Playing on the periphery: troubling sport policy, systemic exclusion and the role of sport in rural Canada

In policy contexts, social exclusion can be experienced through the systematic marginalization of groups by inhibiting their ability to access resources and support. In this article, we consider the context of community sport development in rural Canada to discuss the implications of rationalized policy systems for rural citizens. We discuss instances where engagement with the sport system was constrained as well as the way that rural people responded in order to continue engagement in sport both within and outside of policy frameworks. A more inclusive sport policy system requires the acknowledgement of diverse social outcomes which may be realized through sport. But, in order for this to take place, policy makers and practitioners must acknowledge that these outcomes can exist outside of athlete development and must re-consider the ways that resources and support can be allocated.