Work

Initiating extremism prevention in German voluntary sports clubs: Conditions for the emergence of club engagement

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Recent political developments in Germany suggest that organised sport has increasingly become a site of political contestation. This shift highlights that right-wing extremism poses a direct threat to democratic sporting structures, which possess no inherent immunity to ideological infiltration. Although sport federations have implemented various prevention programmes to address these challenges, the specific conditions under which voluntary sports clubs choose to actively engage in such efforts remain insufficiently understood. This article addresses this gap by examining the question: Under what conditions do voluntary sports clubs engage in extremism prevention? Drawing on Luhmann's systems theory as an analytical framework, the study is based on an exploratory, in-depth qualitative analysis of nine clubs demonstrating a strong commitment to extremism prevention. The findings identify two types of conditions in voluntary sports clubs: (1) those outside their boundaries (external events and financial opportunities) and (2) those within their boundaries (internal events and members’ initiatives). The specific constellations of these conditions that enable voluntary sports clubs’ engagement are examined and used to formulate recommendations for supporting the initiation of extremism prevention.

Source: International Review for the Sociology of Sport

DOI: 10.1177/10126902261486918

Authors: Enrico Michelini, Tobias Schleifer, Felix Kühnle, Klaus Seiberth

Institutions: Osnabrück University, Technische Universität Darmstadt, University of Stuttgart

Language: English

Topic: Physical Education and Sports Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650