Sport Development and Development through Sports in Australia - Research Proposal Example

Sport Development and Development through Sports in Australia Name Institution Sport Development and Development through Sports in Australia Introduction Football is the most popular sport not only in Australia, but globally. Considering the level of publicity and coverage of football sport in the press and social platforms, make it popular within the country. Additionally, the majority of children are focusing in taking part in tender ages either within the schools or playing with the friends in the local playgrounds. The teachers also teach pupils basic knowledge on football; however, they do not necessarily need to have an in-depth knowledge of football. At such level, the facilities used are basic which most Australian football clubs use. In Australia, football is a popular sport for participation since it relatively cheap, and it is interesting among the Australians including teenager who grow passionately to be footballers. Besides, footballs are cheap to buy with high accessibility of playing field. It is from such background that the Australian Football League (AFL) defines its activities to ensure effective sport development (AFL, 2004). AFL recognizes that volunteers and administrators of the club make significant contribution in the Australian Football and increasing demand for the volunteers and administrators to ensure that there is professional operation within the sport. The main cornerstone of the AFL games are community football clubs and leagues in turn, the AFL supports community club football which forms the vital component to the overall prosperity of the competitions at all the levels. Through the years, there have been developments in the management modules of AFL to ensure efficiency and effectiveness through extensive consultation with the communities (Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG) Secretariat, 2007). The modules are designed in a manner that enables the clubs to stand alone and allow the club members to participate in seminars and workshops that they consider particularly relevant to their positions in football. AFL supports sports development through encouraging the various members of the club to participate in the planning modules and the overall planning process of the club. Literature Review There is a rapid change in sport and physical activities; as a result, sporting activities are gaining recognition as low-cost, simple, and the most effective methods of achieving various developmental goals. Over the past years, United Nations agencies, national government, international sports federations, and non-governmental organizations have been focusing on the various mechanism of improving sports as a means of ensuring rapid developments in the lives of people and enhancing peace; hence, development through sport. As part of such mandate and recognizing the ever-increasing need of ensuring there is adequate evidence regarding the effectiveness of development through sport, most review focus into the use of sports in different ways (Sport and Development, 2010). Some development issues associated with sports include fostering the development of children and youths and education; achieving the required health objectives; promotion of gender equity, promoting social cohesion, prevention and reduction of conflict and building peace. Moreover, development through sport also promotes the inclusion, well-being, and health of those considering to be living with disabilities. In regards to the benefits of participating in sport activities, development through sport assist in improving psychological and social benefits as well enhancement in mental health. According to the historians, team sports are mainly an invention of the western culture. Through the years, sports have played vital roles within the societies through societies historically in various forms including competitive sport, play, and physical activities. Since the realization that sport presents natural partnership between various states irrespective of the races, cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and norms. According to the UN system, sport and play are fundamental human rights that every state has to respect and enforce. As a result, there have been sport developments through increasingly recognizing and using it as high impact and low cost tool of ensuring humanitarian development and peace through the UN system, governments, sport federations, media, and NGOs (Coalter, 2009). In addition, sport is no longer considered a luxurious within any country but a vital investment for present and future generation, especially within the developing countries. Business entities are currently focusing on the provision of social amenities including sponsoring sporting tournaments and football clubs and states enacting laws that protect the players and playing grounds. These are important steps to sport development. Besides, with the rising level of competition in the jobs markets, various stakeholders within the sporting industries offer opportunities to talented teenagers. Development of sport is intentions use of different sporting activities and play with the aim of attaining specific developmental objectives. In addition, development of sport involves shifting from traditional methods of viewing sports to the significant role it plays in the modern society and establishing different mechanisms of ensuring sustainability of sport. Successive development of sport needs to reflect the programmes of realizing the rights of all societal members to ensure their participation in the sporting and leisure activities. However, it is vital to note that effective development of sport needs to give intentionally priority to developmental activities and objectives and carefully designing them for inclusivity (Carrington & Marshall, 2008). Development of sport often embodies the best values of sporting activities but at the same time upholding the quality and integrity of sporting experience. Through the years, there have been integration of sport and play activities with different non-sport components with the aim of improving the level of effectiveness and ensuring the development is in line to the changing sporting needs. As a result, most countries integrate these developments with local, national, and regional sporting activities to ensure they are mutually reinforcing (United Nations, 2011). Development of sport often involves seeking to empower the participants and societies through engaging them within the design and delivery activities, capacity building within the local communities, adherence to the accepted principles of accountability and transparency. Moreover, there have been pursuits of sustainability by collaborating, partnering, and coordinating the actions. Research Matrix Discussions Development through Sport Umpire Coach Profession Development Program plays vital in ensuring the success of Australian football. In Football, coaches have the greatest influence over people within the club; as a result coach in umpiring group play important as they influence the attitudes, culture, and what the groups. According to AFL, the coaches in umpire are responsible for building a relationship with various football participants especially