Creating Places for Sport in Interwar Europe. A Comparison of the Provision of Sports Venues in Italy, Germany and England

The wide institutionalisation and politicisation of sport and physical education in Europe during the interwar period was supported by the provision of adapted places for the masses to practise physical activities. This article shows the evolution of the measures taken to provide citizens with places and facilities to 'keep fit' in Italy, Germany and Britain. Based on original sources, it traces the emergence of the social needs for recreation and sports grounds and the measures taken to meet these needs. It also illustrates the debate about physical activity as a means to organise society and shows how sports and recreation places were integrated into the national landscapes of these three countries. More generally, the comparison provides insight into the reciprocal influences of the governments' national policies during a particularly tumultuous period.