Moving for the love of the game? International migration of female footballers into Scandinavian countries

Abstract

This study examines the international migration of female footballers; a topic not yet addressed by the literature on globalization and sports labour migration. The article aims to shed light upon how the movement of female footballers across countries and continents is developing and to uncover the players’ motives for playing abroad. The theoretical underpinning comes from both conventional and alternative critical views of sports as labour. The focus is on immigration into Scandinavian countries and, particularly, on migrant players from North America and Africa with whom interview-based interpretative research was conducted. The results indicate firstly, that the international migration of female footballers is already a well-established and globalized process and that the Scandinavian countries are becoming a centre for migrants. Secondly, players’ motives for moving do not include solely economic incentives but reasons such as football experience, career ambitions, and love and infatuation for the game.