Youth sport, ‘race’ and ethnicity

In this chapter I provide a brief overview of the background to the current understanding of how experiences of youth sport are shaped by ‘race’, racism and ethnicity. It reflects my own research interests in this area that go back almost 30 years, and my commitment to anti-racism informed by aspects of critical race theory (see Hylton & Long, 2005; Hylton, 2010). Following an attempt to bring some operational clarity of key concepts, the chapter has three further sections: an account of landmark edited collections that highlight the neglect of youth sport in studies of ethnicity and racism; a policy overview again illustrating the absence of careful and considered approaches to sport development and educational policy for minority ethnic groups; and a summary of what is known about particular contemporary themes and issues