This study intends to investigate assimilation in Swedish ice hockey. The overall aim is to achieve a deeper understanding of how ice hockey associations are working to recruit young individuals with a different ethnic background. The specific aim is to find out the opinion of the association leaders in the subject. Furthermore, the study aim to explain the obstacles and opportunities association leaders sees with assimilation in ice hockey. To answer the purpose of the study and the issue, the study was conducted by semi-structured interviews with eight leaders in eight different associations. All but one respondent are active in associations within the county Västerbotten. Half of the associations where medium to large, in terms of members, the other half is small associations with less then 300 members. The results of the study showed that the respondents want a greater effort when it comes to assimilation within ice hockey, not only for ice hockey, for sports in general. A few of the sport associations had worked or works with assimilation. Furthermore leaders felt that communication was an obstacle for the associations to bring the interest of newly arrived citizens. They also mention the fact that ice hockey is an expensive sport as an obstacle. The results also show that the respondents believe there were a need to be greater cooperation between associations and the Swedish ice hockey federation.

In North America ice hockey is considered to be the fastest of all teamsports with high demands on leg strength and power. These two factors are crucial for acceleration and the total speed performance during a hockeygame. Skating performance requires a muscle engagement which also occurs during the Y-Balance Test (YBT). Some of the most active muscles during ice skating are biceps femoris, tibialis anterior and vastus medialis , these muscles are also some of the most active muscles during the YBT. The similarities between those two activities enable a possible relationship between skating velocity and YBT. This study investigated the relationship between dynamic postural control and on ice performance which includes 52 meter forward skating. The purpose of this study was to see if there is a significant correlation between skating velocity and the performance on YBT. Methods: 7 male ice hockey players in ages between 18-19 years performed a 52 meter forward skating test and a test for evaluating their dynamic postural control. The method used for measuring the dynamic postural control was the YBT. Results: There was no significant correlation between the YBT longitudinal directions, the total score and 52 meter forward skating. The strongest association (0,570) was shown between the YBT anterior longitudinal direction and 52 meter forward skating. The total score on YBT did not show a significant correlation with 52 meter forward skating, with a correlationcoefficient of 0,251. Conclusion: Due to several management errors during the YBT the results showed no significance. We can not for certain say that there is no significant correlation due to for instance management errors and the deficiency pf power. Future studies are needed to determine if there is a significant correlation between skating velocity and the performance on YBT.

Studien belyser kvinnors upplevelser av arbete inom svensk herrhockey samt vanligt förekommande hinder som kvinnor upplevt ha stött på under sin karriär. Svensk hockey präglas utefter tradition av mycket manliga normer och är även en mycket mansdominerad arena och sport där framstegen i fråga om jämställdhet hindras av de sociala konstruktionerna maskulinitet och femininitet.Syftet med studien är att genom semistrukturerade intervjuer undersöka samt belysa hur kvinnor på högre positioner inom arbeten med koppling till svensk herrhockey upplever att arbeta inom en mansdominerad arena.Studiens tre forskningsfrågor är utformade för att kunna besvara syftet och för att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur kvinnor upplever att arbeta inom svensk herrhockey och är följande:1) Hur upplever kvinnor på högre positioner inom arbeten med svensk herrhockey att arbeta inom en mansdominerad verksamhet?2) Har respondenten stött på något arbetsrelaterat hinder under sin karriär och i sådant fall vilket/vilka?3) Exkluderas kvinnor från att arbeta och utvecklas inom svensk herrhockey?Metoden är av kvalitativ karaktär varav semistrukturerade frågor har genomförts med fem olika kvinnliga respondenter. Respondenterna har haft eller besitter i nuläget en