ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter provides a brief historical review of sport development and its evolution over time. This includes an overview of how the sport development landscape has shifted since the first edition of this text was published. A focus is then placed on considering the two arms of sport development: development of sport (sport development) and development through sport (sport for development). Policy tensions in sport development are briefly considered in relation to how ideologies and political priorities result in struggles for funding and support between professional sport clubs and community sport initiatives. This introductory chapter then introduces the structure of the book, with a focus on the chapters that make up the textbook. It concluded by providing some basic insights into the types of career opportunities that exist in sport development contexts.
