ABSTRACT
The field of sport and forced migration studies has grown considerably in recent years. Research on youth sport and refugee settlement has rapidly developed in conjunction with sport for development programming. Given the scholarly and policy attention afforded to sport as a means or context for promoting the wellbeing and settlement of children and youth with refugee backgrounds, it is timely to critically reflect on the field of research. This chapter critically examines a particular, relatively under-researched, aspect of this body of literature that addresses coaching children and youth with refugee backgrounds in sport. The literature points to a need for coaches to challenge the status quo and recognise the strengths, capabilities, knowledge, and resources of children and youth with refugee backgrounds. The chapter critically reviews the current state of academic knowledge on the relationship between sport, coaching, and refugee settlement, by identifying dominant and submerged themes in the research as well as current knowledge gaps. This is followed by outlining directions and critical challenges for future research on sport, coaching, and children and youth with refugee backgrounds.
