Mapping provision and evaluation practices in local community health and wellbeing programmes delivered by professional sports clubs in the United Kingdom: A practice-based targeted review

Professional sports clubs (PSCs) are potentially effective settings for health promotion, however, their role within policy is unclear. Potential reasons include lack of awareness about existing provision of health and wellbeing (H&W) programmes delivered, and adequacy of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices. This review aimed to: (i) map the provision of H&W programmes delivered by PSCs in the United Kingdom (UK); and (ii) explore current M&E practices of PSCs and consider the policy implications of this. To conduct this practice-based targeted review, websites from eight professional sport leagues were hand-searched for programmes and impact reports, amounting to the inclusion 116 PSCs. Suitable programmes were quantified, whilst impact reports were analysed via inductive documentary content analysis. Results identified 127 H&W programmes that met our inclusive criteria. A total of 36 impact reports were retrieved, presenting engagement figures and anecdotal case studies as the most common evaluation methods. Additionally, 43 H&W impact statements were identified within the impact reports, but only 14 were aligned to specific H&W outcomes. None were supported by measurement-tool-driven data, and reporting of data collection timeframes and participant numbers were also rare. Findings illuminate the provision of H&W programmes delivered by UK-based PSCs and their health promotion priorities. However, the H&W aims of programmes are typically vague, measurement tools are rarely used, and evaluations are usually anecdotal which may limit the potential uptake of these programmes and PSCs generally in relevant public health policy. Further research is thus needed on the challenges faced when seeking to monitor and evaluate programmes effectively and to build a stronger evidence base for the use of PSCs as vehicles of health promotion.