/>better facilitate the impact of sport-based interventions. Such<br/>research has highlighted the increasingly precarious policy<br/>and funding landscape within SFD, noting how<br/>organisational survival is a constant pressure, and the need<br/>to be resilient, adaptable, and sustainable, has assumed a<br/>higher strategic priority. In addition, various scholars in the<br/>field have appealed for research that draws upon the ideas,<br/>experiences, and reflections of practitioners to directly<br/>explore how stakeholders across the SFD landscape are<br/>responding to current challenges. This paper is a direct<br/>response to these appeals, drawing upon a qualitative<br/>research project that engaged 27 SFD organisations from<br/>across the globe. The paper presents the reflections of<br/>representatives of these organisations, highlighting the<br/>challenges currently evident in the SFD sector, how they<br/>might be countered, and how they may also present<br/>opportunities for the sector. Specifically, the paper provides<br/>empirical evidence in relation to three themes: (i) the<br/>implications of current (short-term) funding models, (ii) the<br/>subsequent impact on building organisational capacity, and<br/>(iii) the challenges of engaging at a government/policy level.