within the community football coaches, ensuring the establishment of positive learning environment, improving performance at all the levels, and capacity building within the umpiring community. Australia places importance on the maintenance of the modern day football; therefore, it is critical for its players to execute their skills appropriately. Australia’s coaching skills, drills, and strategy majorly focus on three important components. These include development of “game sense” methodology while establishing the teaching and coaching skills, examination of the skills through the SPIR method (show, practice, instruct, and reward), and examination of the coaching and correctly of skill technique it considers incorrect. AFL also recognizes women in football and coaching activities (AFL, 2016). Hence, it established Coaching Female Footballers, which recognizes that coaching the women and girls has certain unique challenges compared to teaching men and boys. Through such program, AFL believes that the program will assist the coaches whether men or women in proper understanding and better coaching in the growing area of the Australian football. The indigenous Australians consider football as their sport of choice. Besides, the indigenous make 2.5% of the Australian population; from such, there is involvement in 90,000 of indigenous Australians participating in the AFL programs throughout the country. AFL has many competitions and events to ensure development through sports and sustainable communities. Through AFL Fantasy competition, it allows Australian clubs to challenges their mates for the ultimate glory and grabbing awesome cash and prizes. Joining the competition is easy and takes few steps: registrations and accessing the game guidelines through the online platform in the iPhone and Androids. To ensure that the players are motivated, AFL offers Fans MVP (Fans’ Most Valuable Player) and award them based them on their performance. The competition works in a way that it allows each of the club games to log in and assign three votes to the player from the club considered the best (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). The Toyota AFL Grand Final Parade, which is majorly sponsored by the City of Melbourne, provides gives the supporters the opportunity of seeing the players that would take to the field until the finals. These activities motivate not only the footballers but also the Australians passionate about various football activities. In addition, with increasing needs for football activities within the local communities, AFL contributes immensely in the social welfare and needs of the Australian populations. Development of Sport Through the years, AFL has contributed immensely to the development of Australian football. Through AFL Schools Female Program, each Australian football state and territory has been able to deliver various female programmes with an aim of ensuring participation in all societal aspects independently or through collaborating with the education authorities that support sporting activities. Nonetheless, there is variation in the female school programmes form one state to another. There are different Female Participation Pathways support by AFL including NAB AFL Auskick (5-12 years), NAB AFL Auskick Rookie (5-8 years), Auskick Pro (9-12 years), Junior Football (8-12), Youth Girls (13-17 years), and 15s Schoolgirls Championships). Junior Football allow the junior kids considered to have finished their few Auskick seasons the excitement of being in a club setup, enjoy different positions on the playground, and females allowed to play mixed gender games. Moreover, the country also has Australia Post AFL Multicultural Schools Program with the primary objective of assisting the migrant and the refugee communities with the chances of accessing Australian football either players, coach, umpire, administrator, fan, or coach (Hu, Avril & Zhang, 2013). With such objective, Multicultural Program was established within the AFL Game Department and the AFL Football Clubs. It is an aim of the AFL to ensure Australian Football is the vehicle responsible for encouraging the community strengthening and ensuring social inclusion within the wider Australian society. AFL and Social Inclusion Through the years, the Australians have long held to the notion of egalitarianism though the society is increasingly becoming divisive. Like the other western countries, Australia has been experiencing the widening and increment in the divide between the rich and poor reflecting the accessibility differences on sporting activities, opportunities, and relevant facilities. Some of the researchers argue that the current global policy orthodoxy on issues associated with economic reforms including those related to the inherent and hegemonic with neo-liberalism has been able to increase the levels of poverty, social diversity, and social polarization. It is from such background that the Australian state agencies including Australia Sports Commission noted the significance of ramification of social programs and state policies on such ideology demanding the new understanding on the manner on which social programs are operated and structured and implications for the management of sport. There are several social elements existing within the community; however, it is important to note that sport is recognized widely as the major way of building positive social capital. Additionally, supporting sporting activities at the grassroots level have the potential of motivating, inspiring, and forging the spirit of the community within the face of social ills. According to the Australian Sports Commission, the positive impacts of sport are immense citing that the social controls within the society contribute significantly towards counterbalancing of the increasing a criminal activities and radicalizations. In addition, several research have found that social controls within the traditional and modern social structures and participatory activities including sport plays significant role considering that it gives people the sense of communal identity and purpose. Consequently, it assists in the prevention of the locals from engaging in various antisocial activities. Sporting activities have a role of providing the mechanism for encouraging the sense of communal identity, which in turn reduces the antisocial behaviour. On Australian Government’s involvement in sport and physical activities within the country, the Commonwealth of Australia noted that the country gets a good return on investment (ROI) in sports. There are several reasons behind the Australia’s government commitment towards sport such as building the national identity and pride and various economic benefits. In addition, a research undertaken by Australian Sports Commission revealed that at international level, every $1 million spent of sport and other physical activities, there is an opportunity generating a savings of $3.2 million in the national medical cost. Sport for Development and Peace Sport plays an important role in ensuring societal development and prevalence of people. However, it is important to note that the root of sports development and peace lies within the recognition of different attributes that sports presents which in turn contributes significantly to the development