Australian Sport - Better by Design?: The Evolution of Australian Sport Policy - Hardcover

Stewart, Bob; Nicholson, Matthew; Smith, Aaron; Westerbeek, Hans

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415340462 ISBN 13: 9780415340465

Publisher: Routledge, 2004

Synopsis

Australians have invested an enormous amount of emotional and physical capital in their sporting systems and structures. While Australian sport has many times been dissected from a historical and cultural perspective, there is little detailed analysis of sport's relationship with government.
The book focuses on sport policy, and examines the ways in which government has affected the development of Australian sport since 1919. The text identifies the political, economic and cultural context in which policies were set, and examines critical policy shifts. The book also provides a strong theoretical foundation by first discussing the underlying principles of policy formulation, and second, the rationale for government intervention in national sport. It includes a number of sport policy case studies, with particular attention to the following topics:
- Elite and Community sport development
- Trends in participation and sport fan preferences
- Problems in attracting young people to sport participation
- Improving the management systems of sporting bodies
- Government policy on sport broadcasting
- Tools for evaluating sport policy
Providing a unique blend of theory, history and practice, this text provides an essential foundation for sport policy analysis and will be read by students of sport studies and sport management as well as professionals with an interest in sport development.

About this title

Review:

'...a welcome addition to the literature and the first attempt to synthesize Australia's sporting achievements from a public policy perspective.  ... It provides instructive insights that have perhaps been masked by the "shadow" of Sydney 2000; insights, moreover, that may well inform other countries' and other governments' sport policy interventions."   Mick Green, European Sport Management Quarterly, March 2005

Synopsis:

Sport Policy in Australia reviews and critiques the development of elite and community sport policy in Australia with an emphasis on contemporary sport and recent history but with an evolutionary perspective looking back as far as the 1920s. The authors contextualise national policy in terms of the particular Australian political, economic and cultural environment, and identify critical policy shifts in the evolution of Australian sport policy. Original research and selected case studies are used to explore four distinct policy areas: Sport development for elite and community participants Intervention in sport's organisation, management and administration 'Fair play' policies and anti-doping initiatives 'Social capital' development for improving community health and welfare. This book provides a much-needed resource for students and professionals wishing to research the Australian experience.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0415340462
• ISBN 13: 9780415340465
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224