Year in review: sportanddev’s most read articles of 2019

2019 saw a host of contributions from our network members on the achievements, challenges and opportunities facing sport and development globally. The empowerment of women and girls, measuring sport’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, and the release of research on women coaches and the impact of sport on children’s development were just some of the topics which most caught our readers’ attention last year.

Take a moment to revisit our top 10 articles of 2019:

1. Researchers release telling and groundbreaking results of elite women football coaches’ experiences

A consortium of researchers and academics released first-of-its-kind findings in a study on elite female football coaches' experiences.

2. Video challenge: Sport is a universal language

sportanddev called on individuals and sport for development organisations around the world to help us translate the following message: “Sport is a universal language.”

3. Closing the Gap - Measuring the contribution of sport to the SDGs

Sport is widely cited as a crosscutting tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); this article highlighted progress on developing international measurement frameworks for the sport sector.

4. How the power of play empowers girls and women

A sportanddev community member reported on the Women Deliver 2019 Global Conference.

5. Leveraging sport for sustainable development at the United Nations

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Under Secretary General Mr. Liu Zhenmin laid out plans to advance the sport for development and peace agenda along with international partners.

6. The beginnings of the participation of women in sport

An analysis of the historical factors that have either enabled or inhibited female participation in sport and a consideration of changes that could be made to promote gender equality.

7. FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 – working at the grassroots!

To celebrate the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019, the Women's Sport Network gave away free copies of FOOTBALLMoJo, a holistic manual for girls engaging in competitive football.

8. Happy International Day of Sport for Development and Peace!

6 April 2019 marked the sixth International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP); the sportanddev team was thrilled to join sport and development players around the world in celebrating this important day.

9. UWC starts with international MA in sport for development

The University of the Western Cape (UWC)  launched an international master’s (MA) in sport for development to build global capacity and leadership within the growing sector.

10. The impact of sports on the physical, emotional and social development of children in rural India

The Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA) shared research on sport's effect on children's development.