Sport-for-All encompasses efforts to make organised sport accessible for all people. Although Sport-for-All is integrated in sport federations’ missions, many organisations struggle to attain their...

Background: Sport-for-All emphasizes that every individual has the right to participate in sport. Despite all efforts to deliver Sport-for-All during the past decades, studies indicate that sport participation rates have been stagnating, whereas social inequalities in sport continue to exist. By applying an institutional theory lens, this study sheds light on how the dual mission of sport federations, i.e., providing Sport-for-All and high performance sport, affects the Sport-for-All projects of Flemish sport federations (e.g., amount of projects and target groups). In particular, Sport-for-All projects have to reduce barriers to engage in the sport system and be supported by a sport federation. Furthermore, this study seeks to better understand the impact of the underlying institutional logic on the institutional pressure and legitimacy of the sport federations.Method: This study implemented a cross-sectional field study in sport federations. In particular, the sport federations selected for our study are the 47 Flemish sport federations. Both qualitative (i.e., document analysis) and quantitative research methods (i.e., a new questionnaire was developed based on institutional theory) were applied in the study.Results: Results indicated that sport federations are important partners in support of Sport-for-All projects, but also suggested that there is a discrepancy between the projects of the high performance-oriented and the Sport-for-All-oriented federations. Specifically, the high performance-oriented federations were targeting youth participants, whereas Sport-for-all-oriented federations aimed to reach disadvantaged groups. Furthermore, the results indicated that high performance-oriented federations endured more institutional pressure than Sport-for-All-oriented federations.Conclusion: The results of our study indicated that the Sport-for-All projects of performance-oriented federations are often more superficial compared to Sport-for-All oriented federations, and that the latter federations play an important role in attaining public health targets. Moreover, policymakers should consider how they can optimize the role of the performance-oriented federations in the Sport-for-All delivery (e.g., they could function as a bridge to guide participants who prefer a less competitive setting towards Sport-for-All oriented federations).

Background Sport-for-All emphasises that every individual has the right to participate in sport. Despite all efforts to deliver Sport-for-All during the past decades, studies indicate that sport participation rates stagnated, whereas social inequalities in sport continue to exist. Our study specifically explores how the dual mission of sport federations, i.e. providing Sport-for-All and high performance sport, affects their Sport-for-All delivery. By applying institutional theory this study sheds light on how the underlying institutional logic of Flemish sport federations affects their Sport-for-All contributions. Method A cross-sectional field study of the sport federations was applied in the study. In particular, the sport federations selected for our study are the 47 Flemish sport federations. Methodologically, qualitative research methods (i.e., document analysis) as quantitative research methods (i.e., a new questionnaire was developed based on institutional theory) were applied in the study. Results Results indicate that sport federations are important partners in support of Sport-for-All projects (n=218), but that there is a discrepancy between the projects of the high performance-oriented and the Sport-for-All-oriented federations. Specifically, the high performance-oriented federations aim on youth participants, whereas Sport-for-all-oriented aim to reach disadvantaged groups. Furthermore, the results indicate that high performance-oriented federations endure more institutional pressure than Sport-for-All-oriented federations.Conclusion This study provides insights in the amount of Sport-for-All projects the Flemish sport federations support and organize. Moreover, the conducted mapping of projects offers findings on which specific target groups the projects aim to reach. Our study indicates that the competitive federations especially aim on target groups like youth and open for all. Remarkable is that their Sport-for-All projects lack a focus on disadvantaged groups.

Sport clubs traditionally focus on essential tasks such as organising local competitions, facilitating youth sport, and managing their volunteers. This primary focus can sometimes make it challenging to prioritise additional social initiatives such as developing more inclusive sports programs for disadvantaged communities. Despite the inherent difficulties, expanding the scope of sport clubs to embrace social inclusivity can significantly enhance their impact on both members and their local neighbourhoods. Central to addressing this social challenge are institutional entrepreneurs, who serve as exemplary sports clubs advocating the integration of both traditional responsibilities and social values within the sports sector. Recognising the pivotal role played by institutional entrepreneurs, this study aimed to delve deeper into the specific environmental characteristics and actions that trigger sport clubs to become an institutional entrepreneur. For this purpose, we applied the entrepreneurial model of Battilana, Leca & Boxenbaum (2009) . Employing a single-case study design, we focused on a Belgian amateur soccer club, conducting a comprehensive investigation through 22 semi-structured interviews. The findings yielded multiple interesting insights such as the role of the external environment (i.e., the competitive dynamics of soccer and the demographic shift in the club's neighbourhood) in initiating entrepreneurial initiatives. Furthermore, the role of an intrapreneur emerged from the data and proved to be a decisive characteristic in catalysing the call for advocating social values within the club. Consequently, this study contributes to the discussion on how entrepreneurial actions, initiated by the intrapreneur, can bring about social change in the field of sport clubs.