About
Just Turn Up: informal sport and social participation in the superdiverse city
(October 2022-September 2024)
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council
Our project examines the relationship between informal sport and urban inclusion in increasingly superdiverse and increasingly unequal cities. We use the term 'informal sport' to mean sport which is not club or fee based but where people routinely take part for free or for a low fee and ‘just turn up’ to take part in a sport activity near to where they live. We are exploring the growth of collective participation in a variety of informal sports in the open spaces of cities and examining how informal sports involves groups who are marginalised or under-represented in club-based sport. As the experience of Covid-19 showed, there is a need for accessible outdoor spaces to undertake exercise and feel socially connected in cities. In this context our project considers where informal sport happens, who takes part and why. It asks if informal sport activities can generate new forms of urban belonging while also recognising that such activities may incorporate their own mechanisms of exclusion. Using a range of research methods and focusing on London and Sheffield as case study cities, our research aims to provide new insights on these dynamics and develop understanding of what makes a ‘good city’.
FOCUS AREAS
Urban space
We are mapping informal sport activity locations across London and Sheffield. This process helps us to better understand 'the where' of informal sport. We are mapping the micro geographies, the types, contexts, nature and characteristics of the spaces in which informal sport happens.
Digital space
We are exploring the relationship between online platforms and informal sport activities. We are interested in how, and to what extent, digital based interactions on social media platforms facilitate participation in informal sport.
Spaces of participation
We are spending time with people who are involved in a range of different informal sport activities in London and Sheffield. We are getting to know the people who meet up and take part in informal sport. We are listening to participatory stories and experiences and to what motivates different groups and individuals to take part in informal sport.
Planned space and place-making
We are speaking with community, social sector, think tank and government key actors to explore perspectives on urban inequalities and superdiverse places to examine approaches to social infrastructure, urban design, sport, social interaction, and well-being at local and national levels.