What is the role of Professional Sport Club’s Trusts and Foundations in local health systems?

Background:
Professional sport clubs and organisations (PSCOs) have been identified as effective settings for health promotion (HP), however, their role within local health and wellbeing (H&W) systems as physical activity (PA) and wider HP providers is unclear.

Purpose:
Our research sought to explore the views of key stakeholders within the local H&W system of Bristol (United Kingdom) on the role of PSCOs within the system, the challenges of collaboration within the system, and how future partnerships could be improved locally.

Methods:
To address our aims, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 stakeholders from private, public, and charitable organisations who operate within Bristol’s H&W system.

Results:
Stakeholders perceived PSCOs as organisations that are often embedded within communities and therefore have significant presence and reach within their localities. Moreover, the unique access to assets, such as stadia and tickets, alongside specialist sport coaches, place PSCOs as an attractive partner within local systems, particularly for PA promotion. However, stakeholders reported concerns over the genuineness of PSCOs’ HP activities and their current approach to collaborative working. Stakeholders highlighted a lack of effective collaboration currently existing amongst organisations striving to promote PA locally and suggested a need to better understand organisations’ roles and for greater multisectoral partnership locally.

Conclusions:
PSCOs were considered unique and valuable organisations, however, clearer communication of their intentions and objectives is required. Organisations operating in local H&W systems should identify key partners and opportunities allowing collaboration to meet shared locality ambitions.

Practical implications:
PSCOs should consider approaches to better communicate their organisational intentions and structure, alongside collaborating with system partners to fund and deliver local PA and wider health promoting initiatives. Moreover, evaluations of local system approaches to health and PA promotion should be embedded in practice.

Funding: This research was funded by the Bristol Sport Foundation.