The Playmakers have launched a comprehensive glossary and open-access resources to increase awareness around India’s sport-for-development landscape.
The Sports and Society Accelerator (SSA), on behalf of the Playmakers Collaborative, recently published public resources for the Indian sport-for-development (S4D) ecosystem. Directed at practitioners and external stakeholders alike, the two key resources launched by SSA are:
A collection of open-source documents, case studies, reports, and other materials related to a range of themes including landscape studies of the Indian and international sport-for-development ecosystems, program management, monitoring and evaluation, and a lot more.
The second is a comprehensive glossary that aims to capture the broad scope of the ecosystem. The glossary, developed by SSA with inputs from the Playmakers Collaborative (led by Pro Sport Development, Sportz Village Foundation, ELMS Sports Foundation, and Naandi Foundation, and convened by SSA) is a move to create a foundational resource to enable conversations and increase awareness around sport and physical activity (SAPA) in India.
The key resources are SSA and the Playmakers’ attempt to further expand the growing narrative around the potential of SAPA in India and bring it to the forefront of popular discourse. Through this, we aim to platform the many promising voices in the sector and start shaping a thriving ecosystem. We break down the development process of the S4D glossary through the rest of the article.
The S4D glossary is a repository that encompasses a broad spectrum of terms and concepts central to sports, physical activity, and development. It has been developed in close consultation with the Playmakers Collaborative to capture the needs of the Indian S4D sector. It aims to fill organizational gaps, clarify concepts, and aid grassroots progress.
Developing a shared vocabulary is central to starting conversations and raising awareness of the importance of SAPA. It is a foundational tool for capacity building within the sector, enabling individuals and organizations to effectively acquire, apply, and advance their knowledge and skills. This section has been collated to act as a reference point for practitioners and aspiring stakeholders of the sector.
Presently, the glossary contains around 75 terms spanning different focus areas within the S4D sector. The terms have been categorized into four themes: context, core values and skills, organizational development and project management, and sports and physical activity.
The context section offers insights into the impact areas of S4D initiatives, providing a broader understanding of sports-for-society work. The second section concerns core values and skills and captures the foundational principles and values guiding the S4D sector and its work.
Meanwhile, the third section focuses on terms and definitions that are helpful for organizations to build their capacity as it features terms essential for organizational capacity enhancement, catering to varying stages of organizational and project progression. The fourth section on sports and physical activity captures the multiple terms associated with SAPA and highlights the sector’s diversity.
Inputs from the Playmakers collaborative have helped the glossary integrate a broad range of terms commonly employed within the sector and shape it to the Indian context, addressing potential gaps identified by them and offering clarity and differentiation where needed. Additionally, given the expertise and experience of these organizations, it includes terms pertinent to grassroots efforts, aiding organizations in advancing their missions effectively.
