This book takes a closer look at the societal functions of sports clubs by using the broad range of empirical data of a comparative study. There is a limited amount of up-to-date knowledge on the functions of sports clubs and their potential to promote public health, social cohesion and democratic participation through volunteering and thus contribute to public welfare in European societies. Most of the existing studies are country-specific and therefore do not allow for making comparisons from a cross-national perspective. In light of this, the project 'Social Inclusion and Volunteering in Sports Clubs in Europe' (SIVSCE) collected, analysed and discussed comparable data and knowledge across ten European countries and disseminated this knowledge to politicians, sports professionals and sports volunteers in Europe. The SIVSCE project contains comparative data of clubs as well as of members in selected sports clubs. In each country chapter, the comparative data from the SIVSCE project is put together in a coherent way. Particularly, the data of the member survey give in-depth information about the fulfillment of the different functions of sports clubs (e.g. extension of democratic participation, social integration). Providing in-depth data related to policy issues, structure and management of clubs and individual member surveys, this book will be useful for students particularly those in sports management programmes as well as researchers and practitioners in social science and economics.

In diesem Buch werden die gesellschaftlichen Funktionen von Sportvereinen anhand eines breiten Spektrums an empirischen Daten einer vergleichenden Studie näher beleuchtet. Es gibt nur wenige aktuelle Erkenntnisse über die Funktionen von Sportvereinen und ihr Potenzial, die öffentliche Gesundheit, den sozialen Zusammenhalt und die demokratische Teilhabe durch freiwilliges Engagement zu fördern und damit zum Gemeinwohl in den europäischen Gesellschaften beizutragen. Die meisten der vorhandenen Studien sind länderspezifisch und erlauben daher keine Vergleiche aus einer länderübergreifenden Perspektive. Vor diesem Hintergrund hat das Projekt "Social Inclusion and Volunteering in Sports Clubs in Europe" (SIVSCE) vergleichbare Daten und Erkenntnisse in zehn europäischen Ländern gesammelt, analysiert und diskutiert und dieses Wissen an Politiker, Sportfachleute und Freiwillige im Sport in Europa weitergegeben. Das SIVSCE-Projekt enthält vergleichende Daten von Vereinen sowie von Mitgliedern in ausgewählten Sportvereinen. In jedem Länderkapitel werden die vergleichenden Daten aus dem SIVSCE-Projekt in kohärenter Weise zusammengestellt. Insbesondere die Daten der Mitgliederbefragung geben detailliert Auskunft über die Erfüllung der verschiedenen Funktionen von Sportvereinen (z.B. Erweiterung der demokratischen Teilhabe, soziale Integration). Dieses Buch liefert detaillierte Daten zu politischen Fragen, zur Struktur und zum Management von Vereinen sowie zu individuellen Mitgliederbefragungen und ist damit sowohl für Studierende - insbesondere in Sportmanagement-Studiengängen - als auch für Forscher und Praktiker in den Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften von Nutzen.

This book takes a closer look at the societal functions of sports clubs by using the broad range of empirical data of a comparative study. There is a limited amount of up-to-date knowledge on the functions of sports clubs and their potential to promote public health, social cohesion and democratic participation through volunteering and thus contribute to public welfare in European societies. Most of the existing studies are country-specific and therefore do not allow for making comparisons from a cross-national perspective. In light of this, the project 'Social Inclusion and Volunteering in Sports Clubs in Europe' (SIVSCE) collected, analysed and discussed comparable data and knowledge across ten European countries and disseminated this knowledge to politicians, sports professionals and sports volunteers in Europe. The SIVSCE project contains comparative data of clubs as well as of members in selected sports clubs. In each country chapter, the comparative data from the SIVSCE project is put together in a coherent way. Particularly, the data of the member survey give in-depth information about the fulfillment of the different functions of sports clubs (e.g. extension of democratic participation, social integration). Providing in-depth data related to policy issues, structure and management of clubs and individual member surveys, this book will be useful for students particularly those in sports management programmes as well as researchers and practitioners in social science and economics.