The role of sports institutes in higher education for the promotion of sports cultures: a case study of three Universities in South Africa

Abstract

The key research question of this thesis is what forms of hegemony exist at three university soccer clubs to promote sports cultures, and what policy implications emerge from the findings. The method of collecting empirical data was through interviews, of students who play soccer for the first team at universities and with their respective soccer coaches. The universities sampled were the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and North West University (NWU, Potchefstroom campus). It includes the historical and analytical aspects relating to the social game of soccer, and the variety of viewpoints about that social game. The conceptual framework of the study is within the discourse theories of Laclau and Bourdieu, and with the use of Raymond Williams’ cultural analysis, as against the functionalist viewpoints articulated by Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton. The key findings are that hegemony continuous to operate in sport, and soccer and sport are becoming commodified in higher education institutions. Soccer is seen to be marginal to the core business of the sampled campuses and there is also comparatively low support for soccer there.