Kampen om konstgräsplaner - en geografisk studie om tillgängligheten till konstgräsplaner i Göteborgs kommun

Abstract

Abstract Title: The battle of artificial turf fields- A geographical study on the accessibility of artificial turf fields in the municipality of Gothenburg Author: Ranjan Lassinantti Institute: Department of cultural and economic geography Tutor: Anders Larsson Date: 2012-01-09 Number of pages: 51 pages Language: Swedish with Summary in English Keywords: accessibility, artificial turf fields, football, mapping, interviews Summary: Background: This study focuses on accessibility of artificial turf fields in the municipality of Gothenburg. People in football clubs find it difficult to get trainings scheduled at artificial turf fields; they say there are too few. The Sports and Association Management of Gothenburg has decided, in consultation with the Football Association of Gothenburg, to invest in the conversion of clay fields and a number of natural grass fields to artificial turf fields. They also have the ambition to increase the number of areas suitable for artificial turf fields. The question is whether the problem really is that there are too few artificial turf fields in the city, or if the cause of the congestion may simply be something else. Objective: The study aims to illustrate the availability of artificial turf fields in the municipality of Gothenburg and seek suggestions for improving availability. Method: To fulfill my purpose and answer my questions, I used quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative method chosen consisted of mapping and compiling data, and the qualitative method chosen was interviews performed to collect information. The quantitative information collected from Gothenburg Football League’s database and Sports and Association Management’s booking system. The eight persons participating in my study were active in either The Gothenburg Football Association, The Sports and Association Management, football clubs and/or sports high schools. Result: The study concludes that the clubs have different geographical conditions in terms of distance to artificial turf fields. Also, training times are not distributed evenly among the clubs. The problems that seem to lie behind are: The land price increase in relation to distance from the city center; sporting activities in the districts are not regulated; people are drawn into the heart of the city; the number of active exercisers is not evenly distributed on the artificial turf fields; and the allocation of training times are unevenly distributed internally between different club teams. Suggested solutions to improve the situation are to establish more artificial turf fields, enlighten compounds where there are available training times, constructing artificial grass adjacent to the tram lines and the stadium Gamla Ullevi, and to streamline its operation. Teachers in special sport football does not experience same problem with availability.