MMS202 Sport Policy: Developing Communities Through Sport Initiative

This case study examines the Australian Youth Wrestling Federation's initiative to develop social cohesion and community engagement through youth wrestling. It addresses the issue of social cohesion among diverse communities in Australia, where instances of discrimination still exist. The program aims to involve youth from various cultural backgrounds in wrestling matches and training, fostering mutual respect and understanding. The initiative targets Australian youth aged 16-20 and is designed to promote physical fitness, provide opportunities for aspiring wrestlers, and contribute to community development by promoting tolerance and inclusivity. The program will take place in community centers across Australia, with training delivered by professional wrestlers and coaches, supported by community clubs and personal trainers. Partners such as the Australian Wrestling Federation will provide funding and expertise. The program aligns with the organization's corporate social responsibility objectives, promoting wrestling as a sport and supporting young athletes while fostering social cohesion.

Running head: SPORT POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT
Sport Policy and Development
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Australian Sport for Development Foundation’s Building Communities through Sport
GRANT APPLICATION FORM
PART A – Organisation
Provide details regarding your chosen organisation
 What is the name of your organisation?
 What is the purpose of your organisation?
Name of the Organization: Australian Youth Wrestling Federation
Purpose of the Organization: The organization aims to develop social cohesion among the
culturally and socially diverse communities in Australia through participation in pro
wrestling and free style wrestling sports. The purpose is to engage individual from various
communities (indigenous as well as non indigenous communities) in wrestling sports, where
individual gets the opportunity to practice together in order to develop social cohesion
among the communities. The organization also aims to foster community development
through the development of cohesion among various communities in Australia such as the
Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander as well as the Non-Indigenous Australian population.

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PART B – Programme/initiative description and operations
Describe your proposed sport for development programme/initiative
Title: What will you call this program/initiative? Provide a creative, succinct title that
captures the essence of your program.
The program is called: Developing Social Cohesion and Community Engagement through
Youth Wrestling.
The program is about the development of social cohesion and community development
through participation of youth in Wrestling events, where individuals can train and wrestle
together as a form of community building strategy.
Provide an explanation of the issue you are addressing and the reasons why this issue is
important to address in your chosen region (using evidence to support your claims).
Australia is a multicultural nation, involving individuals from culturally and socially
diverse backgrounds which is a part of Australia’s social identity (Moran 2017). Such
diversity can include people from Indigenous Communities (such as Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander), Non Indigenous Communities as well as Immigrants and nationals from
other countries, including individuals from Maori Communities (Fischer 2015). Owing to
this highly heterogeneous culture, social cohesion is an important aspect which allows a
peaceful coexistence of everyone in the community bound by the feelings of mutual respect
towards each other’s differences (Ho and Jakubowicz 2014). Studies show that even though
the Australian culture have become significantly more cohesive, compared to what it was
10 years ago, there are still instances of discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, favouritism,

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intolerance, unfairness, hatred and inequality towards the members of many ethnic
minorities in the country (Priest et al. 2016; Onsando and Billett 2017; Benner 2017;
Buchanan et al. 2018). A report by ABC News Australia shows that one third of Australian
youth experience race based mistreatment and racial discrimination based on their racial
background (Ford and Hunjan 2016). Another article from ABC News Australia adds that
even though the policies and legal framework cannot be considered to be racist, however,
racism still exists at institutional, structural and systematic forms which allow
discrimination against people from Indigenous Australian communities as well as from
refugee and migrant communities (McGlade 2017).
According to Cockburn (2017), Ethnically Mixed Sports can help to develop social
cohesion among communities and increase participation of youth in community activities
that help in the development of communities.
Such aspects clearly shows that it is vital to further develop social cohesion among people,
to ensure that people from the ethnic minority and culturally diverse communities are
treated with respect, dignity and equality (Eys et al. 2015; Bruner et al. 2014).
Describe your sport for development program/initiative.
Developing Social Cohesion and Community Engagement through Youth Wrestling.
The program aims to develop social cohesion through the involvement of youth from
culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds to participate in wrestling matches and
tournaments.
The youth participating in the program will be trained together by professional and

