The Impact of Inclusive Sporting Encounters for Marginalised Groups

Sport participation is nowadays widely considered to be associated with various psychological and social benefits and thus may be beneficial for promoting social inclusion. However, many people living marginalised situations currently do not participate in sport and thus cannot profit from these benefits. This underlines the need for inclusive sporting encounters designed for marginalised groups. The Life Goals foundation offers such adapted programmes in various Dutch communities helping people in diverse marginalised situations to rejoin society through sport (Stichting Life Goals, n.d.). Life Goals provided the Calibrating Inclusive Sporting Encounters (CISE) project, a multidisciplinary project aiming to make sport more accessible for socially vulnerable people, with very unique quantitative survey material allowing longitudinal monitoring of sport outcomes. Based on this, the present study enlights experienced occupational, housing-related, mental health, participatory, and social outcomes of sport participation by people living in diverse very marginalised situations who attend an adapted sport programme and thereby also highlights the potential of voluntary work.