Zusammenfassung

There is only a limited knowledge on the political conditions for and structural characteristics of sports clubs that promote social inclusion and volunteering in sport. Most of the existing knowledge is, furthermore, context-specific tied to individual Member States within the EU. There is, therefore, a distinct lack of knowledge on social inclusion and volunteering that is comparable across European countries and takes into account both the influence from national sports policies and differences between sports clubs. The provision of such knowledge is essential in order to provide well-substantiated and precise guidelines for evidence-based sports policies, such as it is an ambition for the EU. This project seeks to provide the required knowledge on social integration and volunteering, convert it into concrete suggestions for action, and disseminate this knowledge to politicians and sports organisations in Europe. This will be done through the implementation of seven work packages that contain 1) the collection of sports policies, 2) the collection of survey data on sports clubs, 3) the collection of survey data on members of sports clubs, 4) analyses of the main results, 5) collection of examples of best practice, 6) quick facts, and 7) a dissemination of the findings aimed at politicians, sports professionals and sports volunteers. The main aim of the project is to create and disseminate knowledge that can be used to promote social inclusion and volunteering in European sports clubs. The ten participating countries represent a large part of the diversity that can be found in Europe with regard to relevant characteristics such as regional context, sports policies, ways of organising sport, levels of sports participation and levels of volunteering.