Playing together: the role of sports organizations in developing migrants’ social capital

The paper presents the research methodology and the main findings of the study carried out to monitor and assess the UISP – the largest sport for all Italian association – national project named Diritti in campo (Rights in the field). The project had the overall goals to use sport-based programs to support the process of integration of migrants living in eight selected Italian cities.
The aims of the research study were: the assessment of the impact of the project on migrants’ social inclusion; the identification of specific determinants for success of a program using sport as main mean of intervention; the proposition of a qualitative methodological approach in the domain of migration studies in Italy.
The research methodology was based on the case-study paradigm (Yin,2009) and combined several tools interpolating direct observations, semi-structured and in-depth interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis.
Based on the main findings of the study, eight specific determinants for success as well as four general organizational determinants were highlighted: the relevance of ludodiversity (Renson, 2004), the changes needed in the organizational culture, the requirement of an entire system of integration built as a network, the management of the spaces.