ABSTRACT
Throughout the chapters in this book, we have presented a variety of examples which capture the intangible yet socially-intrinsic nature of social capital, both in and through sport. Each of the refl ections on the relationship between sport and social capital can be related to the question of social ties and the role of sport in their construction, giving evidence to the fact that this forms a central issue for our communities, large and small. Each chapter has addressed the effects of the relationship between organisational structure and social capital development on the nature of mechanisms which link a sport’s governance and its membership. These mechanisms, which function within a framework of public policy, either foster and/or negate the development of social capital. The contrasts and synergies between core social capital theoretical perspectives and how these are informed by the realities of sport governance at different interstices of the sport system reveal both cultural complexity and commonalities. It is the scope and scale exhibited by the diversity of evidence collected which enables us to further enrich understanding of the intricate and intangible relationship between social capital and sport governance in Europe, described by a metaphor yet fi rmly rooted in traditions of social exchange.
