Edinburgh Napier University

  Sport for Development (SFD) offers a promising vehicle for intervention in the battle against the global mental health crisis. Sport on its own is not enough to support positive mental health and requires additional structuring to achieve such aims. One established ‘plus’ element to SFD is the concept of safe spaces, yet there has been limited robust exploration into the key aspects of safe spaces and their implementation. This study aimed to build consensus on key aspects of safe space facilitation through the use of the Delphi method. Coaches (n = 26) from varied SFD programs around the world (n = 12) were remotely and anonymously surveyed through initial open-ended questions. This was followed by three rounds of collaborative refinement of statements to build consensus. In total consensus was reached on 75 statements relating to the characteristics of safe spaces within SFD targeting mental health. These consensus statements have pragmatic implications for the implementation of safe spaces within SFD, while providing the starting point for further research and the development of targeted evaluation tools. Crucially the findings also highlight the complexity of safe spaces, and the degree of intentional planning, preparation, and effort they require within a SFD context.