171
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

From acquiescence to avoidance: the case of Ängelholm municipality and elite football’s standardizations

 

Abstract

Using the concept of standards and a framework examining strategic responses to institutional processes, this article aims to understand why a municipality has resisted to implement elite football’s stadium requirements and, from this perspective, assesses the options municipalities actually have to refuse implementing them. At first, the municipality in focus, Ängelholm in Sweden, demonstrated a lack of awareness of the intrinsic power of standards and the ways in which they can influence municipal decisions. However, as it emerged that the standards contradicted other municipal priorities, the municipality became more critical and eventually decided not to follow them. Another finding of the study is that municipalities, as the ‘adopters’ of elite football standards, cannot affect how these standards are written. Therefore, the options to accept or decline them are perceived to be limited. Consequently, standards constitute a central form of governance within local sport policy.

Notes

1. Alm et al., ‘Hosting Major Sports Events’, 569–71.

2. Preuss, Solberg, and Alm, ‘The Challenge of Utilizing’, 83.

3. Zimbalist, Circus Maximus, 2.

4. Alm and Storm ‘Fodboldens Krav’, 10.

5. Delaney and Eckstein, ‘Urban Power Structures’, 337.

6. Siegfried and Zimbalist, ‘The Economics of Sports’, 95.

7. Alm, ‘Swedish Municipalities and Competitive’, 455–6.

8. SvFF, Allsvenskan: Arenakrav fr.o.m. säsongen 2014.

9. SKL, Skrivelse riktad till Kommissionen.

10. Alm and Storm, ‘Fodboldens Krav til Kommunale Stadionfaciliteter’, 11.

11. Andersson, Spela fotboll bondjävlar! (2016), 87.

12. Rafoss and Troelsen, ‘Sports Facilities for All?’, 653.

13. Tangen, Idrettsanlegg og anleggsbrukere, 32.

14. Ängelholm municipality, Idrottspolitisk program för Ängelholms.

15. CMA Research, Riksidrottsförbundet Kommunundersökning 2014Ängelholm.

16. Ibid., Riksidrottsförbundet Kommunundersökning 2014.

17. Ibid., Riksidrottsförbundet Kommunundersökning 2014Ängelholm.

18. Alfredsson, Kristianstad Arena.

19. Ängelholm municipality, Nyinflyttade Ängelholms kommun .

20. SHL, Publik.

21. SvFF, Statistik/ligor Publikliga (2013)

22. Ibid., Statistik/ligor Publikliga (2014)

23. Ibid., Statistik/ligor Publikliga (2015)

24. Fahlén and Sjöblom, Idrottens Anläggningar: Ägande, driftsförhållande, 7.

25. Norberg, ‘A Mutual Dependency: Nordic Sports’, 126.

26. Rafoss and Troelsen, ‘Sports Facilities for All?’, 652–3.

27. Sjöblom, Idrott åt Alla, 44–5.

28. Wøllekær, ‘Odense Kommune’, 197.

29. Bergsgard, Nødland, and Seippel, ‘For den som har makt’.

30. Nenseth, Schmidt, and Skogheim, Kunstgress i Vekst, 8.

31. Sjöblom and Fahlén, ‘The Survival of the Fittest’, 713.

32. Rafoss and Tangen, ‘Innledning’, 16.

33. Eriksson-Zetterquist, Institutionell Teori, 5.

34. Hall and Löfgren, Politisk styrning i praktiken, 30–1.

35. SvFF, Superettan: Arenakrav fr.o.m. Säsongen 2014.

36. Tamm Hallström, Kampen för auktoritet, 19.

37. Brunsson and Jacobsson, ‘Following Standards’, 131–4.

38. Oliver, ‘Strategic Responses’, 152.

39. Olsson, ‘Lokal Nivå i Fokus’, 36.

40. Ängelholm municipality, Kraftsamling Ängelholm. Vision 2020.

41. Ibid., Idrottspolitisk program för Ängelholms.

42. Sørensen and Torfing, Skanderborg på landkortet.

43. Ibid.

44. Brunsson and Jacobsson, ‘Following Standards’, 133.

45. Ahrne and Brunsson, ‘Organizing the World’, 84–5.

46. Brunsson and Jacobsson, ‘Following Standards’, 133.

47. Ibid.

48. Oliver, ‘Strategic Responses’, 152.

49. Flyvbjerg, ‘Fem missforståelser om casestudiet’, 473–4.

50. Ibid.

51. Lundquist, Förvaltning, stat och samhälle, 101–2.

52. Kvale, Doing Interviews.

53. Ängelholm municipality, Arenautredning etapp 1.

54. Interview informants 3 and 4.

55. Interview informant 3.

56. Ängelholm municipality, Kraftsamling Ängelholm. Vision 2020.

57. Oliver, ‘Strategic Responses’, 152.

58. Brunsson and Jacobsson, ‘Following Standards’.

59. Tangen, Idrettsanlegg og anleggsbrukere, 32.

60. Wøllekær, ‘Odense Kommune’, 195.

61. SvFF, Allsvenskan: Arenakrav fr.o.m. Säsongen 2014.

62. Ibid., Superettan: Arenakrav fr.o.m. Säsongen 2014.

63. Ängelholm municipality, Dnr 2010/539. Sammanträdesprotokoll. Affärsmodeller.

64. Interview informant 4.

65. Sørensen and Torfing, Skanderborg på Landkortet .

66. Ängelholm municipality, Idrottspolitisk program för Ängelholms.

67. Interview informants 1, 2, 3 and 4.

68. Interview informants 3 and 4.

69. Interview informant 3.

70. Interview informant 4.

71. Ibid.

72. Ibid.

73. Ängelholm municipality, Dnr 2010/539. Sammanträdesprotokoll.

74. Ibid., Dnr 2011/431. Tjänsteutlåtande.

75. Interview informants 1 and 2.

76. Interview informant 5.

77. Ängelholm municipality, Dnr 2010/539. Tjänsteutlåtande. Upphandling.

78. Ibid., Dnr 2010/539. Sammansträdesprotokoll. Affärsmodeller.

79. Ibid., Dnr 2013/174. Utformning.

80. Ibid., Fotbollen som positiv kraft.

81. Ängelholm municipality, Fotbollen som positiv kraft.

82. Ibid.

83. Interview informant 2.

84. Brunsson and Jacobsson, ‘Following Standards’, 133.

85. Interview informant 5.

86. Brunsson and Jacobsson, ‘The Contemporary Expansion’, 2.

87. Hanspers, Det blir ingen ny.

88. Oliver, ‘Strategic Responses’, 154–5.

89. Ibid.

90. Sjöblom, Den institutionaliserade tävlingsidrotten, 488–9.

91. Andersson, Spela Fotboll Bondjävlar! (2011).

92. Sjöblom, Regionala idrottsanläggningar, 12–3.

93. DeMause and Cagan, Field of Schemes, 27.

94. Sjöblom, Den institutionaliserade tävlingsidrotten, 371–2.

95. Sørensen and Torfing, Skanderborg på landkortet.

96. Interview informant 6.

97. Sjöblom, Den institutionaliserade tävlingsidrotten, 237–8.

98. Sjöblom and Fahlén, ‘The Survival of the Fittest’.

99. Interview informant 2.

100. Delaney and Eckstein, Public Dollars, Private Stadiums.

101. Paulsson, Arenan och den entreprenöriella.

102. Oliver, ‘Strategic Responses’, 154–5.

103. Lundquist, Förvaltning, stat och samhälle, 76.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.