Sport-for-development programmes

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage

What it is

Sport for development is not a psychotherapy. It is a field of programmes run by NGOs, sports clubs, foundations and public bodies. sportanddev.org defines it as "the use of sport as a tool for development and peace". It counts all forms of physical activity, play, recreation, casual or competitive…

Format

• Plus sport: a development objective comes first. Sport, often adapted, is the entry point, usually with peer-group discussion.
• Example programme format (FFIT, as published).

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Delivery: community coaching staff with two days' training from the research team, in groups of up to 30 men.
• Version followed: the sport-for-development sector as sportanddev.org (Swiss Academy for Development) defines it, with the "sport plus / plus sport" spectrum that sportanddev.org published; Football Fans in Training (FFIT) as Hunt et al. (2014) report it; the Homeless World Cup as its foundation describes it; and child-safeguarding standards from the International Safeguards for Children in Sport and the U.S. Center…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• There is no evidence-based session count for this therapist work. Set the pace in each case.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Coaches taking on clinical roles, or keeping secrets that should be escalated. It is working when coaches refer appropriately and feel supported.
• Depression, substance use, or pushing back into sport against medical advice. It is working when the client re-engages with the values by another route.
• Debriefs that only count performance (goals scored, weight). Steer back to meaning and connection. It is working when the client starts debriefing themselves.
• A post-tournament slump. Substance relapse around events. Unstable contact. It is working when participation becomes a stable anchor that helps with engagement in other services.
• Dissociation or shutdown while discussing sport. Current abuse that triggers safeguarding (4.15). It is working when the client can anticipate triggers and choose how to manage them.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.