Sport Offers for Refugees in Germany. Promoting and Hindering Conditions in Voluntary Sport Clubs

Abstract

Abstract:After the long summer of migration, strong social and political movements of solidarity with and resistance against refugees developed in Europe. Expressions of solidarity and resistance were also recognisable in the sport system, especially in voluntary sport clubs (VSCs). As a result of this observation, the following article addresses the question: "Which organisational conditions of VSCs promote or hinder the implementation of sport activities for refugees?" To this aim, the article analyses and discusses the results of three research projects concerning sport offers for refugees in Germany. The interview material (n=49) collected in these projects was examined through the qualitative technique of thematic analysis and interpreted through a systems theoretical framework. The results show that conditions that promote and hinder the implementation of sport offers for refugees were identified in all formal (decision programmes, communication channels, and human resources) and informal (organisation culture) decision premises. Furthermore, the implementation of sport offers for refugees is particularly dependent on human resources within the sport clubs. The data shows that the resolute will of individuals or small groups of people is highly relevant for the implementation of these sport offers. Finally, when it comes to organizing support for refugees, VSCs display an unexpected dynamic and a high capacity to mobilise resources within a short period of time. The discussion reflects these results and articulates strategies to safeguard, foster, and facilitate the social engagement of VSCs in relation to refugees.

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

“…The finding that clubs that follow a performance logic demonstrate relatively high engagement levels for refugees allows the suggestion that they might do so in an attempt to identify potentially talented athletes (McDonald et al, 2019;Spaaij et al, 2014). As assumed by Michelini et al (2018), integrative clubs show higher and conviviality clubs lower engagement levels. The statistical models generally provide support for this study's first hypothesis, which stated that VSCs' engagement in the area of refugee integration is subject to its institutional logic(s).…”

“…It remains to be investigated which institutional logic is the most favorable in this context. An already integration or youth-oriented VSC may demonstrate higher engagement levels concerning integrating refugees because it might have experience with inclusionary efforts toward other marginalized groups of society (Michelini et al, 2018; Vandermeerschen et al, 2017). 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.…”

“…Similar findings were obtained by Waardenburg et al (2018) in the Netherlands where refugees preferred to "make an early start on the long process of integration into Dutch society by joining sport clubs" (p. 15). Recent studies in this context highlight the urgent need for more empirical research that is based on appropriate theoretical foundations, with a focus set on the level where (social) policy implementation intersects with the local community, that is, at sport's grassroots (Michelini et al, 2018;Skille & Stenling, 2018;Suzuki, 2017;Waardenburg et al, 2018). Thus, the purpose of this article is to investigate VSCs' engagement in the area of integrating refugees and centers around the main research question (RQ): RQ: Which organizational and external factors drive a VSC's engagement in the process of integrating refugees?…”

“…For example, the facilities of 3,400 German voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) had been used for the accommodation of refugees between 2014 and 2015 (Breuer, Feiler, & Nowy, 2017). Policy makers at the local, national, and supranational level invest in VSCs to stimulate their assumed function as motors for integration of specific target groups (European Commission, 2018; Federal Government of Germany, 2016; McDonald, Spaaij, & Dukic, 2019; Michelini, Burrmann, Nobis, Tuchel, & Schlesinger, 2018; Waardenburg, 2016). VSCs are characteristically nonprofit and member-based organizations that traditionally form the “grassroots” of mass sport participation in many European and overseas countries, such as Canada and Australia (Feiler, Wicker, & Breuer, 2018; Misener & Misener, 2017; Skille & Stenling, 2018).…”

“…Negative social encounters in grassroots sports clubs such as discrimination or racism (see Kilvington & Price, 2013; Nowy & Breuer, 2019) can affect the experiences of refugees and may reinforce group boundaries that hinder successful integration (Spaaij, 2012). Sports’ capacity to promote the social inclusion of refugees is, therefore, not straightforward and instead conditional and context-dependent (McDonald et al, 2019; Michelini et al, 2018). A simplistic claim that refugees only need to participate in an organized sport to become fully integrated cannot be upheld (Spracklen, Long, & Hylton, 2015).…”