Hungarian footballers on the move: Issues of and observations on the first migratory phase

Abstract

In this essay we seek to approach football migration-related issues from a qualitative angle and examine specific, personal layers of those via the lived experiences of Hungarian migrant footballers. That is, we shall shed light on some of the numerous personal and occupational struggles, difficulties and uncertainties Hungarian professional footballers encountered at varied stages of their footballing transfer after the collapse of communism. Hence, one of our aims is to draw wider attention to motivational forces, in the form of push and pull factors that can either facilitate or hinder migratory processes and, at a later stage, impact on migratory experiences. We will then consider the selection of potential host countries and the degree of control Hungarian professional footballers exercise over choosing their countries of destination. Finally, we examine issues related to the clarity of contract negotiations prior to and during the migratory experience. Our analysis is sociologically-driven and embedded in empirical, qualitative evidence gathered by semi-structured interviews with migrant Hungarian professional footballers.