抄録
Discourses on town development and regional revitalization through sports, including community sports clubs, are expressed in various ways, which makes cases difficult to evaluate and comparatively analyze. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize sports town development to enable discussions based on a common understanding of sports town development. For this purpose, as a first step, in preparation for forming an original recognition of “sports town development”, town development modified diversely by sports was morphologically organized (Issue 1), and various theories on general town development, which is the base term of ‹sports town development›, were reviewed to examine the concept of town development (Issue 2). The second stage consists of the formation of the original recognition and the naming concept. Discourses related to sports town development were reviewed to organize its understanding (Issue 3). Then, integrating the concept of town development examined in the first stage, an original recognition of “sports town development” and a naming concept of ‹sports town development› were formed (Issue 4). As a result, town development is perceived as “a multilayered social network movement that constructs autonomous and creative regional spheres”, and the original recognition of “sports town development” is understood as a movement to create value co-creation and a civic public sphere around sports and regions, established through overlapping social networks around sports, intersecting gazes, and reciprocal relationships, which is purposefully and intentionally practiced to achieve certain objectives. The conceptual elements indispensable for this original recognition comprise a multilayered social network composed within the context of regional life and reciprocal norms, civic and autonomous value cocreation by multiple stakeholders around sports and regions, and purposeful and sustainable practice. These elements encompass the naming concept of ‹sports town development›, that is, the definition became “a purposeful and sustainable practice of value co-creation around sports and regions by multiple stakeholders belonging to a multilayered social network equipped with regional context and reciprocal norms”.
