5B043E - Sport for Development 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 5B043E
Module Title: Sport for Development
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Sport
Faculty Sub Group: Sports Coaching
Module Leader: Chris Emsley
Module Team: Tony Wallis
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100096 - sports development
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

  • To critically explore the role of sport as a tool for social change, examining how sport contributes to global development agendas, including health, education, inclusion, and peacebuilding. 

  • To analyse the design, delivery, and evaluation of sport for development programmes, using contemporary frameworks, case studies, and stakeholder perspectives across diverse contexts. 

  • To develop students’ professional awareness and ethical understanding, preparing them to engage with real-world challenges and contribute meaningfully to sport for development initiatives. 

Content Summary

Explore how sport can be a powerful tool for social change in this inspiring and thought-provoking module. You’ll examine how sport is used to tackle global challenges such as inequality, health, education, and inclusion, both locally and internationally. Through real-world case studies and current frameworks, you’ll investigate how sport-based programmes are designed, delivered, and evaluated across different communities and contexts. Topics include youth engagement, gender equity, peacebuilding, and the role of sport in sustainable development. You’ll also explore the responsibilities of sport for development professionals, including ethical practice, stakeholder collaboration, and impact measurement. Whether you’re passionate about using sport to make a difference or curious about its role in shaping society, this module will equip you with the knowledge, critical thinking, and practical tools to contribute meaningfully to the field. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminar 14
Guided Study 150
Practical Classes and Workshops 40
Problem/Challenge-based Learning 16
Formative Assessment 20
Summative Assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically evaluate the role of sport in addressing social and global development challenges, using relevant theories, frameworks, and case studies to analyse its impact across diverse contexts.
LO2 Design and communicate a sport for development initiative, demonstrating ethical awareness, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to apply professional standards in real-world scenarios.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Onsite Oral Assessment Group Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) Presentation 25 N/A 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Group Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) ✔ ✔

Reading List

Week 1 (4 items) 

Introduction to module: Defining Sport for Development – theories and industry perspectives 

 

Examining sports development, by Michael F. Collins, 2010 

 

 

Routledge handbook of sport for development and peace, edited by Holly Collison-Randall; Simon C. Darnell; Richard Giulianotti; P. David Howe, 2019 

 

 

Routledge handbook of sports development, by Barrie Houlihan; Mick Green, 2011 

 

 

Sporting capital: transforming sports development policy and practice, by Nicholas F. Rowe, 2017 

 

 

Week 2 (2 items) 

Sport and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

 

The Routledge handbook of sport and sustainable development, edited by Timothy Kellison; Brian P. McCullough; E. Nicole Melton, 2022 

 

 

Routledge handbook of sport and the environment, by Brian P. McCullough; Brian P. McCullough; Timothy B. Kellison, 2018 

 

 

Week 3 (3 items) 

Health and Wellbeing Through Sport; plus, Sport, Education, and Life Skills 

 

A wider social role for sport: who's keeping the score?, by Fred Coalter, 2007 

 

 

Positive Youth Development through Sport, by Meghan H. Holt, Nicholas L.; McDonough, 2024 

 

 

Sport and wellbeing, by Westberg, Kate; Kelly, Sarah Jane, 2019 

 

 

Week 4 (3 items) 

Gender, Equality, and Empowerment in Sport 

 

Developing sport for women and girls, edited by Emma Sherry; Katie Rowe, 2020 

 

 

Sport, gender and development: intersections, innovations and future trajectories, by Lyndsay M. C. Hayhurst; Megan Chawansky; Holly Thorpe, 2021 

 

 

The Routledge handbook of gender politics in sport and physical activity, by Molnar, Gyozo; Bullingham, Rachael, 2022 - 2022, 2022 

 

 

Week 5 (4 items) 

Disability and Inclusive Sport for Development 

 

Sport and social exclusion, by Michael F. Collins; Tess Kay; Great Britain. Department for Culture, Media and Sport; Great Britain. Cabinet Office. Policy Action Team 10, 2014 

 

 

Sport and society: a student introduction, edited by Barrie Houlihan; Dominic Malcolm, 2016 

 

 

Sports development: policy, process and practice, by Kevin Hylton, 2013 

 

 

Community Sport Coaching: Policies and Practice, by Ives, Ben; Potrac, Paul; Gale, Laura; Nelson, Lee; Nelson, Lee; Potrac, Paul; Gale, Laura; Ives, Ben, 2022 

 

 

Week 6 (3 items) 

Sport and Peacebuilding Ethics, Power, and Critiques of Sport for Development 

 

Managing Sport Development: An International Approach, by Emma Sherry; Nico Schulenkorf; Pamm Phillips; Katie Rowe, 2024 

 

 

Sport development in action: plan, programme and practice, by Alec Astle; Sarah Leberman; Geoff Watson, 2019 

 

 

The Ideals of Global Sport: From Peace to Human Rights, by Barbara J. Keys, 2019-02-15