The inexorable rise of partnerships in sport? Reflections on theory, policy and practice

‘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 spor