Denmark (coordinator)
The Centre for Sport, Health and Civil Society / Professor Bjarne Ibsen and assistant professor Karsten Elmose-Østerlund.
The Centre for Sport, Health and Civil Society will be responsible for this project. The research centre is engaged in research on ‘physical movements’ (sport, play and other kinds of movement) and ‘social movements’ (voluntary associations and voluntary work) with special focus on sports clubs and volunteering in sport.
Recently, the centre has undertaken large survey studies on volunteering in sports clubs in Denmark and the development and challenges of civil society organisations and volunteering generally, but it has also studied social integration and social capital among members of sports clubs more specifically and sports participation in deprived residential areas and among vulnerable groups. Through the evaluation of numerous sport development projects in Denmark, the centre also has a vast experience in developing proposals for evidence-based policies, sports activities and management practices.
The centre publishes articles in international scientific journals, but it also produces reports and hosts conferences that provide sports professionals and volunteers as well as politicians and stakeholders within local governments with research based knowledge relevant to their day to day operation.
Germany
Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management; German Sport University / Professor Christoph Breuer.
The German Sport University has a total of approximately 5,500 students and 800 employees divided over two faculties. The Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management belongs to the Faculty of Social Sciences of Sport and will be responsible for this project. It is engaged in research on (1) sport organisations, their capacities and effects, (2) the value of sport and (3) the economics of sport sponsoring. The institute has undertaken large panel studies on the development and challenges of sports clubs in Germany (“Sport Development Report”), and with academic partners it has also studied sports clubs from an intercultural perspective (comparisons between Flanders, Switzerland, England, Australia and Germany).
Recently, the institute has been among four research groups who were selected out of 48 applications for the UEFA research grant program 2014/15. Here, the Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management will be solely responsible for a comparative study on "Organisational capacity of European football clubs" in which six European countries are involved. The institute publishes regularly articles on sports clubs in international scientific journals, but it also produces reports and further education training for sports professionals and volunteers as well as politicians and stakeholders within local governments with research based knowledge relevant to their day to day operation.
The Netherlands
Mulier Institute / Researcher Harold van der Werff.
The Mulier Institute is a Dutch based non-profit research institute that has been specializing in research into ‘sport & society’ for over 12 years. Major themes are sports policies, sports participation, sports organisations (sports clubs, sports federations and other umbrella organisations), school & sports, sports events and sports accommodations. The institute has a capacity of 20 full time employees, mostly social scientists and is located in Utrecht. It works closely together with (applied) universities, statistical offices, governments and sports organisations in the Netherlands as well as in the rest of Europe.
The Mulier Institute publishes research reports, factsheets and articles in scientific and non-scientific magazines. It also hosts international conferences like the annual conference of the International Sport Sociological Association (ISSA) in 2009 and the annual conference of the European Association for Sociology of Sport (EASS) in 2014. In addition, the Mulier Institute frequently organizes (local) thematic meetings for policy makers, researchers and students. Furthermore, in 2010 it was one of the initiators of the Measure network – an expert group dedicated to researching and understanding differences in sports participation.
England
Sheffield University Management School; University of Sheffield / Professor Geoff Nichols.
The University of Sheffield is a research university located in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, and it is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It has more than 17,000 undergraduate and around 7,000 postgraduate students. The Sheffield University Management School is a dynamic, research-led multidisciplinary learning environment. It is a leading business school with a world-class reputation for high quality teaching, ground-breaking research and cutting-edge thinking. The business school seek to inform the practice of management and to make a difference to the community – locally and internationally.
The Sheffield University Management School employs over 80 academic staff. Members of staff engage in socially responsible research, publish high quality research and actively engage non-academic users of our research in order to make a positive difference to organisations and society. The main area of research for the business school focus on the promotion of socially-responsible work practices. This includes voluntary work in sports clubs and in connection with sports events.
Spain
Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology; University of Valencia / Associate professor Ramon Llopis Goig.
Since its foundation in 1499 as ‘Estudi General de València’, the University of Valencia has developed into one of the largest universities in Spain. Initially dedicated to the study of Medicine, Humanities, Theology and Law, it has become a modern European university covering a large range of disciplines, open to almost every branch of teaching, research and culture. Over 45,000 students are taught by 3,535 professors and lecturers, who are integrated into 92 departments and 16 research institutes of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Health and Education Sciences, based on three different campuses in and around Valencia.
The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology is integrated in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Valencia. It is composed of a researchers and professors team, training research staff and administrative staff, and it teaches in 17 degrees and in 15 masters. The department also manages several Master’s Degrees and it offers doctoral studies. The staff of the department participates in different research lines in the field of society analysis and its more significant phenomena, developing at the same time a wide range of activities on knowledge transferring.
Poland
Department of Organisation and History of Sport; Josef Pilsudski University of Physical Education / Professor Monika Piatkowska.
The Josef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw is the biggest academy in the field of physical culture in Poland. It educates teachers of physical education, coaches and specialists in the field of rehabilitation, recreation and tourism. It is also a centre of scientific research and a sports centre. The university is divided in three faculties.
The Department of Organisation and History of Sport is located in the Chair of Social Sciences at the Faculty of Physical Education. It has been engaged in some European projects connected with social sciences in sport (i.a. Aligning a European Higher Education in Sport Science, Study on Training of young Sportsmen/women in Europe). Among the interests of the Department there are also issues concerning sports management and marketing. Recently (2010-2013), the Department has undertaken large survey studies on Ambush marketing at major sports events based on the 2012 UEFA European Championship.
