Building Social Capital Through an `Active Community Club'

The building of social capital at community level is explored by assessing the impact of the Australia Africa 2006 Sport Development Programme's Active Community Clubs Initiative as a catalyst of developing networks and active citizenship in the impoverished rural village of Tshabo, in the Easter Cape Province of South Africa. Main paradigms of neo-classical capital theory (Bourdieu), Coleman's rational choice theory, network theory, Putnam's framework of civil engagement and Verweel's multi-level analysis inform the conceptual framework for analysis. Pre- and post-impact assessments utilized interviews (18 major stakeholders) and focus group sessions during three intervals over a 13-month period which included a representative sample of community leaders ( n = 13), households ( n = 47), volunteer coaches and administrators ( n = 28) and participants who participated in the programme ( n = 121). Participation in the Active Community Club's programmes interfaced with other normative social institutional spheres to generate social capital at an individual and community level.