Sports Clubs in Various European Countries

The strong position of sports clubs in Germany may only be explained by the special historical development of sports and its organisations throughout the last 200 years. Based on different historical roots other countries developed their own tradition and culture of sports and with them a different position of the sports clubs. In the book presented experts give a survey of the history and present situation of the sports clubs in 11 European countries: Finland, Norway, Denmark, England, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain. The analysis does not only focus on the clubs, their special features and problems but also includes essential information regarding the historical development, forms of integration into society, the relation between sport and politics and the diverse function of sports and its clubs.