ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a relatively neglected aspect of sport; namely, the views and experiences of sports development officers (SDOs). In the process it explores the reality of ‘doing’ sports development from the perspective of SDOs themselves in order to enhance our understanding of sports development in practice. The chapter draws on a preliminary study of 16 SDOs (nine males; seven females) employed in 10 different local authorities within the West Midlands and north-west of England (see Bloyce et al. 2008). The local authorities for whom the SDOs worked were purposively selected to represent a variety of cities, new towns and rural locations, as well as the various patterns of political control, typical of the two regions. Pertinent among the themes that emerged from the interviews were the SDOs’ views of the nature and purposes of sports development, their experiences of sports development in practice and their perceptions of the ways in which their working environments had impacted upon their ‘philosophies’ (in sociological terms: their ideologies) and practices.
