6B042E - Strategic Sport Development (Online) 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 6B042E
Module Title: Strategic Sport Development (Online)
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Sport
Faculty Sub Group: Sports Coaching
Module Leader: Tony Wallis
Module Team: Chris Emsley, Adam Sherratt, Robyn Pinder, Lyn Jehu
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 6
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100096 - sports development
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

  • To Introduce students to key concepts, frameworks, and techniques used in strategic analysis within sports development and management. 

  • To examine contemporary sports policies, strategies, and development plans, assessing their effectiveness and impact on various stakeholders. 

  • To provide insight into international sports policy and the global development of sport, enabling students to identify and evaluate strategic options in diverse contexts. 

Content Summary

This module introduces you to the key political and strategic factors that shape sport in the UK and internationally. You’ll explore how governments and organisations develop sports policies, and how sport contributes to wider social goals like health, culture, the economy, and inclusion. Through case studies and practical examples, you’ll learn how decisions are made in public, private, and voluntary sectors, and how strategies are planned and evaluated. The module also covers how sports organisations manage change, work across agencies, and develop long-term plans to grow participation and performance. By the end, you’ll understand how to critically assess sports policies and contribute to strategic planning in real-world sport development settings. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Problem/Challenge Based Learning 56
Guided Study 104
Placement 50
Formative assessment 30
Summative assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically evaluate contemporary sport policies, strategic frameworks, and development plans, demonstrating advanced understanding of their implications for participation, performance, and wider socio-political outcomes.
LO2 Apply strategic management principles and planning frameworks to design evidence-informed solutions for complex sport development challenges across public, private, and voluntary sectors.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Online Assessment  Classroom Test - Time Constrained (Online)  Classroom Test – Time Constrained 30 N/A 30 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Report Written work 0 3000 70 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Classroom Test - Time Constrained (Online) 
Report

Reading List

Week 1 (5 items) 

Topic: Introduction to Module: Strategic Sports Development and Strategic Planning 

Strategic sport development, by Stephen Robson; Kirstie Simpson; Lee Tucker, 2013 

 | Essential 

Elite sport development: policy learning and political priorities, by Mick Green; Barrie Houlihan, 2005 

 | Essential 

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

 | Essential 

Examining sports development, by Michael F. Collins, 2010 

 | Essential 

Get Active: a strategy for the future of sport and physical activity 

 | Essential 

  

Week 2 (5 items) 

Topic: Policy Development, Leadership and Governance in Sport 

Global sports policy, by Catherine Palmer, 2013 

 | Essential 

Sport policy, and development: an introduction, by Daniel Bloyce; Andy Smith, 2009 

 | Essential 

The politics of sports development: development of sport or development through sport?, by Barrie Houlihan; Anita White, 2002 

 | Essential 

Sport policy in Britain, by Barrie Houlihan; Iain Lindsey, 2013 

 | Essential 

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

 | Essential 

Week 3 (3 items) 

Topic: Strategic Partnerships and Stakeholder Management 

Managing and developing community sport, edited by Robert Wilson; Chris Platts, 2018 

 | Recommended 

Sport management: principles and applications, by Russell Hoye; Katie Misener; Michael L. Naraine; Catherine Ordway, 2022 

 | Recommended 

Strategic management: from theory to practice, by Allen C. Amason, 2011 

 | Essential 

Week 4 (4 items) 

Topic: Strategic Marketing and Communication in Sport 

Managing sport business: an introduction, edited by David Hassan, 2018 

 | Recommended 

Sport public relations and communication, by Hopwood, Maria.; Kitchin, Paul.; Skinner, James; EBSCOhost, 2010 

 | Recommended 

Strategic leadership in the public sector, by Paul Joyce, 2017 

 | Background 

Sport marketing in an era of sustainability – responsibilities, opportunities, and pitfalls for strategic marketing in and through sport - in Journal of strategic marketing, by Manoli, Argyro Elisavet, 2025-08-01 

 | Background 

Week 5 (4 items) 

Topic: Funding and Resource Management / Innovation and Change Management in Sport 

The business of sport management, by Beech, John G.; Chadwick, Simon, 2013 - 2013, 2013 

 | Recommended 

Strategic Management, by Richard Lynch; Richard Lynch; Oliver Barish; Vinh Sum Chau; Charles Thornton; Karl S. R. Warner, 2024 

 | Recommended 

Participation in sport: international policy perspectives, by Matthew Nicholson; Russell Hoye; Barrie Houlihan, 2011 

 | Recommended 

Sport-based entrepreneurship: towards a new theory of entrepreneurship and sport management - in International entrepreneurship and management journal, by Ratten, Vanessa, 2011-03-01 

 | Background 

Week 6 (4 items) 

Topic: Risk Management, Legal Considerations, Measuring Impact & Future Trends 

Sport for development : what game are we playing?, by Coalter, Fred., 2013 

 | Recommended 

Human resource management in sport and recreation, by Chelladurai, P.; Kim, Amy, 2023 

 | Recommended 

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

 | Background 

Risk Management of Sports Venues and Olympic Sports Cooperation Spirit under Complex Environment - in Journal of environmental and public health, by Jiang, Dianzai; Kaifa, Zhao, 2022