in: Sport: Transnationale Perspektiven in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Herzog Markwart,Lämmer Manfred, Editor, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft Mbh & Co Kg, Karlsruhe, pp.347-366, 2024
Both in France and Germany, sport, and in particular football, have a long
tradition in offering migrants an opportunity to socialize in their new host society. The
massive migration flows since 2015 have highlighted again how football can contribute
to welcoming and including refugees. The article brings together two independently
conducted, but very complementary studies carried out over recent years. The first
one, based on ethnographic field work in France and Germany, focuses on structural differences between the grassroots football volunteers on the field and their respective
positioning within relationships of interdependence with other actors. The second one
presents the results of a survey among football volunteers administered towards the end
of a transnational project. While the objectives of football volunteers and the impact of
their activities show a high level of similarity, the studies also reveal major differences.