A Culture of Trust: Engaging Muslim Women in Community Sport Organizations

This article examines the impetus for, and process of, engaging Muslim women in community sport. The research focuses on how and why a community sport organization, located in a large Australian city, embraced cultural change and developed a more inclusive community sport environment through social capital facilitation. The operation of the three types of social capital (bonding, bridging and linking) is considered alongside social capital attributes (networks, trust, reciprocity, volunteering and community building). The theoretical framework employed is derived from Lin’s framework of social capital. The research findings are analysed through an examination of the stages of investment, development, mobilization and reproduction of social capital. This research illustrates the potential for the development of trust, cooperation and community networks, leading to cultural awareness, and changes to the cultural profile and practices of community sport organizations.