Although the importance of sports to integration and immigrant inclusion is widely recognized, there is only a little amount of studied information on the mechanisms and pain points of integration through sports.
OFFSIDE -project addresses this knowledge gap by researching the forms of inclusion and exclusion faced by young people with immigrant backgrounds in football and the social and societal impact of sport hobbies.
The project interviews young people with immigration backgrounds who play football either in a club or on their own free time and observes their involvement in their football hobby. In addition, the project surveys the views of junior football coaches using an online survey.
Exploring the barriers and opportunities encountered in social environments in sports generates much-needed information on the causes of exclusion from physical activity and will help develop more effective approaches to increase youth mobility.