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freestyle wrestlers and trainers, and they will be involved in sparring against each other
which can help to develop coordination as well as communication between them. The
individuals would form teams, consisting of individuals from diverse social and cultural
backgrounds, where they would be helping each other to practice and learn wrestling
moves.
The participants would then be involved in exhibition matches and a tournament where all
the teams will compete. The event would also involve wrestling organizations from
Australia and abroad where they can identify talented youth whom they can groom to
become professional wrestlers. This platform will provide the youth to pursue their dreams
to become pre wrestlers and enter the arena of professional and free style wrestling.
The program would also help to develop the health of the participants through the exercise
and workout routines needed to be a wrestler, and thus help the youth to improve their
physical health.
The events will be conducted regionally across different cities in Australia, allowing youth
from the diverse communities living in rural, semi rural and remote Australian regions to
participate in the program. Additionally, campaign for the program will also be conducted
in all the community centres and Community Outreaches in the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Communities in inform them about the program and encourage participation.
The training will involve the development of speed and agility, physical endurance and
resilience and learning various types of wrestling manoeuvres such as grappling, combat
moves, submission manoeuvres and finishing manoeuvres.
Identify your target participant group and explain how your program/initiative will impact
(a) this group, and (b) your chosen issue (use evidence).

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Target Participants: The target participants would include Australian youth between the
age group of 16 to 20 years.
Impact of the program on the group: The program would help in the development of
social cohesion and mutual respect through participation in culturally mixed sports
activities. The program would allow the youth to practice together in teams to develop their
physical skills and strength and help each other during the practice sessions. The practice
sessions would also help to develop physical fitness among the individuals and help them
to achieve their aspirations to become professional wrestlers (Tropin 2017).
Impact of the program on the chosen Issue: Through the participation of youth from
culturally and ethnically heterogeneous backgrounds, the youth can develop a sense of
mutual respect for each other and towards the cultural diversity among the participants.
This can help to promote social cohesion among the participants as well as among the
communities, through the incorporation of mutual respect, understanding and tolerance
towards the cultural diversity, which can help to overcome the problems of discrimination
and racism (Pirseyedi 2017; Barry 2017).
Where and when will your program/initiative take place?
Consider geographic locations (e.g. City, Province/ State), type of setting (e.g. parks,
community halls, indoor or outdoor facility) and/or time of year (seasonal, limited or all
year).
The program will be conducted in some of the community centres in Australia, such as the
Redfern Community Centre in Redfern, NSW; Fullarton Park Community Centre in
Fullarton, SA; Australian Chinese Community Association in Chastwood, NSW; Adelaide

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South West Community Centre in Adelaide, SA; Kutkabubba Aboriginal Community
Centre in Wiluna, WA and TAFE Queensland, Thursday Island campus in Queensland,
Australia.
The program will be conducted within indoor facilities and community halls and training
will continue throughout the year before the tournament starts.
During the program, participants will be selected who would then take part in the
tournament which will be held in Sydney, Australia and all the selected participants will be
provided the costs to stay in Sydney for one month in order to participate in the
tournament.
Inititial training and recruitment phase will start from December 2018 across all the
community centres, where the community halls and indoor facilities (wherever available)
will be used to set up a wrestling ring where the trainers will help the participants to learn
about wrestling. Community sports centres will be used to engage the youth in warm up
and exercise routines before stepping into the ring.
Who will deliver the programme/initiative?
For example, community clubs, associations, leagues, third party deliverers (e.g. personal
trainers, private sport and leisure providers), NSO staff (existing or yet to be recruited) or
another group.
The program will be delivered by a team of professional wrestlers and wrestling coaches
(third party deliverers) along with trainers from the organization and existing NSO staff to
oversee the selection and training process. The youth will be trained by the professional
trainers, who will help the participants to understand the wrestling manoeuvres, and help

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the participants to spar with each other to further enhance their in ring competence.
Community club association would also be involved in the engagement of youth in the
program and in the campaign activities to increase awareness of the program within the
different communities. Additionally they would also encourage and support the interested
youth to participate in the program.
Personal trainers would also be needed to groom the selected youth to participate in the
tournament, providing them support to develop their athletic capabilities further and
become successful amateur wrestlers.
How will this program fit within the broader operations of your organisation (sport/non-
profit) in relation to sport participation and community development?
The program will help the organization to promote social cohesion in the Australian
Communities and thus foster a spirit of community building in Australia. The program thus
will help the organization to achieve its Corporate Social Responsibility objectives where it
aims to help in community development through sports activity, which the organization terms
as ‘Socio-Wrestling’ or Wrestling for social development (Cockburn 2017). The program
will also help to promote wrestling as a form of sport in these communities, increase
participation in this sport, and help this sport gain more recognition in Australia.
Additionally, the program will also help to identify and support promising young athletes
who aspire to become professional or amateur wrestlers but do not have the necessary
support to pursue their dreams and aspirations (Meir and Fletcher 2017). The program can
therefore help in the promotion of the organization’s effort towards community development,
improve the image of the organization, achieve positive media coverage as well as provide a

