Navigating neoliberalism: the realities and challenges of a veteran sport programme in the UK

Since its introduction during the 1980’s, under Margaret Thatcher as Conservative Prime Minister, British society has been underpinned by a neoliberal ideological agenda (Dowling et al., 2023; Houlihan and Lindsey, 2013). Understood as a broad model with political, cultural, and economic implications, neoliberalism is not confined to the United Kingdom (UK) but has far reaching effects on governance and management structures (Bjarsholm and Norberg, 2021; Cleophas and Le Grange, 2020; John and McDonald, 2020). It has been recognised that some effects have significant implications for sport policy, public perceptions of sport, and the development of community sport (Houlihan and Lindsey, 2013; Rich et al., 2022). Scholars have argued that sport is both a reflection and driver of neoliberalism, embodying and embedding neoliberal ideas about individualism, competition, and market-oriented thinking, however this has largely been focused on the organised, competitive, and commercial nature of elite sport (Coakley, 2011; John and McDonald, 2020). In many contexts around the world, Sport for Development (SFD) is required to operate within a neoliberal context, and this inevitably aligns these provisions to the neoliberal agenda, due to the need for funding, a supportive organisational structure and, for some SFD objectives, to develop programme participants as active and contributing citizens (Coakley, 2011; Doa and Chin, 2021; Ruck and Moustakas, 2023). Neoliberalism is woven into the social order and ultimately SFD is a domain where neoliberal agendas are at play, and can present additional layers of complexity and difficulty, which must be negotiated by leaders, staff and participants. Drawing on the first ever 18-month ethnography of an SFD programme based in the UK, which uses sport as a tool to support veterans undertaking the military to civilian transition, this paper illustrates how the neoliberal context impacts upon and influences the design, development and delivery of SFD. This provides an original contribution to both the applied 2 and theoretical understanding of SFD. While neoliberal influences on SFD have been considered in previous academic studies (Armstrong, 2004; Hayhurst et al., 2011; Author Citation, 2012), this research is the first to offer a managerial analysis of what neoliberalism means for the daily operation and implementation of SFD in a global north context. The neoliberal partnership structures evident within this SFD work are also examined, with the aim to understand how they are navigated by those working in this field within daily operations. This research therefore increases understanding of neoliberal influences on SFD design, development, and delivery by identifying the realities and challenges faced by those working in the domain. This also responds to a call from McSweeney et al. (2020, p.4), within this journal, for further work that “unpacks the complexities, relations of power, and neoliberal structures of SFD” and uncovers “the way in which SFD programs, participants and organizations navigate, perpetuate, and/or resist a neoliberal ethos”. The original empirical case study presented here reveals the neoliberal pressures faced by individuals working in SFD. We argue that, in managing the demands of the neoliberal context, focus is detracted from the core purpose of the SFD provision and, while this is concentrated at a local level, we contend that this has significant implications for the wider field of SFD. We consider the partnerships and collaborations that are formed both within the delivery organisation and across their external networks, and how these are shaped by neoliberal forces, as well as the overall delivery approach. This article concludes with a call to SFD funders and organisations to challenge and consider embracing alternative approaches to the existing and rigid neoliberal structures and frameworks.