of peace and peace processes. Some of the attributes are the universal popularity, which recognizes the socio-economic, the political boundary, and transcending of the national boundary. With these factors, sport is considered enjoyable. Sport is viewed as capacity as a powerful international platform of communicating. Considering the fact that sporting activities offer the capacity of reaching vast number of people, they form the basis of an effective platform for mobilization and public education. Inherently, sport is a social process that brings people together irrespective of their beliefs, customs, races, and religious and traditional systems thus offering the ability to connect. Most importantly, sports have the ability of empowering, motivating, and inspiring since it has the natural potential of drawing on, developing, and showing the strengths and capabilities of the individuals. There are several benefits achievable through sport including promotion of health and prevention of diseases since it prevents and manages infectious and chronic diseases; improves on the mental health, and reducing both indirect and direct cost of health care (Atherley, 2006). Sports strengthens the development and education of children and youth since it improves physical and psychosocial health and development, building vital life skills and positive values, strengthening education, and assisting in the recovery of children and youths from trauma. Sport also play vital role in the promotion of gender equity and empowering both the girls and women. This is through the provision of leadership opportunities and achievements, fostering empowerment, and self-esteem, improving the health and well-being of the girls and women, handling challenges associated with gender norms, and facilitation of social inclusion and integration. Other important developmental activities associated with sports are improving the inclusion of the persons with disabilities and their well-being through enabling them through independence and participation, fostering greater inclusion, stigma reduction, improving socialization, and contributing to empowerment. Furthermore, sports improve social inclusion prevention of conflict, and building peace among the citizens. This is achievable through promotion of culture and peace, social inclusion, adequate measures of building peace in a post-conflict situation, and building trust and establishing the connect group within the conflict. Sport is one of the backbones for the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs). There are different developmental activities associated with eradication of extreme poverty, hunger since the participants in the sporting activities acquire transferable life skills, which tend to increase their level of employability especially the vulnerable communities connected to various societal services, and support based activities through properly established programs (AFL, 2016). Moreover, production of sports equipment and the existence of sports programs provide jobs and skills required within the job market. As a result, the sport could assist in the prevention of diseases, which are likely to impede people from undertaking their duties and imposing on the cost of health care especially on the individuals and communities. More importantly, sport is vital in the reduction of stigma and increasing self-awareness, social skills, and social confidence that contributes significantly to increased employability. Conclusion The paper focused on the Australian Football League (AFL) with focus on various sporting activities and mechanisms of ensuring sport development and development through sports. There are several studies undertaken on the significance of sports in ensuring effective societal growth in different aspects: poverty reduction, improved level of employability, independences, and as means of ensuring social inclusion, conflict reduction, and embracing peace at both local and national levels. In Australia, the Department of Sport and Recreation expects promotion of fun, inclusivity, and safe environment due to increased attention of sports, which would also encourage a lifelong commitment to the health and active lifestyle from various diseases and mental issues. As a result, the Department of Sport and Recreation supports various activities in place by the Australian Sports Commission through AFL. With such, Australia expects both the national and sporting organizations operating within the state to have the prerequisite tools, information, and resources such as coaches and administrators in a bid to ensure various programs outline by AFL are delivered effectively and yield positive results. Sport for development is any intentional use of various sporting activities or play with the aim of achieving the required objects including the achievement of the MDGs at all societal aspects. From the research matrix, it is clear that AFL has adequate competition and events for enabling the development of sport and community since they integrate the needs of the locals. There are several attributes of sport for development and sports development to ensure effective realization of the significance role by sports including universal popularity of sport, its ability of connecting the people and the communities, its crosscutting nature, and ability to empower, motivating, and inspiring. Adequate integration of these factors would assist in achieving the most of the MDG and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). References AFL. (2004). Club management program. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Manage_Your_Club/3._Club_Management_Program/Junior_Development.pdf AFL. (2016). AFL Competitions. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.afl.com.au/competitions AFL. (2016). AFL Community: Australia Post-Multicultural Schools Program. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=715 Atherley, K. M. (2006). Sport, Localism and Social Capital in Rural Western Australia. Geographical Research, 44(4), 348-360. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2006). Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Government. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs Carrington, K., & Marshall, N. (2008). Building Multicultural Social Capital In Regional Australia. Rural Society, 18(2), 117-130. Coalter, F. (2009). Sport-in-Development: Accountability or Development? Sport and International Development, 4(3), 55-75. Hu, L., Avril, B., & Zhang, J. (2013). Capacity Building for Sustainable Marine Research in the Asia-Pacific Region. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 94(2), 21-21. Sport and Development. (2010). What Is Sport For Development And Peace? Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://assets.sportanddev.org/downloads/what_is_sport_for_development_and_peace.pdf Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG) Secretariat. (2007, October 18). Literature Reviews on Sport for Development and Peace. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.righttoplay.com/moreinfo/aboutus/Documents/Literature%20Reviews%20SDP.pdf United Nations. (2011). Introduction To Sport For Development And Peace. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/sport/shared/sport/SDP%20IWG/Chapter1_Introduction.pdf Read More