The structural anchoring of integration measures in Swiss football clubs

Author(s) : Matthias Buser, Siegfried Nagel

Source : https://doi.org/10.36950/2023.2ciss049

Abstract:

“Sports clubs are considered as offering integration for people with a migration background (PMB), for example, by building social contacts or a sense of belonging. Conversely, PMB are also important to sports clubs, as demographic changes means their inclusion as new members is increasingly seen as necessary. Nevertheless, PMB are clearly underrepresented in many sports, while high PMB participation in sports such as football can be a segregated participation form. Causes for this are often located at the level of the individual, where, for example, cultural differences are highlighted. However, studies have also analysed how clubs can succeed in initiating opening processes and implementing integrative programmes (e.g. Borggrefe & Cachay, 2021). It is notable that primarily individual, committed club actors deal with integration in clubs, and that there can also be scepticism and resistance from other members. Integration is rarely anchored in structures of the clubs (e.g. specific goals towards integration). This paper considers the ways integration measures in Swiss football clubs are embedded in club structures. For this purpose, we draw on case studies using expert interviews in 12 Swiss football clubs that implement integrative measures and can therefore be expected to have a certain structural anchoring.”

Keywords: sport participation, sport behaviour, social determinants, structural factors, diversity management