Hungary
Department of Sporteconomics and Management; University of Debrecen / Assistant professor Szilvia Perényi.
The University of Debrecen has more than 32,000 students and 1,500 lecturers located in 15 faculties. It endeavours to live up to the elite university status and to provide high quality education for those choosing the university. The goal is to train professionals possessing all necessary skills and knowledge to enter the regional, national and international labour market with a competitive degree. The university is one of the largest institutions of higher education in Hungary, offering the widest scale of educational programmes in the country. Five disciplines have been selected as priority areas of basic research. Altogether 12 academic research groups, 25 doctoral schools and 7 innovative research teams are working in the five areas at the university. The university cooperates with dozens of universities and research institutions all over the world.
The Department of Sporteconomics and Management, as one of the newest innovations of the Faculty of Economy Sciences, offers a BSc. degree in sportmanagement since 2011. The main research interest are in sports participation, leadership in sports, dual carrier in sports, sport policy, sports clubs, social inclusion in sports, volunteering in sports, but also other economy and management aspects of sports such as funding and facility management in sports. The university has developed a strategic partnership in sports with the city of Debrecen and local sports clubs. The university is, furthermore, partner in the newest sport facility development programs in the city.
Belgium
Department of Kinesiology; KU Leuven / Professor Jeroen Scheerder.
KU Leuven is a research-intensive university in the European Research Area that strives to carry out high-quality research and thus to take its place among the best universities in Europe. It has more than 40,000 students and 10,000 employees. Research at KU Leuven is the indispensable basis for education and societal outreach. A crucial consequence of this is the presence of a very wide variety of scientific disciplines. It is this comprehensive and multidisciplinary foundation that forms the criteria and impetus for excellence. KU Leuven's research policy covers a broad spectrum, from non-applied, fundamental research to focalised societal outreach. KU Leuven plays a key role in strengthening these and other innovation chains.
The Department of Kinesiology is located at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Services. The department consists of five research groups with a different focus, but each contributing to the optimisation of health, well-being and quality of life in society through physical activity, and to performance improvement in a wide range of physical activities and sports.
Research in sports and physical activity is at the heart of the research group participating in this project. The research group studies policy interventions in sport and physical activity from a local to a global level. A model of interactions between citizens, public authorities and markets is the conceptual framework for different applied research projects. Concepts, theories and both quantitative and qualitative methods are based on input from political and social sciences, economics, management and marketing, history and law.
The research group aims to realize an impact by publications and by direct contact with policy levels in sport and physical activity.
Norway
Department of Cultural and Social Studies; Norwegian School of Sport Sciences / Professor Ørnulf Seippel.
The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences is a specialised university with a national responsibility for research and higher education on sports sciences. It has about 220 employees and 1,600 students. The institutional strategy states that the university shall be a leading institution internationally within education and research on sports and physical activity. All educational programmes shall include an international element, and the university shall conduct research of high international quality. The action plan for internationalisation 2012-2015 states that internationalisation shall contribute to enhanced quality and renewal of the educational programmes. Internationalisation shall be an integrated part of the activities of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
The Department of Cultural and Social Studies has been involved in research and education on sports organisations for several decades. The department has for example been involved in ”the sport club study” which investigated a large and representative sample of Norwegian sports clubs and their members. These studies addressed both organisational matters, such as structure, activity, voluntarism, professionalisation, economy and facilities, and individual characteristics, such as activity, social integration, social capital, relations between coaches and athletes, recruitment and drop out.
Germany
Leadership Academy of the German Olympic Sports Confederation / Director Veronika Rücker.
Within the German sport system the DOSB Leadership Academy functions as the central training provider and consultant of voluntary sport. As part of the sports system, the Leadership Academy is closely associated with all structures and networks of German sport and has developed three main areas of expertise: The FA (1) trains committed volunteers and employees from sport federations and sport clubs on current management skills and other specialist topics (2) advises the member organisations in their organisational development and promotes the exchange of good practices, successful approaches and projects in the areas of sports development and sports management (3) enhances relevant issues of sports development to the needs of its stakeholders and promotes them to the sports organisations
Switzerland (Associated partner)
Institute of Sport Science; University of Bern / Professor Siegfried Nagel.
The University of Bern has a total of approximately 17,000 students and nearly 4,000 employees divided over eight faculties. The Institute of Sport Science is located at the Faculty of Humanities, along with the Institutes of Education and Psychology. The institute with its nearly 60 employees and about 800 students is organized into four research units and offer a Bachelor and a Master programme in sport science. The section III (head: Prof. Dr. S. Nagel) with the research focus on sociology of sport and sports management will be responsible for the participation in this project. It is engaged in research on sports participation (social inclusion; social and cultural factors) and sports organisation research (voluntary associations and voluntary work) with special focus on sports clubs and voluntarism in sport.
Recently, the research unit has undertaken large survey studies on the development and challenges of sport organisations and volunteering generally, but it has also studied social integration and social inclusion among members of sports clubs more specifically. The centre publishes articles in international scientific journals, but it also produces reports and hosts workshops and conferences that provide sports professionals and volunteers as well as politicians and stakeholders within local governments with research based knowledge relevant to their day to day operation.