Reaching the 'hard to reach': engagement, relationship building and social control in sport based social inclusion work

Alongside the mediated increases in the popularity and commercial appeal of contemporary sport, in recent years there has been growing interest in the use of sport as a social policy tool. However, the capacity of sport to address the needs of disadvantaged groups and tackle wider social problems such as crime and anti-social behaviour remains contested. In this paper a case is made for the centering of 'approach' and 'style' of delivery, rather than sport, in the engagement of disadvantaged and 'hard to reach' young people. The paper also acknowledges the limitations of the transformative potential of sport-based interventions in the context of a consumer society and extant functionalist perspectives, which emphasise sports normalising role.