ABSTRACT
Engagement in sport is widely perceived to be so worthwhile that governments around the world invest large sums of public money in its promotion. The United Kingdom (UK), in particular, has demonstrated great faith in the potential of sport both in its own right and for the achievement of wider social goals. For example, school sport alone has received more than £1 billion since 2003 (Green, 2006). In parallel, the sport policy community in the UK has changed in a short period of time from a relatively unknown arena to a significant focus. The announcement of London as the host of the 2012 Olympic Games has merely added impetus to this process.
