Sports as social innovation for social inclusion

Sport for Social Change (S4SC) organizations are an increasingly effective vehicle toward addressing the 17 essential elements of social inclusion outlined in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This chapter explores the role of social inclusion within the S4SC Football United Australia program. The program is a complex health promotion initiative that uses football for good mechanisms to promote social cohesion, racial harmony, and community engagement among culturally and linguistically diverse youth in Greater Western Sydney, Australia. The authors employ a critical realist approach and frame the program within the Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) framework. This is an applicable framework to illustrate that social inclusion is not just the inherent good or outcome of S4SC activity, but an integral component which frames all three key components of program development and delivery - the context, mechanisms, and outcomes of the program. We encourage application of the CMO in future program design, implementation, and future research in S4SC programs and to explore the value of social inclusion programs more broadly.