Football Fitness - for the sake of one’s health? The perspectives of female players

Lone Friis Thing; Maria Gliemann Hybholt; Andorra Lynn Jensen; Laila Ottesen

doi:10.1080/2159676X.2019.1595106

Football Fitness - for the sake of one’s health? The perspectives of female players

Lone Friis Thing, Maria Gliemann Hybholt, Andorra Lynn Jensen, Laila Ottesen

Sport, Individual & Society

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The aim of the article is to understand the potential of football in health
initiatives for women – a topic relatively underrepresented in research.
Specifically, this article examines the case of ‘Football Fitness’, a new ‘sport for all’ programme carried out in associative sport clubs in Denmark. The article is based on six focus group interviews with white, middle-class female participants (N = 32, aged 27–56). The study shows that while health may have been the motivation for the women to join the programme, they emphasize the joy of playing football and the fellowship in the club as crucial for their participation. This programme has succeeded in making football more accessible and inclusive by reducing the focus on competencies and competition and changing the organisation to make it more flexible. The playful quest for excitement and social aspects of sport may hold great potential and be worth considering when developing health programmes in a democratic way.

Original language	English
Journal	Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health
ISSN	2159-676X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1595106
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2020

Keywords

Faculty of Science
Football fitness
Women
Health
Football
Quest for exitement

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Cite this

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title = "Football Fitness - for the sake of one{\textquoteright}s health? The perspectives of female players",

abstract = "The aim of the article is to understand the potential of football in healthinitiatives for women – a topic relatively underrepresented in research.Specifically, this article examines the case of {\textquoteleft}Football Fitness{\textquoteright}, a new {\textquoteleft}sport for all{\textquoteright} programme carried out in associative sport clubs in Denmark. The article is based on six focus group interviews with white, middle-class female participants (N = 32, aged 27–56). The study shows that while health may have been the motivation for the women to join the programme, they emphasize the joy of playing football and the fellowship in the club as crucial for their participation. This programme has succeeded in making football more accessible and inclusive by reducing the focus on competencies and competition and changing the organisation to make it more flexible. The playful quest for excitement and social aspects of sport may hold great potential and be worth considering when developing health programmes in a democratic way.",

keywords = "Faculty of Science, Football fitness, Women, Health, Football, Quest for exitement",

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language = "English",

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AU - Thing, Lone Friis

AU - Hybholt, Maria Gliemann

AU - Jensen, Andorra Lynn

AU - Ottesen, Laila

N1 - CURIS 2019 NEXS 104

PY - 2020/1/1

Y1 - 2020/1/1

N2 - The aim of the article is to understand the potential of football in healthinitiatives for women – a topic relatively underrepresented in research.Specifically, this article examines the case of ‘Football Fitness’, a new ‘sport for all’ programme carried out in associative sport clubs in Denmark. The article is based on six focus group interviews with white, middle-class female participants (N = 32, aged 27–56). The study shows that while health may have been the motivation for the women to join the programme, they emphasize the joy of playing football and the fellowship in the club as crucial for their participation. This programme has succeeded in making football more accessible and inclusive by reducing the focus on competencies and competition and changing the organisation to make it more flexible. The playful quest for excitement and social aspects of sport may hold great potential and be worth considering when developing health programmes in a democratic way.

AB - The aim of the article is to understand the potential of football in healthinitiatives for women – a topic relatively underrepresented in research.Specifically, this article examines the case of ‘Football Fitness’, a new ‘sport for all’ programme carried out in associative sport clubs in Denmark. The article is based on six focus group interviews with white, middle-class female participants (N = 32, aged 27–56). The study shows that while health may have been the motivation for the women to join the programme, they emphasize the joy of playing football and the fellowship in the club as crucial for their participation. This programme has succeeded in making football more accessible and inclusive by reducing the focus on competencies and competition and changing the organisation to make it more flexible. The playful quest for excitement and social aspects of sport may hold great potential and be worth considering when developing health programmes in a democratic way.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Football fitness

KW - Women

KW - Health

KW - Football

KW - Quest for exitement

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DO - 10.1080/2159676X.2019.1595106

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JF - Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health

ER -

Football Fitness - for the sake of one’s health? The perspectives of female players

Abstract

Keywords

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