This brochure gathers good practice examples on the inclusion and integration in and through different sports. It is based on research in eight EU member states, including Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary and United Kingdom. The 28-page guide has been composed and written by the SPIN partner, a German organisation specialized on action-oriented research on sport and youth. The country studies were conducted by the national SPIN project partners.
The guide presents examples of corporal strategies for inclusion on the national and the regional run by national sport governing bodies or public bodies such as ministries for sport and youth. Chapter 5 lists examples of sport clubs which themselves take the initiative to open up their clubs to migrants and other under-represented groups. In addition to anti-racism measures, there is a particular focus on tackling institutional discrimination on different levels of the club.
Focus on migrant sport clubs and girls/women
Chapter 6 deals with the issue of how qualification and continuing education in sport can be linked to inclusion processes. In public discourse migrant sport clubs are still mainly seen as evidence of the existence of a ‘parallel society’. In contrast, the guide presents a variety of cases illustrating the integrative potential of migrant sport clubs.
A key chapter discusses the specific situation of migrant girls and women in sport. It is concluded that sport activities can only realise their full integrative potential when they function in a gender-oriented manner.
Quality criteria for evaluating inclusion in sport programmes
The guide seeks to promote new ideas on how inclusion work in sport can look like and to facilitate exchange. In conclusion, indicators and quality criteria are presented resulting from the exchanges of the practical experience of the EU project, which could serve as a guideline for the assessment of the potential of inclusion of various sport offers, projects and programmes in the future.
First phase of SPIN-Project completed
The under-representation of migrants and their exclusion from positions of authority and the lack of advancement of minorities in non-playing positions is an open secret in European sports. The Sport Inclusion Network (SPIN) project is designed to promote the inclusion and involvement of ethnic minorities, migrants and other third country nationals (including refugees) in and through mainstream sport across Europe.
The first phase of the SPIN project brought together a mix of experienced national key players in the field of countering exclusion and discrimination in sport, including the FARE founding organisation FairPlay-VIDC, the Italian sport for all association UISP, the Football Association of Ireland, the Portuguese Professional Players Union, the migrant-led Mahatma Gandhi Human Rights Organization from Hungary, the multicultural Finnish sport initiative Liikkukaa, as well as Camino from Germany.
The first phase of the project lasted from March to April 2012 as was funded by the Sport Unit of the European Commission as part of the preparatory measures in the field of sport. The SPIN partners are currently in a process of planning a follow-up.
Brochure order and download
A copy of the print version of the SPIN Guide to Good Practice brochure can be order free of charge via FairPlay-VIDC (contact: Manuela Engleiterner, engleitner[at]vidc.org , Tel. ++43 1 71335 94 – 27).
The electronic version (pdf) of the guide can be downloaded below.