During the past two decades sport has been attributed a number of new functions in relation to solving different societal issues, e.g. public health and integration of immigrants. This new phenomenon is addressed to as "Sport for Development". Based on a lack of research related to the usage of sport in dealing wth these societal issues, this study aims to investigate how participation in street soccer contributes to the development of life skills and furthermore, which possibilities and limitations this development creates for the inclusion into other social spheres for the individual.
The study is carried out as a single case study with Street Soccer Aarhus (SSA), which is a street soccer project located in social disadvantaged communities in the city of Aarhus, as case. All data is collected qualitatively and contains perspectives form both the project manager, coaches, players and youth club employees in connection to SSA. Data is transcribed selectively and structured in a frame dividing the data into different themes. These themes are guided by the system theory by Niklas Luhmann, which is chosen as an analytic tool.
The study shows that street soccer has the ability to function as a educational system through which participants develop life skills, both positively and negatively. Through weekly practices and participation in monthly tournaments processes contributing to the success of communication are made possible, and in combination with the fact that the participants are highly motivated to participate, this development of life skills is explainable. Developing positive life skills gives rise to the inclusion of the participants in other contexts, both through direct inclusion and through processes of preparation for inclusion. Limitations lies within the timely limits associated with street soccer practice and tournaments in combination with the development of life skills with a negative character. Despite these limitations this study indicates that street soccer possibly counteracts a cumulative effect of exclusion and on the contrary contributes to a cumulative effect of inclusion.