Speakers
Description
[Introduction]: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of society, including sports. The closure of sports facilities and social distancing measures posed major challenges, especially to grassroots sports clubs, which generally thrive on joint sports activities and social contact between their members. [Objectives]: This study examines how club officials perceived and experienced these challenges, the value they assigned to digital media to overcome the obstacles posed by the pandemic, and how clubs attempted to maintain vital ties with their members. [Methods]: In-depth interviews with 32 board members of German grassroots sports clubs were conducted in spring 2020. [Findings]: Results show that, despite major concerns, a constructive approach to dealing with the crisis prevailed in the clubs. According to interviewees, digitization was experienced primarily in the form of using video conferencing software such as Zoom or messengers such as WhatsApp groups. The use of these media facilitated the organization of board meetings and even helped to maintain social club life as well as sporting activities, at least to a small extent. [Implications]: While the sustainable potential of digital media for grassroots sports clubs is becoming apparent, there are also indications that digital media are no substitute for on-site meetings. Further, not all club members have benefited from digitization. Due to a lack of media skills or personal concerns towards digital media, especially older people have often been excluded from communication. [Discussion]: Thought must be given to how to include and reach these groups in the future, especially if some media are to continue to be used after the pandemic phase.
