‘Active integration’: sport clubs taking an active role in the integration of refugees

Abstract

in the integration of refugees these sport clubs rests on the hard work and dedication of volunteers and coaches. This article argues that coaches should take an active role in welcoming new members, introducing these members to different groups, and preventing cliques from forming. Many spaces of social interaction do not have individuals who feel able to arbitrate between social actors. In sport, coaches can help to balance out the power dynamics between existing members and new recruits, including refugees, and this can have a powerful effect on integration and belonging for all members.This article contributes to the small but growing academic literature on refugees and sport, by shifting the focus from project outcomes on an essentialised group (refugees) to the practices of leaders within the programme or club. Developing the social skills of coaches and volunteers benefits all members, regardless of social background. This study is the first that focuses on table tennis with refugees and is based in the UK. It is the first research that addresses the inclusive narrative of sports clubs and how the volunteers and coaches operate effects social inclusion. In so doing it does not focus on results and outcomes but on the process of creating a supportive environment. The article demonstrates the importance of participant observation and qualitative analysis to provide holistic approaches to research. This study also demonstrates the importance of carefully managed approaches for all members of the community, rather than focusing (and essentialising) one particular group (I.e. refugees). Sport can breakdown these imposed identity categories and permits the individual to build a new identity as a table tennis player. After summarising the literature on refugees and sport, and the sport integration policy context, this article presents the methodological and ethical considerations. This is followed by the analysis with three key arguments that: 1) an active approach from coaches facilitates integration of all communities when done in 2) a welcoming environment with 3) a focus on fun and social interaction, rather than just sports skills.

A needs assessment study on refugees’ inclusion through physical education and sport. Are we ready for this challenge?

“…Similarly, participants of the present study reported that sport clubs support the inclusion of refugees, fostering children's communication, satisfaction, and mutual respect through social interaction. These reports are in line with recent studies (Hatzigeorgiadis, Morela, Elbe, Kouli, & Sanchez, 2013;Ito et al, 2010;Doidge et al, 2020;Morela et al, 2020). Finally, the emerging results of the present study highlight that both PE and sports can promote mutual interaction (Rosenberg, Fejgin, & Talmor, 2003;Amara et al, 2005) and have a positive impact on the inclusion of refugees depending on teachers'/coaches' delivery style (Kouli & Papaioannou, 2009;Morela et al, 2020) and training (Columna, Foley, & Lytle, 2010).…”

“…Participants also argued that PE teachers and coaches can adapt games and activities from refugees' backgrounds to facilitate communication and interaction between refugees and native pupils. A similar conclusion stems from previous reports that the sports context provides coaches with the opportunity to easily adapt cross-cultural activities that may facilitate pupils' familiarization and interaction with their teammates (Amara et al, 2005) and create an enjoyable and welcoming environment (Doidge et al, 2020).…”

“…Coaches who create an empowering Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2021, 91, 1-9 4 motivational climate foster children's entertainment and social interaction, effectively promote the inclusion of refugees (Doidge, Keech, & Sandri, 2020), and show empathy and altruism to host populations (Morela, Hatzigeorgiadis, Theodorakis, Goudas, & Elbe, 2020). However, coaches in many countries have reported that they lack the training, strategies, and appropriate teaching materials to effectively promote the inclusion of refugees (Gasparini & Cometti, 2010;Forde, Lee, Mills, & Frisby, 2015).…”

Integration into and through sports? Sport-activities for migrant children and youths

“…In many countries, including Sweden, from where this article retrieves its empirical data, there was an explicit political expectation that civil society should take a leading role in what is now referred to as 'the refugee crisis' (Idestr€ om & Linde, 2019). Community sports clubs were anticipated as important settings for promoting participation and integration (Arnoldsson 2019) and it is a widespread assumption in both research and sports policies that participation in sports leads to integration (Aagergaard, 2018;Coalter, 2010;Doidge et al, 2020).…”

Friends in Sports: Social Networks in Leisure, School and Social Media

“…There are also several studies on what these social relations look like [6,7] and the consequences of the qualities of social relations in sports. Research shows that social relations matter for how sports are experienced (fun and enjoyment) [8], feelings of belonging and integration [9][10][11], social capital [12][13][14][15], health and lifestyle [16,17] and the levels of participation in and dropping out from sports [4,[18][19][20]]. Yet, commenting on the situation of social network studies in general, Small claims that ' .…”