Elite Athletes as Migrants in Danish Women's Handball

Abstract

A number of studies have been done on the migration of male athletes in well-known sport disciplines such as football. However, we lack knowledge about migration in smaller sport disciplines and about female athletes as sport migrants. The present article examines first of all the growing number of foreign players in the Danish women's handball league from 1999 to 2007. Second, the athletes' motives for moving to Danish handball clubs are categorized, and third, the migrants' experiences in Danish handball clubs are related to the strategies of integration in two prominent handball clubs. The analysis reveals, among others, family- and space-related aspects which have not been covered in the literature on sports migration. Moreover, integration theory forms a useful supplement to migration theory in explaining the ways in which the club experiences of the migrants affect their motives.