Social capital in sports clubs / clubs’ contribution to social inclusion.

This research has synergy with a project examining the contribution of volunteer led sports clubs to social inclusion and volunteering across ten European countries.

More information on this project is available at: http://www.sdu.dk/SIVSCE

The proposed research could use a measure of social capital developed by Australian colleagues to examine the role volunteer led clubs in contributing to social capital. This measure has been applied to leisure centre users. However, social capital is a complex subject and the research will help conceptualise the nature of bonding and bridging capital in clubs [1]. It will also contribute to understanding the role of clubs in reducing social inclusion. A question here is if clubs for minority groups reinforce a broader social exclusion or reduce it by allowing the members to express their distinctive identity. [2].