ABSTRACT

The overrepresentation of independently educated athletes amongst Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics was described as ‘One of the worst statistics in British sport’. Whilst the ensuing debate referred to independent schools en masse, the sector is far from homogenous. Within the UK independent (private) sector, a small subset of schools has educated a significant number of international sportsmen and women. Despite this record of success however, little research exists on young athletes in independent schools. Answering calls to study independent school sport, this paper uses semi-structured interviews with pupils and staff involved in sport in six independent schools in England to explore why some schools consistently produce international athletes. A dual theory framework combining the Eliasian notions of process and figuration, with Bourdieu’s concept of distinction is employed to offer a sociological perspective on the sporting success of the schools studied.

The findings reveal striking differences in institutional attractiveness, coaching, the sporting potential of the pupil intake, and facilities between the least and the most successful schools studied, where a number of intra and inter school practices contribute to an increasingly professionalised sporting environment. In concluding, a novel and more variegated perspective on the under researched and often difficult to access field of independent school sport is offered. The proposition being that through reconciliation of the notions of distinction and status rivalry, we are better able to understand the repeated success of some independent schools in supporting the development of talented young athletes.

摘要

在 2012 年伦敦奥运会上，独立教育运动员在英国队中的比例过高被描述为“英国体育界最糟糕的统计数据之一”。虽然随后的辩论大量提到了独立学校，该行业远非同质化。在英国独立（私立）部门中，一小部分学校培养了大量国际运动员。然而，尽管有这样的成功记录，但很少有关于独立学校年轻运动员的研究。响应研究独立学校体育的呼吁，本文通过对英格兰六所独立学校参与体育运动的学生和教职员工的半结构化访谈来探讨为什么一些学校始终如一地培养国际运动员。将伊利亚斯的过程和形象概念与布迪厄的区别概念相结合的双重理论框架被用来为所研究学校的体育成功提供社会学视角。

调查结果揭示了在机构吸引力、教练、学生入学的体育潜力以及设施方面的显着差异，这些学校的学习成绩最差和最成功，其中一些校内和校际实践有助于日益专业化的体育环境。最后，对研究不足且通常难以进入的独立学校体育领域提供了一种新颖且更加多样化的观点。命题是通过调和区分和地位竞争的概念，我们能够更好地理解一些独立学校在支持有才华的年轻运动员发展方面的反复成功。