högre position med koppling till arbete inom svensk herrhockey. Intervjuerna har genomförts antingen via telefon eller där respondenten och författaren träffats.Material har samlats in via tidigare nämnda intervjuer samt dokumentanalys. Resultatet påvisar att kvinnor generellt sett har en positiv upplevelse av arbete inom svensk herrhockey och att det hinder som de menar är mest centrala i frågan är att som kvinna bli tagen på allvar samt många gånger behöva bevisa sig i sitt arbete.Nyckelord: Hinder, jämställdhet, kvinna, mansdominans, svensk herrhockey och sport. / The study ”Not having a natural role within the workplace” highlights women's experience of working within Swedish ice hockey, and discusses common barriers in their work. Traditionally the Swedish ice hockey community is a highly male-dominated arena where the progress in equality is hindered by the social constructions of masculinity and femininity.The purpose of the study is to investigate and illustrate, through semi-structured interviews how women in higher positions experience working in a male-dominated arena.The research questions addressed by this study were:1)How does women in higher positions within Swedish Men’s Ice Hockey, experince working in a male dominated profession?2)Has the respondent encountered any work-related barriers during their career? If so, what?3)Are woman being hindered from working and developing within Swedish Men’s ice hockey? The study is based on a qualitative research method. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis are used as empirical material.The theoretical foundation of this thesis is based on six different theories: Social construction of genus, Hirdmans genus contract, The Gender Theory, The Female Theory, The Feminist Theory and The Social Role Theory. Results of the study shows that the participating women in general has a great experience working within Swedish ice hockey and in a male-dominated arena. The most common and central barriers were to be taken seriously and constantly prove themselves through their work.Keywords: Barriers, equality, female, male dominans, swedish icehockey and sport.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the Relative Age Effect iscrucial for winning the senior, U20, and U18 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. Wealso aim to gain a better understanding of the significance of the Relative Age Effect for ateam's success. Success can be measured in various ways, but in this study, we have chosen todefine success in ice hockey by focusing on the teams that have won the championships.Method: This study adopts a quantitative design and relies on secondary analysis of publiclyavailable statistics. We have employed a deductive approach to examine the subject of theRelative Age Effect. To conduct the study, we have placed significant emphasis on previousresearch in the field and used it as the theoretical foundation. To gather information and data,we have utilized scientific articles, relevant literature, as well as general sources and websitesthat have contributed to the analysis of our study. By reviewing and referencing previousresearch, we have been able to draw conclusions and benefit from prior insights into theRelative Age Effect.Results and Conclusions: The results we obtained regarding the winning teams between2001-2022 of the senior, U20, and U18 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships indicate thatthe Relative Age Effect is not present at the senior level but is observed in the U20 and U18categories. The results also showed that the younger the age group, the more evident theRelative Age Effect was among the teams, with significant differences between the winningteams in the U20 and U18 divisions. Based on the results of our study, we can conclude thatthe Relative Age Effect is not a decisive factor for winning at the senior level. However, itbecomes more difficult to draw a clear conclusion at the junior level since our researchindicates that the winning teams exhibit the Relative Age Effect, but it remains uncertainwhether it has been decisive or how it has practically influenced the teams' success.Therefore, talent identification and development in younger generations should reassess theselection process and factors deemed crucial for participation in these championships. Furtherresearch is required to determine which individuals within the teams are truly instrumental intheir victories and whether all teams in the tournaments are already influenced by theRelative Age Effect.

