engleski

Sport and socialization in the local community: A case study of Zale Igrane Water Polo Club

Water polo and football are the oldest Olympic team sports, both having been present since the Paris Olympics in 1900. As opposed to football, which has been a part of the global economy for decades, water polo is a ‘small sport’ that enjoys popularity and significance in European Mediterranean countries and in particular countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Sport is an exceptionally important secondary agent of socialisation. Socialisation is a complex and long-lasting process in which children (and adults) learn about the culture of the society in which they live by interacting with their surroundings, adopting and forming various behavioural patterns, norms, and values. In observing the actions of individual and group figures in the local community, it must be noted that the functioning of the community is reflected in social relations to satisfy the communal needs of the people who live in the community. This holds especially for local communities that are distant from large urban centres. This presentation is founded on an analysis of the actions of Zale Waterpolo Club in Igrane, a town with 400 residents in the Makarska littoral in Croatia. VK Zale was founded in 1968, and it is the only sports club in Igrane that is dedicated to work with young generations of waterpolo players. The general goal of this research is to determine how members of the local community, players, and members of the club management perceive the influence of the work of VK Zale on the everyday life of young people and on the local community in Igrane. In doing so, the research uses a qualitative approach consisting of semi- structured interviews.

sport, water polo, socialisation, youth, local community, Igrane, Croatia

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