The Inexorable Rise of Partnerships in Sport? Reflections on Theory, Research and Practice
Wednesday 2nd December 2010 at 6pm
Medawar Lankaster Lecture Theatre (University College London),
Malet Place, (off Torrington Place),
London WC1
(For directions please see the pdf map).
Given by:
Iain Lindsey, University of Southampton
Synopsis
‘We have a moment in time to set a new level of ambition for sport and change permanently its place in our society. It’s an era of unprecedented opportunity. But we will only seize it if we can unite people at all levels in sport in a new spirit of partnership and common endeavour’
(Andy Burnham, Minister for Culture, Media & Sport, 2008)
In this presentation Iain Lindsay will argue that the implication in the Secretary of State’s opening to the Department of Culture, Media & Sport’s latest sport policy, that partnership in sport represents a novel development is, at best, something of a fallacy. Sport policy documents since Sport in the Community: The Next Ten Years have promoted partnerships as a key policy making and delivery mechanism at all levels in sport. Iain Lindsey’s presentation will review the ‘inexorable rise’ in partnerships in sport and offer some reflections on ways in which partnership practice and research can be developed.
Iain’s presentation will begin by examining the increasing prominent role that partnership has in sport policy and management discourse. In doing so, he will begin to address the definitional issue of precisely what constitutes a ‘partnership’. Iain will subsequently examine the contribution of different theoretical disciplines and perspectives to improving understanding of partnerships in sport. Drawing more specifically on research literature from sporting contexts, a comprehensive account will also be given of some of the key issues identified in sport partnerships and their implications for policy and management practice.
Finally, Iain will consider the future development of partnerships in sport. Besides identifying potential new avenues for research, he will draw on a specific piece of work currently being undertaken to examine the potential of research to contribute to improving partnership practice in sport.
Reading
- Lindsey, I. (2009) Collaboration in local sport services in England: issues emerging from case studies of two local authority areas. International Journal of Sport Policy, 1, (1), 71-88.
- Houlihan, B. and Lindsey, I. (2008) Networks and partnerships in sports development. In, Girginov, Vassil (ed.) Management of Sports Development. Oxford, UK, Elsevier.
- Babiak, K. & Thilbault, L. (2008a) Managing inter-organisational relationships: the art of plate spinning. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing. Vol. 3, No. 3, pp281-302.
Biography
Iain Lindsey is currently a Lecturer in Sport Policy & Development at the University of Southampton. Preceding this, he was a Youth Sport Officer on a Social Inclusion Partnership project in Dundee and a Research Associate at the Institute of Youth Sport, Loughborough University. Partnership comprises one of Iain’s primary research interests. His doctoral study concerned local partnership working in the delivery of youth and community sport programmes. Subsequently, he has continued his research on local partnerships in sport both in the UK and in other contexts such as Zambia. He has published widely on partnerships in sport and has a number of other articles currently in press.
Contact Details
Email: i.lindsey@soton.ac.uk
Birkbeck Sport Business Seminar Series Contact Details
For further details on the seminar series contact:
Sean Hamil
Department of Management
Birkbeck College
Malet Street
London
WC1E 7HX
Tel: 020-7631 6763
Email: s.hamil@bbk.ac.uk