removing bureaucracy and financial barriers for the parents of youth enrolled in sports

Parents explain that the NGO’s workers take care of the entire process surrounding access to sport: “These activities (he refers to the sport activities) need the payment of the sport clubs fee, the fulfilment of subscriptions papers, the transport: the NGO does it all” (Parent 2, Rome). With regard to sport access barriers, social workers describe that sport bureaucracy is a serious impediment, beyond the economical and infrastructural obstacles [...].From the social worker’s perspective, parents’ living conditions of social vulnerability are highly challenged by the economical expenses of sport and the transport barriers. They are especially stressed by the bureaucracy surrounding sport such as the filling out of sport society subscription modules or the booking of doctors’ appointments for their children’s health visits, which are mandatory in Italy for practicing sports. Accordingly, they describe acting as mediators who make the management of this process more accessible and inclusive: “For some families it is not just about financial struggles, there is also a lot of discomfort with completing a form and going to the sport club reception because of language barriers. Thus, our support is definitely essential” (Coordinator, Naples).