Building social capital: Examining the impact of Street Soccer USA on its volunteers

Welty Peachey, J; Cohen, A; Borland, J; Lyras, A

Building social capital: Examining the impact of Street Soccer USA on its volunteers

Welty Peachey, J Cohen, A

Borland, J Lyras, A

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2013, 48 (1), pp. 20 - 37
Issue Date:: 2013-02-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Welty Peachey, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cohen, A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2149-0654	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Borland, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lyras, A	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-02-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2013, 48 (1), pp. 20 - 37	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1012-6902	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117293
dc.description.abstract	Most studies on the use of sport with marginalized populations have centered upon the impact on participants, with few studies examining the impact of these interventions on other stakeholder groups, such as volunteers. While it has been contended that volunteering provides a form of social participation and civic engagement that can foster development of citizenship and social capital, these ideas are disputed and lack empirical evidence. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Street Soccer USA on its volunteers. Street Soccer USA uses soccer to provide a support system to homeless individuals for making positive life changes. The findings of this qualitative study with five teams in the United States revealed that volunteering fostered the preconditions for and actual social capital development by enhancing awareness and understanding about homelessness, building community and relationships with the homeless, enhancing passion to work in the social justice field, and developing self-satisfaction through a 'feel good' mentality. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the use of sport to aid in social capital development. By creating increased understanding and a sense of community between different social groups, greater community cohesion and more inclusive social capital can be developed. © The Author(s) 2011.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	International Review for the Sociology of Sport	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/1012690211432068	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Sport, Leisure & Tourism	en_US
dc.title	Building social capital: Examining the impact of Street Soccer USA on its volunteers	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	48	en_US
utslib.for	1504 Commercial Services	en_US
utslib.for	1608 Sociology	en_US
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	48	en_US

Abstract:

Most studies on the use of sport with marginalized populations have centered upon the impact on participants, with few studies examining the impact of these interventions on other stakeholder groups, such as volunteers. While it has been contended that volunteering provides a form of social participation and civic engagement that can foster development of citizenship and social capital, these ideas are disputed and lack empirical evidence. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Street Soccer USA on its volunteers. Street Soccer USA uses soccer to provide a support system to homeless individuals for making positive life changes. The findings of this qualitative study with five teams in the United States revealed that volunteering fostered the preconditions for and actual social capital development by enhancing awareness and understanding about homelessness, building community and relationships with the homeless, enhancing passion to work in the social justice field, and developing self-satisfaction through a 'feel good' mentality. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the use of sport to aid in social capital development. By creating increased understanding and a sense of community between different social groups, greater community cohesion and more inclusive social capital can be developed. © The Author(s) 2011.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117293