Sporting capital – what is it, how does it relate to other forms of human, cultural and social capital and why is it important?

This chapter provides a detailed explanation of the theoretical construct of ‘sporting capital’ as ‘the stock of physiological, social and psychological attributes and competencies that support and motivate an individual to participate in sport and to sustain that participation over time’. It explains how sporting capital theory is distinctive from, but related to, theories concerning human, cultural and social capital and explores the qualities that make them transferable. The model of sporting capital with its three domains of the physiological, psychological and social are explained and the theoretical propositions that underpin it are elaborated. The central contention that higher levels of sporting capital will predict both current and future participation probabilities is introduced. The proposition is made that people with high levels of sporting capital are much more likely to engage in lifelong participation than their peers with low levels of sporting capital. Other important characteristics of sporting capital that relate to public policy are introduced to include the relationship between sporting capital and barriers and constraints to participation and its relationship to health outcomes, volunteering and transferable skills.