Integra

Introduction

The delivery of sport development programmes to Southern African Countries forms the crux of the Australia-Africa 2006 Active Community Club’s Initiative. This Initiative was piloted in the Eastern Province of the Republic of South Africa in 2002. An assessment was conducted over a one year period and completed in November 2003. The aim of this study was to critically reflect on the structuring and implementation of sport development and other community based programmes, utilizing sucess indicators developed from functional management prinicpals. The Sport Programme was scrutinized for analysis due to the comparative sustainability demonstrated in the South African context of chronic poverty and relative deprivation where the Initiative was implemented.

Methods

A representative sample of an urban and rural community was selected as case studies. Data was obtained through structured interviews of 39 stakeholders at three six month-intervals (pre-, mid- and post-intervention phases). A total of 301 respondents representing the participants, completed questionnaires.

Results

Management structures were functional, yet the high turnover of coaches and administrators (human resources), inadequite and the over-use of facilities and equipment (physical resources), lack of financial and information resources (including communication, management plans and policies) experienced by the role players, impacted negatively on the quality and sustainability of programme delivery.

Discussion/Conclusions

Administrators should be capacitated (through continuous assitance, monitoring and incentives) to access and manage resources and provide diversified programmes that effectively address the needs of their communities. Strategic partnerships with local and regional stakeholders are inevatible to reciprocally capacitate, support and co-ordinate sustainable sport development programmes at all levels.