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pool of talents the organization can hire or engage in its sporting events.
Encouraging participation in sports can also support the youth to improve their health and
fitness and prepare them for other athletic activities, and thus help them to develop
competence in sports activities through which they can represent their communities further
promoting their cultural and social identities and social cohesion (Edwards 2015; Parnell and
Hylton 2016).
Detail any partners for your program (which may include sponsors) and describe their
contributions, responsibilities and what stage these partnerships are at.
e.g. partners - consider national, state and local level partners
e.g. partner contributions - monetary or in kind
e.g. partner responsibilities and capacity - their roles in supporting your participation
opportunity and their resources, skills, time to deliver
Partners: The program will involve both national and state level partners such as state and
national level professional coaches, trainers and professional wrestlers, as well as local
personal trainers. Additionally, international trainers and wrestling coaches from Australian
Wrestling Federation, International Wrestling Australia and Pro Wrestling Australia would
also be involved for the selection and training process of the participants. Trainers from
New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ultimate Fighting Championship would also be present in
the grooming of the selected participants to help them achieve their ambition to become
professional or amateur wrestlers.
Partner Contributions: Partnership with Australian Wrestling Federation, International
Wrestling Australia and Pro Wrestling Australia would help in the partial funding of the

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training programs and provide their expertise in the selection, training and the grooming
process of the young athletes. They would take care of the programs conducted in the
community centres across Australia along with the staff from the organization.
Partner Responsibilities and Capacity: The partners would help the young participants to
train for the sport, devise exercise routines to improve their fitness, stamina, agility,
physical build, resilience and in ring competency to become a wrestler. Their involvement
would span the entire program starting from the initial selection, exercise and the grooming
process.
PARTC– Evidence
Describe how you developed this programme/initiative and what resources you drew on in
designing/shaping your programme/initiative (e.g., other programmes, events and
initiatives).
 What research and evidence did you use?
 What other initiatives did you use as models/examples to shape your initiative?
 Why is your proposal program innovative/different?
Research And Evidences Used:

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The program development is supported through various researches that show how sporting
activities can help in the development of social cohesion and community development. The
researches provided ample evidences to support the idea of implementing a sports event in
order to promote social cohesion. Additionally, the program is also supported by studies that
show the necessity of developing social cohesion in Australian communities in order to
achieve community development. Some of the most crucial evidences and research findings
are discussed below:
Studies by Meir and Fletcher (2017) shows that participation in community sports can help to
promote social cohesion among culturally and socially divided or fragmented communities.
These events fosters among participants a sense of civic engagement as well as critical
awareness that helps in both sports and community development helping the participants
appreciate the importance of a wider social-political development.
Studies by Parnell and Hylton (2016) shows that social problems such as racism,
discrimination and health discrepancies can be addressed. The authors pointed out that social
cohesion among Aboriginal communities can be developed through sports activities such as
football, and help them to overcome the social discrimination and promote the development
of respect towards the ethnic minorities in Australia.
Studies by Block and Gibbs (2017) shows that participation in sports activities can help to
promote psychosocial development among the young participants from ethnic minority and
migrant communities and helps to develop social inclusion and thus supporting meaningful
engagement with the Australian Society. This study thus supports the fact that through
participation in sports events can help in community development, social inclusion and social

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cohesion.
Evidences of social discrimination, prejudice and racism in Australia can be supported
through the reports by ABC News which shows that individuals from indigenous
communities, ethnic minority community and migrant communities in Australia still
experience such behavior from the wider Australian community. Such as aspects have also
been supported in studies done by Onsando and Billett (2017), Blair et al. (2017),
Farquharson et al. (2018) and Bodkin-Andrews et al. (2017) which shows that individuals
from indigenous and ethnic minority groups still experiences racism and discrimination in
various forms. Additionally, studies by Collins et al. (2017) also show that there is a
necessity for the development of social cohesion in order to overcome the social problems of
discrimination and racism in Australia.
Eys and Brawley (2018) suggested that sports activities such as wrestling and track sports can
help to develop an environment of respect and coordination among culturally diverse
participants and thus promote social cohesiveness. These activities, where the participants are
involved in helping each other in their exercise, warm ups and preparation for the sports
activities helps to develop interpersonal bonds that overcomes social, cultural and language
barriers and achieve a sense of unity among the group.
Pirseyedi (2017) also suggested that participants in multicultural wrestling events can
develop a sense of equality, improvement of self image and participation in such activities
can help to promote social bonding, development of social capital, improve social relations
and support the maintenance of diversity among the participants. The author concludes that
wrestling helps in the development of a sense of social belonging and social identity among
the participants, thus suggesting the validity of the program to promote social cohesion.