The theme of the PSA Sport and Politics Group conference this year is the governance and regulation of sport. Over the last two decades, as the commercial side of sport has grown, there has been increased public and political interest in the way that sport is governed and regulated. This has often been due to organisational failings, allegations of corruption, issues concerning athlete welfare, increasing legal intervention into sport and the changing nature of sporting competitions, that have led many to question whether the current structures, actors and systems within the sporting environment are fit for purpose: in essence questioning the governance and regulation of sport. Where there have been failings, these have often led to a growing legitimacy gap between those responsible for the governance of sport and key stakeholders involved in sport.
This gap has attracted the attention of governments, policymakers, investors, and consumers, including sport fans, which in turn has consequences for those in sport organisations and sport governing bodies. For example, the Fan-led review, undertaken by the UK Government into the governance and regulation of professional football in England, has resulted in the creation of an Independent Regulator for Football. At the international level, there has also been significant interest in the way sports are governed, from international federations (IOC, FIFA, FIBA, etc) to foreign sports leagues (NBA, NFL, Saudi Pro League, amongst others). The drive to understand and to improve governance and regulation in sport goes hand in hand with changing societal expectations, which require that sport organisations, leagues and governing bodies proactively adapt the way they govern. This involves taking account of the need to integrate issues that are now firmly expected from sport organisations, such as diversity, equity, inclusion, social responsibility, and sustainability. These positive shifts have placed even greater scrutiny on how sport is governed and regulated.
The 2025 PSA Sport and Politics Group conference invites abstracts that discuss the governance and regulation of sport from different perspectives. We welcome abstracts from any social science and humanities discipline.
Possible themes include, but are not limited to:
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- International and national sport governance
- Diversity
- Equity
- Inclusion
- Social responsibility
- Sustainability
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Call for abstracts: Please submit your abstract (250 words maximum) to Richard Tacon (r.tacon@bbk.ac.uk) by 5pm on Friday 31st January 2025.
Venue
Birkbeck, University of London
Malet Street
Bloomsbury
London WC1E 7HX
Please feel free to contact Sean Hamil (s.hamil@bbk.ac.uk), Richard Tacon (r.tacon@bbk.ac.uk) or Geoff Walters (G.R.Walters@liverpool.ac.uk) should you have any questions.
Conference fees and keynote speakers will be confirmed in January 2025 although we expect the registration fee is likely to be in the region of £100.
Key Dates
Abstract Deadline: 31st January 2025
Abstract Outcome: 3rd March 2025
Registration Deadline: 14th April 2025
Conference dates: Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May
