Overview

This book critically examines the intersection of football, development, and peacebuilding through diverse case studies across global contexts. Drawing on the author’s 20 years’ experience of research and practice in sport-for-development across six continents, the book explores the potential of football as a unifying force and a tool of positive social change. Analysing initiatives in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Albania, Venezuela, Liberia, and Australia, the book examines the socio-political landscapes of these regions, assessing the effectiveness of football-based programmes in promoting social integration, development, and peace, and in addressing challenges such as poverty, health, inequality, and violence. Emphasising the importance of cultural sensitivity, collaborative partnerships, and critical reflection, the book offers insights into the complexities, challenges, limitations, and potential of football-for-development initiatives. Featuring important perspectives on research, methodology, ethics, implementation, and practice, this book is essential reading for any advanced student, researcher, or practitioner with an interest in sport development, sport management, football studies, development studies, or the wider relationships between sport and society.

Full Product Details

Author:   Joel Rookwood (University College Dublin, Ireland)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.690kg
ISBN:  

9781041121985

ISBN 10:   1041121989
Pages:   274
Publication Date:   15 December 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements, 1. Football, development and peace: concepts, theories, agencies, and methods, 2. Northern Ireland after the Omagh bombing: An introduction to community peace projects and the role of professional football clubs in sports diplomacy, 3. Football and peace promotion in post-war Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia: From Sarajevo to Srebrenica, 4. Engaging with victims of terrorism in Russia: Football as a ‘decoy’ in Beslan, 5. Football and the reintegration of asylum seekers and immigrants in Albania, 6. Providing refuge and education in the ‘murder capital of the world’: TEFL and futsal in Venezuela, 7. Playing football and building peace? Reintegrating child ex-combatants in Liberia, 8. Soccer, African refugees, and First Nations communities in Australia, 9. The impacts, challenges, and limitations of short-term football-for-development projects, List of abbreviations, References

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Author Information

Joel Rookwood is the Director of Sport & Exercise Management at University College Dublin in Ireland. Joel has worked at seven universities in four countries over the last 20 years. He also has extensive experience in sports media, mega-events, and sport-for-development. Joel has worked on 33 SDP projects across six continents over the past two decades. He has conducted research at 25 football mega-events, including the last six FIFA Men’s World Cups. Joel has also worked in applied sports performance settings, serving as Head of Research at Aalborg Football Club in Denmark from 2023 to 2025. Joel is the co-chair of the global research organisation The Football Collective. His latest books include Sport, Peace and Development: Critical Global Challenges (2025), Sports Fanaticism on Social Media Platforms: Security Implications and Counter-Policy (2025), and The Sport Mega Events of the 2020s: Governance, Impacts and Controversies (Routledge, 2024).

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