Stabilised structures and simplified processes

Economist Franziska Hilger thinks about sustainability in sports

Sustainability in sports! Does that even exist? In the case of sports that utilise natural areas for sporting activities, this statement is understandable. However there are connections between sustainability and sport that are less obvious., including respect, tolerance, team spirit, and cosmopolitanism. Furthermore, you can act more sustainably in these areas through campaigns, club festivals, events, or even team trips if you know how!
Franziska Hilger, voluntary referee in the Rhineland Football Association and research assistant at the Chair of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Transformation at the University of Wuppertal, is trying to implement the topic of sustainability more intensely in football through scientific expertise, sporting commitment, and social responsibility.

Using refereeing experience scientifically

“I have been a volunteer referee for the Rhineland Football Association since 2010 and have officiated matches in this role for many years up to the highest men’s league, the Rhineland League,” the doctoral student of Economics. “From 2020, I was also active as a DFB referee throughout Germany - both as an assistant in the 2nd Women’s Bundesliga and as a referee in the B-Junior Bundesliga. During particularly intense periods, I refereed up to 80 matches per season. I've refereed on practically every pitch in Germany,” she laughs. “Through many years as a referee, I got to know football in all its facets and felt the social power that this sport can unfold.” With the start of her doctorate, the dedicated sportswoman may be taking a step back on the pitch, but her enthusiasm for the ball game is undiminished. She is now using her newfound time to contribute her expertise to sport as a research assistant at the University of Wuppertal. She is a member of the Social Responsibility Commission of the Rhineland Football Association, where she focusses on the topic of sustainability. She is also a competent citizen in the environment and sports committee of the city of Wuppertal.

Intrinsification, or: How do I act sustainably out of my own conviction?

With her commitment, Hilger tries to transfer the findings of her academic work to the structures of voluntary work in non-profit sport. “In my position at the chair and as part of my doctorate, I am working intensively on the question of how sustainable behaviour can be promoted in a way that people show it out of their own conviction and not just because of external guidelines. In other words, it is about how internal motivation can develop from behaviour that is initially triggered externally. In scientific terms, we speak of “intrinsification” here. This question is particularly urgent and at the same time very complex when it comes to sustainability issues. Many measures have a deep impact on very individual areas of life and affect habits, routines, and personal freedom of choice, e.g., in the areas of consumption, housing and mobility. This impact makes it a challenge to implement measures, but the implementation is also susceptible to resistance. Social changes are very clearly reflected in sports. Hilger cites the decline in voluntary work as a key example. “Fewer and fewer people are willing to take on long-term responsibility, even though this is exactly what non-profit sport thrives on.” Yet sports are particularly suitable to shape transformation processes actively. “Sports clubs and associations reach almost all social groups –regardless of age, social background, or level of education. They are places of encounter, enjoy trust, and have an enormous reach. It is precisely these characteristics that make sport so relevant for my research,” Hilger explains. They are not abstract, but can be experienced in practice. Sustainable behaviour succeeds when it can be established as a natural part of the club and association culture. Both sides then benefit from this development. “Sport strengthens its volunteer structures and its future viability, while at the same time social issues such as climate protection, social justice, and education can be effectively communicated to a wider audience. Sports really bring everyone together: people of different ages, backgrounds, and educational levels.” Sports must therefore be used to shape social change.
As part of her work at the Chair, she therefore also incorporates the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders in the sustainability transformation. Along with members of the department, Hilger regularly organises excursions to companies to give students an insight into specific transformation processes. She currently says: “In this context, we will also be organising an excursion to the DFB in Frankfurt. So, the students will have the opportunity to experience how one of Europe’s largest sports organisations deals with its social and ecological responsibility. In this way, I try to link my voluntary work in sports with my work at the Chair.”

Volunteering is based on voluntary work, motivation, and identification

Hilger knows that change is always difficult, but possible, if you build on what already exists. “The findings from transformative economic policy show very clearly that change processes only work if they are compatible with existing structures and are supported by the stakeholders involved. If this perspective is applied to non-profit sport, it quickly becomes clear that voluntary structures cannot simply be changed ‘from above’ or controlled by guidelines. Volunteering is based on voluntary work, motivation and identification – this is precisely what makes it valuable, but also vulnerable.” It is therefore important that measures should not be perceived as an additional burden, as volunteers are already often working at their limits because match operations are of course always at the forefront and must be maintained. Hilger is therefore very clear: “Transformation can only succeed here if people understand sustainability and social responsibility as supporting this core task, for example by stabilising structures, simplifying processes, or creating new forms of recognition.” Although charitable sports are strongly characterised by historically evolved structures, meaning that change processes are very slow and resources are always limited, the doctoral student sees enormous potential here. “Sports organisations have a wide reach, enjoy trust and have functioning networks. If volunteers are involved at an early stage and measures are designed in a way that they build on existing values and practices, transformative approaches can certainly have an impact. In my view, the biggest challenge is not ’if’, but ’how’ people are motivated to volunteer.”

The term sustainability is often met with rejection

Sustainability is often associated with sacrifice or additional requirements, Hilger knows, and therefore often has negative connotations and is met with rejection.

However, if you take a closer look, you realise that sport is already making a significant contribution to sustainable development. Health and well-being, gender equality, high-quality education and social participation, as well as integration and the development of resilient participation are already part of this. “If sports organisations recognise the added value they already create for society, they can deal with new challenges more confidently, make targeted use of funding opportunities and remain attractive to committed individuals in the long term.”

Sustainability can be a guiding principle of sporting organisational development

Sustainability can be a guiding principle of sporting organisational development, Hilger hopes, but only if it grows out of the clubs or associations themselves. A comprehensive sustainability strategy is therefore not directly effective, but small but regular measures are. “One concrete example of this was a digital carbon footprint assessment in sports clubs that we carried out along with the DFB. Contrary to expectations, a whole host of clubs took part in it. They were already self-organised and wanted to tackle the issue on their own initiative. Signals like these are extremely important. They show that there are already intrinsically motivated players and that it is the task of the association to recognise this development and provide targeted support.” Further plans for sustainability projects, such as discussion rounds between volunteers and external experts, counselling of football clubs or low-threshold information and exchange formats, are currently being developed.

Sustainability aspects in university sports centres

“University sports centres have great potential to not only implement sustainability in organisational terms, but above all to make it tangible by promoting engagement,” Hilger says. This already works when student coaches integrate sustainability aspects into their work, for example in the organisation of events, the use of materials or mobility. “I see particular potential for further development in the stronger networking of research, teaching and practice. University sports centres can serve as a real-world laboratory in which new approaches to sustainability can be tested and further developed,” the expert explains. In terms of implementation, this means above all creating a framework in which people have room for manoeuvre and recognise the meaning of their commitment.” Hilger is certain: “Whether in university sports centres, sports associations or sports courses: If sustainability can be experienced in specific terms and connects to existing practice, it can become part of one’s own attitude. Commitment does not become more difficult, but is further enhanced. Sustainability is not seen as a duty, but as something that provides orientation and creates meaning. For me, this is precisely the core of successful implementation: people should not feel that they have to implement something, but should experience that sustainable action benefits them and the organisation in the long term.”

Uwe Blass

Franziska Hilger (M. Sc.) is a research assistant at the Chair of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Transformation at the Schumpeter School of Business and Economics at the University of Wuppertal.