Youth, sports and place: The spatiality of sport places in Adana

Although sports geography is a new field in our country, studies in this field have been increasing recently. In general, the spatial dimension of sports is an area of interest to geography, but sports also has a connection with other disciplines, especially in spatial perspective. In this study, the spatial dimension of sports in the context of "Sports and Place", the effect of the concept of place on sports activities, the relationship of some sports types and activities with place, and two sports complexes in the neighborhood with two different socio-economic and cultural structures are discussed in terms of socio-spatial. Considering the construction and operation of sports facilities in Adana, it is clear that the largest share belongs to public institutions. Especially the institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Youth and Sports come to the fore. It is also possible to talk about the contribution of local governments. Finally, private sports facilities also exist in various sports activities in the city. At this point, it should be added: Social and sportive facilities on the campus of Çukurova University also make an important contribution to sports activities in the city. One of the most important reasons why Yüreğir District and Seyhan District were selected as research areas among the four municipalities affiliated to the Metropolitan Municipality in Adana is that these districts have different social, economic and cultural structures. Examining the traces of these differences through sports venues is important in the context of sports geography. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between sports venues and human beings in two places with different socio-spatial characteristics and, accordingly, to see the similarities and differences in practices in individual (psychological and physical), social (discourse and representation) and sports venues. In addition, showing the distribution of sports venues in Adana is one of the secondary aims of the study. In this study, in-depth interview and participant observation method from qualitative methods were used. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 people. 16 of these people are male and 14 are female. In addition, informal interviews were conducted with the youth in addition to the sample group of thirty people, although an attempt was made to maintain a balance between youth and adults depending on age. The fact that the researcher works at the Directorate of Youth and Sports added a phenomenological dimension to this study. Apart from this, participant observation method was also used. The researcher visited the two sports facilities examined regularly and collected data in the environment. As a result, the sports venues in Adana were examined in terms of socio-spatial and the current situation of Adana in terms of sports venues was determined. After examining the people who benefit from two different sports complexes with different socio-spatial characteristics in terms of spatial connection and sociality, suggestions are presented for the planning of sports facilities that are compatible with the city and beneficial to the city.