SWOT analysis on the potential growth of Football 5-a-side programme across the United States: an exploratory case study approach for athletes with visual impairment

Abstract

Football 5-a-side is a Paralympic sport played among athletes with visual impairment. Although the sport has been featured in the Paralympics since 2004, it is still at its infant stage with only 52 countries having a national team. With the forthcoming 2028 Paralympics scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, California, one concern that the United States has is the absence of a football 5-a-side national team in the country. Thus, this study aims to find the solutions and examines the potential growth of the sport in the United States. Experts from different organizations were recruited to brainstorm the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of fostering the sport from its grassroot level, and further, establish the football 5-a-side national team in the United States. This paper contributes both practical and theoretical aspects in sport development with the transparency of ideas offered by professionals in various fields.