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Our interviews with experts and projectofficers also highlighted some examples ofgood practices, with close interaction betweenexternal providers and teachers andcoaches proving to be crucial for long termsuccess.Combat sports as an entry pointArmed with research that identified combatsports such as tae kwon do and kickboxingas being attractive to young people fromethnic minorities, the Dutch governmentallocated funds to various programmeswith a view to encouraging more youngpeople from ethnic minorities to participateand promote Dutch values and norms.Our experts reported that discriminationagainst ethnic minorities is a problem inteam sports and shared the view thatmigrant populations have a preference forcombat sports. In Russia, according to oneRussian expert, “there is no ethnic or religiousdiscrimination in access to combatsports”. 25Our survey findings support this view, with“native” children much less inclined toparticipate in judo, karate or boxing than“first and second-generation” children.We can also see from Chart 2.05 that firstand second-generation children have astronger preference for the more popularand economically accessible team sportsfootball and basketball. In contrast, some ofthe traditionally more elitist sports, wherethe economic barrier to participation ishigher, such as tennis and skiing, are preferredby native children.Dealing with ethnically homogeneousclubsGrowing numbers of ethnically homogeneoussports clubs are forming at grassrootslevel in some European countries. Accordingto one Dutch expert, “there are morethan 100 ethnically homogeneous clubs inNetherlands today, and the governmentdoes not approve of this development”. 26Experts in Belgium and England also raisedthe issue of this voluntary ethnic separation.One English expert reported: “Suchclubs are often seen as problematic by theleagues, the regional or county FAs andother local clubs, which means that representativesfrom these clubs are even lesslikely to be elected onto any committee.” 27A German project officer pointed out thatthis phenomenon mainly occurs in urbanareas where large groups from a specificethnic background can come together andform a club to “be among their own kind”. 28On the one hand, these clubs appear to bediscriminating – albeit on a voluntary basis– by only having players from a specific ethnicgroup. However, on the other, homogenousclubs could offer individuals with anentry point towards social integration.More research needs to be conducted inthis area to examine the long-term impactof ethnically homogeneous clubs.Good Practice■ Minimaxi Football League(MFL), SerbiaMFL is a grassroots projectimplemented by the SerbianFootball Association. It stemmedfrom two major issues – overlyinterfering parents and violencein society – which were threateningto have an impact on thegame. Matches are made lesscompetitive by the absence ofscoreboards and the addition ofa third half to give weaker playersthe opportunity to perform.An ethical code of conduct hasalso been developed for all stakeholdergroups .www.mini-maxi.org25Interview with Russian expert Rustam, 29 November 2012.26Interview with Dutch expert Dr. Jacco van Sterkenburg, 30 August 2012.27Interview with English expert Dr. Steven Bradbury, 6 November 2012.28Interview with German project officer Peer Wiechmann, 19 September 2012.DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTKING BAUDOUIN FOUNDATION13