Ramón Spaaij

About the talk

Sustained research-practice partnerships, in which scholars work closely with stakeholders with vital practical knowledge and/or lived experience, can enable pathways for change in ways that
would not have been possible for academics alone. In this seminar, Ramón will consider how scholars can serve as co-creators of, and actors in, social change in sport. He will draw on his experiences and empirical evidence from an action research program that aims to co-produce durable solutions to inequity, discrimination, and exclusion in sport. The program brings together local coalitions of sports club leaders and volunteers, change facilitators, researchers, and community partners, in a concerted effort to promote equitable social inclusion in community sports clubs. The program has trained, mentored, and supported more than 150 club leaders and volunteers across 90 clubs and 12 sports over three years to critically assess their club climates and design, implement, and evaluate strategies that address structural and cultural barriers to participation. Ramón will reflect on the changes the program has affected within the clubs, organisations, and communities it serves and discuss the factors that have supported and constrained these changes.