How does interorganisational implementation behaviour challenge the success of Football Fitness?

Abstract

This article explores the role of the interorganisational implementation behaviour of the relevant actors in the implementation of Football Fitness, a Danish football-based, health-related activity. Football Fitness was designed by the Danish Football Association in 2010 and introduced in several volunteer football clubs in 2011. Today, around 200 of ∼1,600 potential clubs are involved. The analysis deployed a qualitative approach, including document analysis, individual interviews and focus group interviews. The theoretical framework is rooted in policy implementation theory. The findings reveal three crucial interconnected factors influencing interorganisational implementation behaviour and representing complications for the successful implementation of Football Fitness: (1) The implementation is being carried out by multiple actors with different implementation tasks. These actors operate on three different implementation levels – central, regional and local – that work differently in respect of their routines/perspectives and goals/interests. (2) The chain of cooperation is sequentially interdependent. The central level cooperates with the regional level and the regional level with the local level. (3) The cooperation between levels (central/regional and regional/local) lacks authority, common interest and beneficial exchange. To reduce these complications, the cooperation between the levels needs to be strengthened by considering these findings.

Keywords:

• Denmark
• Football Fitness
• Implementation
• interorganisational cooperation
• sports organisations

Notes

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributors

Søren Bennike, is a PhD-student at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen. He is working within the section of Sport, Individual & Society and is affiliated with the Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health. His research focus lies in the field of implementation research and organisational studies in a sporting context.

Laila Susanne Ottesen, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen. She is working within the section of Sport, Individual & Society and is affiliated with the Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health. Her main area of research is sociology of sport and health ranging from individual agency level to a more organisational level.

Notes

1 In the following, ‘sports club’ denotes a voluntary association, unless otherwise stated. These are voluntarily organised non-profit associations.

2 Note that the proportion of citizens that never exercises or plays sport increased from 39% to 42% in the same period.

3 An additional two FCUs (FCU Lolland Falster and FCU Bornholm) are involved with the implementation, but as they report to FCU Zealand in the implementation of FF, they are not included in the figure. This avoids confusion, as the purpose of the figure is to highlight how the three levels are connected in terms of interorganisational relations.

4 This is a little more complicated though, as all six FCUs are joint in an NGO, which is a member of the DFA.

5 This is a little more complicated though.

6 A limited number of very big VFCs serve as exceptions.