Martha Barnes, PhD

Associate Professor, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Martha Barnes

Office: STH 340
905 688 5550 x5011
mbarnes@brocku.ca

Dr. Martha Barnes’ research focuses on understanding interorganizational relationships in community recreation. Barnes explores the way in which collaborations facilitate and/or hinder service delivery at the community level. Projects, including a Sport Canada SSHRC grant, have used social network theory and analysis to study community recreation, sport, parks, and health networks. The impact of this work has led to greater understanding by community organizations on the value of collaborations and the identification of strategies aimed at strengthening relationships. Dissemination of scholarly activity occurs in a wide variety of academic and community outlets.

Research Interests

  • Social network analysis of community recreation and sport.
  • Neighbourhood park network development
  • Planning in community recreation

Publications

Barnes, M. (2022). Mapping collaboration ties and structure in a multi-sectoral sport and recreation charity. The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society, 2 (2) 65-78. doi:10.18848/2156-

Barnes, M., Gatti, E., & Rich, K. (2021). Assessing the relevance of parks in a multi-sectoral park-health programme. Managing Sport and Leisure, DOI: 10.1080/23750472.2021.1932563.

Pollock, H., & Barnes, M. (2021) Exploring sense of community in Canadian Military Communities: The role of recreation. International Journal of Sport Management, 22, 133-149.

Mull, R., Forrester, S., & Barnes, M. (2020). Recreational Sports Management: Foundation and Applications (6th ed). Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

Barnes, M., & Cousens, L. (2019). The development of community sport councils: Establishing legitimacy within the competitive field of community sport. International Journal of Sport Management, 20, 1-24.

Barnes, M. (2018). Understanding the role that students can play in the expansion of a neighbourhood park. Schole: A Journal of Leisure Studies & Recreation Education, 33(2), 103-110.

Barnes, M., Cousens, L., & MacLean, J. (2018). Trust and collaborative ties in a community sport network. Managing Sport and Leisure, 22(4), 310-324.

Brooks, D.J., Barnes, M., & Stevens, J. (2017). What happens at the national level stays at the national level: A case study of community curling. International Journal of Sport Management, 18, 1-24.

Barnes, M., Lauckner, H., & Hutchinson, S. (2017). Linking recreation and health with people living with chronic conditions. World Leisure Journal, 59(1), 6-20.

Barnes, M., Cousens, L., & MacLean, J. (2015). Pay to Play? Pressures for Commercialization in the Organizational Field of Community Basketball Providers. International Journal of Sport Management, 16(3), 455-473.

Leone, M., Barnes, M., & Sharpe, E. (2015). What Gets Plans off the Shelf? A Case Study of Municipal Recreation Plan Implementation. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 33(4), 51-68.

Phillips, C., & Barnes, M. (2015). Whose legacy is it, anyway? A tale of conflicting agendas in the building of the Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium” special issue on Sporting and Cultural Events: Contested Legacies, Annals of Leisure Research, 18(4), 549-568.

Barnes, M., Forrester, S., & Leone, M. (2013). A City Looks to its Past to Discover its Future: A Retrospective Case Study Examining the Effects of an Artificial White-Water River Development 25 years Later. Managing Leisure, 18(1), 16-30.

Cousens, L., Barnes, M., & MacLean, J. (2012). Community Sport Collaboration: A Sport Participation Driver. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing (IJSMM), Vol.12 (3/4), 198-216.

Teaching

  • Introduction to Recreation and Leisure Studies
  • Introduction to Research Methods
  • Financing Community Recreation Services-
  • Planning in Community Recreation