A partnership-based evaluation of a community-based youth sport and physical activity programme

The aim of this paper is to assess the partnership component of a community-based youth sport for development programme, Kids in Shape (KIS), through the application of the partnership management model proposed by Parent and Harvey (2009. "Toward A Management Model For Sport and Physical Activity Community-Based Partnerships," European Sport Management Quarterly 9: 23-45), in order to contribute to knowledge about the conditions needed for positive outcomes in such programmes. A longitudinal case study of KIS and its Local Action Committee (LAC) was built using LAC archival material and partner interviews. Overall, the KIS approach was deemed successful by the partners, with key conditions for positive outcomes including: time; funding availability; proper governance structures and processes; focusing on synergy, momentum, fairness and local ownership; creating policies and procedures; multiple types of communication; understanding of and engagement with the challenges and costs of association; emphasizing access to new resources; a neutral coordinator; and partner-developed evaluations that consider the processes, impacts and outcomes for participants, partners and the overall project.