Community sport and recreation organizations’ inclusion of low-income families in sport and recreation in New Brunswick

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fee assistance programmes (FAPs) used by community sport and recreation organizations (CSROs) are a popular means of addressing the financial barriers low-income families face. However, there is a dearth of literature that speaks to the other ways CSROs support the inclusion of low-income families. The purpose of this study is to use Ponic and Frisby’s organizational dimension of inclusion which was published in 2010, as a conceptual framework to examine how CSROs support the inclusion of low-income families in sport and recreation. Through data analysis, three main themes were constructed to illuminate how CSROs facilitated inclusion to support sport and recreation participation for low-income families: 1) CSROs’ financial access provisions; 2) supplying equipment; and 3) relationship building. Our findings indicated that New Brunswick CSROs facilitate inclusion through supports beyond FAPs, but these practices continue to have a narrow focus on financial limitations.