Sammanfattning Titel: Håll i, håll ut... men håll er borta! - Krishanteringen hos ishockeyföreningar och museer under en rådande pandemikris Författare: Viktor Gustafsson, Filip Svensson, Marcus Söderström Program: Ekonomprogrammet, inriktning redovisning/ekonomistyrning Handledare: Thomas Karlsson Examinator: Petter Boye Institution: Ekonomihögskolan på Linnéuniversitetet i Kalmar Inledning: Den pågående coronapandemin har medfört flera typer av restriktioner som avståndshållning och antal personer som får samlas i allmänna sammankomster. Det har medfört att idrotts- och kulturverksamheter har påverkats negativt ekonomiskt och har fått ekonomiskt stöd från staten. För ishockeyföreningar har det inneburit att publikantalet har begränsats och matcher har ställts in. För museer har restriktionerna resulterat i stängda eller begränsade publika verksamheter. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en ökad förståelse av krishantering hos ishockeyföreningar och museer under en pågående pandemi. Tillsammans med tidigare forskning och våra fynd avser vi att konstruera en modell som illustrerar åtgärderna som organisationerna har vidtagit. Metod: För att besvara syfte och forskningsfråga har vi använt oss av en abduktiv ansats. Genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med tre ishockeyföreningar och fyra museer samlades empiriskt material. Empirin analyserades och tolkades med hjälp av tidigare forskning om krishantering för att uppfylla syftet. Slutsats: Vi kom fram till att organisationerna inte genomförde några åtgärder innan krisen. Under krisen har organisationerna genomfört nedskärningar, åtgärder för att dämpa smittspridningen och ökat användningen av digitala verktyg. Flera av åtgärderna har gett lärdomar som medför att vissa åtgärder överlever efter krisen och kan skapa nya framtida strategier. / Abstract Title: Persevere, endure… but mind the distance! - Crisis management in ice hockey clubsand museums during an ongoing pandemic crisis Authors: Viktor Gustafsson, Filip Svensson, Marcus Söderström Programme: Business administration and Economics Programme, specialization in Accounting and Management Control Advisor: Thomas Karlsson Examiner: Petter Boye Institute: School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University in Kalmar Introduction: The ongoing corona pandemic has brought various forms of restrictions such as social distancing and the maximum number of people allowed to gather in crowds. This has resulted in negative economic impact among sports and cultural organizations who have received financial support from the government. For ice hockey clubs this has meant that the number of attendances allowed has been restricted and ice hockey games have been cancelled. For museums, the restrictions have resulted in either closed or restricted public operations. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of crisis management among ice hockey clubs and museums during an ongoing pandemic. By combining the findings of this paper with former research we have the intention to create a model that illustrates the responses that the organizations have made. Method: To achieve the purpose and answer the research question we used abductive reasoning. By conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews with three ice hockey clubs and four museums we gathered empirical evidence. The gathered evidence was analyzed and interpreted by using former research about crisis management to fulfill the purpose. Conclusion: We found that the organizations did not conduct any responses before the crisis. During the crisis the organizations conducted retrenchment responses, responses aimed to mitigate the spread of the corona virus and increased the use of digital tools. Several of the responses have resulted in some responses surviving after the crisis and could create new strategies in the future.

Syftet med studien är att dels undersöka vilka coachkompetenser som coacher bör besitta enligt svenska ishockeyföreningar för att skapa en bra prestationsmiljö, dels att undersöka eventuella skillnader mellan elit- och breddföreningar angående coachkompetenser samt rekryteringsprocess. Studiens teoretiska perspektiv är dels coachkompetenser, i vilket det fokuseras på professionella-, interpersonella- och intrapersonella kunskaper och rekrytering. En kunskapslucka finns att se där det inte finns någon tidigare forskning kring coachkompetenser i ishockey- Sverige de senaste tjugo åren. Tidigare forskning har istället valt inriktningen att belysa vissa viktiga faktorer för coacher generellt, men inget specifikt för coacher inom ishockey- Sverige. Därför anses det finnas ett behov av att undersöka vad ishockeyföreningar i Sverige eftersöker för coachkompetenser vid rekrytering på juniornivå. För att besvara frågeställningarna och syftet användes både en enkätundersökning och intervjuer för att få djupgående och breda svar kring problematiken. Resultatet i studien visar på att det finns fyra kompetenser som är de viktigaste för en juniorcoach att besitta enligt ishockeyföreningar i Sverige. Dessa kompetenser är den pedagogiska kompetensen, kommunikationsförmågan, den ishockeytaktiska kompetensen samt att vara relationsinriktad. Resultatet i studien visar på att det inte finns en signifikant skillnad mellan elit- och breddföreningar angående dessa fyra coachkompetenser, utan dessa kompetenser var eftertraktade oavsett föreningens ambitionsnivåer. Studiens