Social capital and sport events: spectator attitudinal change and the Homeless World Cup

Increasingly, the staging of sport events promoting a social cause has become commonplace. This study collects data from spectators at two consecutive Homeless World Cups (Melbourne 2008 and Milan 2009) - an event that seeks to raise awareness of the global issue of homelessness. This paper aims to advance the understanding of specific attitude changes in spectators and to identify how these can be activated towards behaviours to produce enduring social impacts for events. The role of social capital in attitudinal change is emphasized, specifically bridging capital that signifies the creation of relationships between disparate individuals. Quantitative analysis provides insight into spectator demographics and attendance patterns, and contributes to the understanding of spectator attitudes towards homelessness. Patterns and trends suggest demographic and attendance variables align with differing forms of attitudinal change, and further suggest a hierarchy of effects may be relevant to the findings and provide a valuable contribution to future research.