Purpose – Alcohol stands in an ambiguous relationship to sports, and there is a common belief that participation in sports prevents alcohol consumption. Although this is not always the case, sports clubs can be important settings for health promoting alcohol policy interventions .The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of implementing alcohol policies in eight football clubs in Sweden and, in particular, how the implementation process is conveyed in the clubs’ alcohol policy projects, the similarities and differences between this case study and Durlak and DuPre's implementation model and the recommendations for successful alcohol policy implementation in relation to the result.
Design/methodology/approach – In total, 15 semi-structured interviews on the subject of sports’ club alcohol policies were conducted with project leaders and board members from eight sports clubs. The interviews were analysed using Durlak and DuPre's model of factors affecting implementation processes.
Findings – The results show that almost all the factors in Durlak and DuPre's model were comprehensively manifested in the football clubs’ alcohol policy projects, although with slightly different significance and emphases.
Practical implications – The results are discussed in relation to recommendations for successful alcohol policy implementation in sports clubs. Recommendations are presented in six areas: an explicit message; fit; internal policy dissemination; alcohol policy as a part of overall policy; support; and actors.
Originality/value – Many sports clubs do an excellent job of implementing alcohol policies successfully and it is imperative to incorporate their “good” practices into research and provide assistance to those whose policies and practice are less developed.