Summary 147 most important explanation is that similarity in ethnic background breeds connection. Because in ethnically diverse associations, the relative proportion of members with the same ethnic background is lower than in homogeneous associations, members drop out faster. The second explanation is that a high degree of internal differences complicates social interaction and coordination. This too, will result in members terminating their membership more quickly. While the results show that members with a migration background on average leave clubs significantly faster than their Dutch counterparts, a key finding is that this difference can almost be entirely explained by the ethnic composition of those clubs. These findings are at odds with cultural explanations for ethnic differences in membership. Namely, members with a Dutch and migration background in fact have roughly the same dropout chances, but the average composition of clubs is more attuned to members with Dutch backgrounds. No ethnic sorting in club transfers Chapter 5 explores whether members transfer to clubs with more favourable ethnic compositions by focussing on the question: ‘To what extent are transfers of members between clubs related to differences between clubs’ ethnic compositions?’ The results indicated that when members switch between clubs, they on average do not move to more homogeneous clubs or clubs with a higher degree of ethnic peers. This suggests that differences in ethnic composition between clubs do not drive additional ethnic sorting via member transfers. In addition, the number of members who change clubs is low compared to the total number of dropouts. Consequently, clubs do not seem to compete with one another on the basis of their ethnic composition, and members who drop out as a result of the ethnic composition of their club are likely to leave amateur football all together. The importance of ethnic similarity Together, these findings lead to important insights regarding the main research question of this thesis: ‘What is the impact of ethnic background on membership ties to Dutch football clubs?’ First, despite amateur football’s popularity, this dissertation shows that ethnic background plays a decisive role in the likelihood that citizens will form and maintain ties to football clubs. Ethnic groups differ substantially in the degree in which they become and stay members of football clubs, which cannot be explained by differences in resources or socio-economic
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