ABSTRACT

This, the first of the case study chapters, reviews some of the earliest work ever undertaken in the field of sport and peace-building by examining the deep roots and early cultivation of what would grow to become the F4P (Football 4 Peace) programme first manifest in the form of ‘Belfast United’, a sport-based community-relations project developed in Northern Ireland in the 1980s. At a time when the sectarian and political conflict known as the Troubles was at its height, so much so that many, including the Ulster Unionist leader Ian Paisley, believed there would ‘Never Never Never’! be peace in the Province. This exclamation lends itself to the sub-title of this chapter and introduces a theme of utopian landscapes metaphors which are associated with each of the case studies and subsequent chapters, the reasons for which are explored and explained in Chapter 7. As well as presenting some of the practical challenges encountered in this formative era of SDP (Sport, Development and Peace), here we also outline the beginnings of a praxis-based approach to SDP work, demonstrating how when brought together knowledge of sports practice, academic research, critical sociological interpretation and broadly targeted scholarly dissemination can have an impact on policy development.