What Is Sports Development?

Sports development is the promotion of sporting opportunities throughout a community or region.

Successful sports development depends largely on effective partnership working between national governing bodies, local authorities, local sports clubs, local sport councils, land and venue owners as well as primary and tertiary educational institutions.

Sports development initiatives may include creating or strengthening: opportunities to participate in sport, volunteer, coaching and coach education frameworks, school and community engagement programmes, projects targeting specific demographics, event management and fundraising strategies, entry level to elite performance pathways.

Below are some useful clips that explain the role of a sports development officer and sportscotland’s national strategy ‘Sport for Life’