resultat indikerade på att synen på coachkompetenser har förändrats de senaste tjugo åren. Studiens resultat indikerade också att svenska ishockeyföreningar använder ett informellt kontaktnät, där en rekryteringskanal oftast används. Skillnaden mellan elit- och breddföreningar i rekryteringsprocessen var tillgänglighet, den ekonomiska faktorn och hur stora kontaktnät de har tillgång till. Däremot upplever föreningar oavsett ambitionsnivå att tidsaspekten i rekryteringsprocessen var den bidragande faktorn till svårigheten med att rekrytera coacher som besitter rätt kompetenser. / The purpose of this study is to investigate which coaching competencies coaches should possess according to Swedish ice hockey associations to create a satisfactory performance environment, and to examine any differences between elite and non-elite associations regarding coaching competencies and recruitment process. The studies theoretical perspective is partly coaching competencies, with focus on professional-, interpersonal- and intrapersonal knowledge and recruitment. A gap in the knowledge is visible where there is no previous research on coaching knowledges in Swedish ice hockey in the last twenty years. The previous research has instead chosen to focus on certain crucial factors for coaches in general, however nothing specific for coaches in Swedish ice hockey. Therefore, it is considered that there is a need to investigate what ice hockey associations in Sweden are looking for in coaching competencies when recruiting at junior level. To answer the questions and the purpose, both a questionnaire survey and interviews were used to receive in-depth and broad answers about the problems. The results of the study show that there are four competencies that are the most important for a junior coach to possess according to ice hockey associations in Sweden. These competencies are the pedagogical competence, the communication competence, the ice hockey tactical competence and being relationship oriented. The result of the study shows that there is no significant difference between elite and non-elite associations regarding these four coaching competencies, however these competencies were sought after regardless of the association’s ambition levels. The result of the study indicates that the view of coaching skills has changed in the last twenty years. The result of the study also indicates that Swedish ice hockey associations use an informal network of contacts, where a recruitment channel most often were used. The difference between elite and non-elite associations in the recruitment process is availability, the economic factors and how large a network of contacts they have access to. On the other hand, associations, regardless of their level of ambition, feel that the time aspect of the recruitment process is the contributing factor to the difficulty of recruiting coaches who possess the right skills.

This study shows how people create and shape their identity through supportership. I have used oral history as my method and interviewed supporters from the two largest sports clubs in Växjö, which are Östers IF and Växjö Lakers. The main issue for the study is to examine and discuss how the supporters view their own supportership and how it can connect to shaping of identity. The other issues that this study will try to answer is how the culture in each fan club has changed over time and if there is any form of rivalry between them.  The results shows that the supporters view their supportership as a huge part of them self and that their supportership has hade a vital impact in creating an identity. It also shows that there is some kind of rivalry between the two groups and that the culture has changed.

Syftet med studien var att studera unga ishockeykillars syn på sin väg till NIU (Nationell idrottsutbildning) gymnasium. Det som har gjorts är semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer med totalt 12 ishockeyspelare födda 2004 och 2005.  Uppsatsen grundar sig i utvalda teorier kring tidig specialisering och vad som krävs för att ungdomarna ska lyckas. Totalt har 12 killar som tillhör ett NIU i region syd deltagit i intervjuerna för att få en ärlig sida från spelarna vad de tycker om 1) TV- pucken 2) U16 Regional Syd och 3) NIU.  Resultatet visar att spelarna tänker ungefär rätt lika allihop. De vill att U16 Regional Syd ska finnas kvar då de menar att de är ett bra tillfälle att få spela den serien och visa upp sig då det är året innan NIU antagning. Spelarna är också överens om att TV-pucken tar för mycket fokus och är någon unga killar fokuserar för mycket på. / The purpose of the study was to study young ice hockey boys on their way to NIU (National Sports Education) high school. What has been done are semi-structured group interviews with a total of 12 ice hockey players born in 2004 and 2005. The thesis is based on selected theories about early specialization and what is required for young people to succeed. A total of 12 guys who belong to an NIU in region south participated in the interviews to get an honest side from the players what they think of 1) TV-pucken 2) U16 Regional Syd and 3) NIU. The results show that the players think the same thing. They want U16rs to remain as they believe they are a good opportunity to play that series and show up as it is the year before NIU admission. The players also agree that the TV-puck takes too much focus and is something young guys focus too much on.