Flüchtlinge als neue Zielgruppe des organisierten Sports. Eine Pilot-Studie zur Entwicklung von Integrationsprojekten für Geflüchtete in Sportvereinen

Investigating Grassroots Sports’ Engagement for Refugees: Evidence From Voluntary Sports Clubs in Germany

“…The concept of organizational capacity highlights the relevance of external constraints and facilitators such as, for example, competition, the demographic composition of the population, characteristics of the community the club is based in, and the legal and regulatory framework (Hall et al, 2003). Integrative efforts toward refugees were found to function as a powerful tool for a club's public reputation and standing in the community (Seiberth et al, 2018). Consequently, integrative efforts may serve as a competitive advantage in the battle for public (financial) support, and-in areas with a problematic demographic development in their community-for a new target group (Seiberth et al, 2018).…”

“…The pilot study of Seiberth, Thiel, and Hanke (2018) demonstrated that the integration of refugees into the social system of voluntary sports clubs in Germany is a three-step process. First, the topic “integration of refugees” is introduced on the club’s agenda by internal and external impetus ( initial phase ).…”

“…Rulofs, Feiler, Rossi, Hartmann-Tews, and Breuer (2019) argue that a VSC’s degree of professionalization—represented by a service-oriented logic—might generally contribute to a higher awareness of societal issues. The studies of Michelini et al (2018) and Seiberth et al (2018) suggest that the institutional logic traditional/conviviality is in contrast to pursuing the goal of integrating refugees due to a low ambition to change well-established patterns of the organizational activities and/or the membership structures. The relationship between a competitive/performance-oriented institutional logic and the likelihood of successful integration of refugees remains unclear.…”

“…Integrative efforts toward refugees were found to function as a powerful tool for a club’s public reputation and standing in the community (Seiberth et al, 2018). Consequently, integrative efforts may serve as a competitive advantage in the battle for public (financial) support, and—in areas with a problematic demographic development in their community—for a new target group (Seiberth et al, 2018). Other relevant community characteristics in the context of refugee integration might include community size and location.…”

“…Accordingly, there are fewer refugees in the Eastern area states of Germany. Seiberth et al (2018) report that football is of particular interest for men with a migration background. Consequently, football might function as a pull factor for engagement in the area of refugee integration.…”