Fysioterapeuten (Oct 2016)
Feeling at home in everyday life – experiences from playing street-soccer
Abstract
Purpose: To provide a descriptive analysis of the experiences of five street soccer players. The study elaborates how the players relate the street soccer experiences to their building of identity, social abilities and how they see football as a common non-verbal language. Design and method: A qualitative focus group interview and individual follow-up interviews with five players who had been drug-free for more than one year. Results: The participants appreciated the street soccer as a low-threshold activity, particularly the fact that the only claim to them was to be sober when attending training or social gatherings. When attending they could determine their degree of involvement, allowing them to take small steps at a time. They described how their drug abuse had contributed to isolation, low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence, and how this life situation had left them in a – hard to break – vicious circle. Street soccer had played a role in their coming out of isolation and giving them experiences of joy and achievements. In addition, the street soccer also helped the players to stay drug-free/sober between training sessions. Conclusion: Street soccer can be a place to develop and establish a drug-free identity, and a place to establish confidence and faith in both yourself and others. Street soccer provides a place where the players experience physical activity in social settings where there also were room for sorting out and discussing different experiences and emotions. Some reported that physical activity even helped to lessen withdrawal symptoms. The results of the study may be transferable to other marginalized groups experiencing isolation and loneliness.
