ABSTRACT
The increased number of autonomous third-sector organisations emerging during UK austerity (2010–2018) represented a lifeline for community sport. However, there are concerns that many third-sector organisations may struggle to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic given that depleted public resources has enabled greater competition for funding within community sport. The necessity for flexible, adaptable and autonomous organisational models has thus become paramount as a strategy for survival. This chapter conceptualises and analyses the role of the social enterprise within this narrative and explains how and why specific organisational typologies may impact the shaping of evidence and approaches to evaluation within sport and leisure. To do this I examine the emergence of social enterprises through the lens of community sport in England. First, models of social enterprise in community sport in England are introduced and explored. Second, the chapter examines the value each model might place on evaluation based on key characteristics such as governance and funding that relate to specific models. The chapter concludes by drawing on the analysis of social enterprise models to present some critical questions that question the value and purpose of evaluation within broader socio-political contexts.
