Benefits of participation in sport for people from refugee backgrounds: a study of the South Sudanese community in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Participation in sport provides different forms of capital for all, but particularly for those with refugee backgrounds who are facing settlement issues. Such people are caught in a challenging situation of dealing with settlement issues such as homesickness, cultural shock, lack of a background of social activities and networks, lack of employment, racism and discrimination. As a result of these settlement challenges and other social issues, a large number of young people become disengaged. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore a social benefit of participation in sport for the South Sudanese people from refugee backgrounds who are settling in Melbourne, Australia. For people with social isolation and other social issues, participation in sport can be a tool that assists those young people by providing physical benefits, a social network (thus breaking social isolation) and sometimes a form of income as a result of being noticed as a good player. Participating in sport can thus be a rewarding experience, particularly for young people, in overcoming settlement challenges. This research was conducted through an in-depth interview of 20 participants from the South Sudanese community. Major findings confirmed that social benefits of sport in relation to network, physical capital, psychological capital, cultural capital, economic capital