Gamechanger: harnessing football for social change

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a case study of an intersectoral partnership that has taken place in Scotland (United Kingdom) entitled Gamechanger. The main idea of Gamechanger was for statutory, commercial and voluntary organisations to work in partnership to harness the power of football (soccer), to tackle health inequalities and social exclusion. The paper will detail how Gamechanger has been developed, with reference to the newly developed “Incite” model for effective intersectoral partnership working.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on the authors’ experiences of leading and evaluating intersectoral partnerships from 2015 to 2019. The report draws on the work which took place during that period, and the achievements in relation to Gamechanger.FindingsGamechanger has led to significant innovations. It has encouraged sectors to work together, and develop new ways of responding to difficult societal problems.Originality/valueGamechanger is believed to be the first initiative of its kind developed with a football club in Scotland.ConclusionsThis work has been developed through robust community-informed efforts. The scope and scale of the projects to deliver community benefits is significant. Gamechanger has provided a means for football to take a different approach to how it works to benefit communities.