Offering insightful research from leading experts in the international, governmental and academic communities, this comprehensive collection examines how youth leadership and skills development can be fostered through sports today. In many parts of the world, sport has proven to be a powerful tool to promote education, health, development and peace - this volume focuses on its vital role in the social development and employability of young people.

It considers what sport means for social and economic development and how it can be an innovative method of drawing attention to issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention and the reduction of violence and poverty. The need for ethically grounded sports management and physical education in schools is also highlighted. The many challenges confronting the sector are examined as well, such as women’s empowerment in sport, the social insertion of athletes with disability and the ensuring of a safe environment.

The book identifies what opportunities are available for employment at the local, regional and global levels. Case studies and examples from Europe, the United States, East Africa, Latin America and Asia are presented, revealing how the sports sector often acts as a vehicle between local and global markets.

Finally, the ILO’s Youth Sport Program methodology is explained to illustrate how sport can develop soft and core employability skills in a bottom up approach. This is a concrete step toward officially recognizing the importance of sports values and skills, and how they may benefit youth in a global labour environment.