University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Navigating the urban terrain: how practitioners adapt sport for development programs amid external challenges

Hill, Patrick

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132635

Description

Title
Navigating the urban terrain: how practitioners adapt sport for development programs amid external challenges
Author(s)
Hill, Patrick
Issue Date
2025-11-10
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sato, Mikihiro
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Fernandez, Mariela
Committee Member(s)
  • Stodolska, Monika
  • Chakraborty, Arnab
  • Hopson, Rodney
Department of Study
Recreation, Sport and Tourism
Discipline
Recreation, Sport, and Tourism
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • sport for development organizations
  • urban environment
  • sport management
  • sport for development leadership
Abstract
Sport for development (SFD) programs can be influenced by factors that stem from the environment in which they operate. However, the influence of factors within the U.S. urban context on SFD programming have not been explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate how societal factors may affect the design, delivery, and evaluation of urban SFD programs. Utilizing a comparative case study, the questions of this study were to (a) understand what factors SFD practitioners consider when designing, delivering, and evaluating their programs in an urban setting and (b) examine how these factors influence the design, delivery, and evaluation of the SFD programs. This study was guided by the Sport for Development Theory (SFDT) and the socio-ecological model. Two nonprofit organizations in Chicago, IL were part of this study. Data were collected through six interviews with SFD practitioners, and documents were collected from each organization. Study results indicated that SFD practitioners considered the neighborhood demographics, community violence, global events, availability of public space, and the public school system in their programming. The findings highlight the need for training SFD practitioners to consider the environment in their programming.
Graduation Semester
2025-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132635
Copyright and License Information
Copyright Patrick Hill 2025

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