PhD in Sociology

Sport for Development (SfD) is increasingly recognised as a mechanism for addressing social inequalities, promoting inclusion and supporting community development. SfD organisations can play a vital role in health and wellbeing outcomes, local empowerment and social cohesion, yet often operate in precarious, resource-constrained environments. Many face challenges such as unstable funding, high staff turnover and accountability pressures which place significant demands on capacity: including the systems, structures and resources that enable mission delivery and adaptive functioning. This PhD will explore how capacity is built, sustained and adapted within SfD organisations operating in East Africa as part of a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on education and sustainable livelihoods. The programme aims to address youth unemployment and education gaps by leveraging sport for skill development, employability and entrepreneurship. These efforts are designed to contribute to wider health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and communities, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The research will examine the contextual factors, mechanisms and outcomes that shape capacity building in SfD organisations, enabling them to deliver education and employability initiatives that also foster social inclusion and healthier futures. It will adopt a flexible qualitative or mixed-methods design, potentially employing participatory and creative approaches. It will hope to generate rich, context-sensitive evidence to advance theoretical understanding of capacity building and inform practice in SfD. Location: Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom. Fieldwork location: East Africa (Kenya, Madagascar and/or Rwanda).