Abstract
Abstract The paper aims to investigate current approaches to the management of public sport facilities by local governments. In the Czech Republic, local clubs traditionally played a key role in providing sport to the public. With decreasing participation in organized sport, a significant number of clubs have been forced to transfer their facilities to local governments and the sport position of local authorities has strengthened considerably in recent years. In consequence, there have been alterations in the management of public sport facilities. The findings of statistical analysis emphasize an increasing role of specialized organizations at the expense of in-house management or external provision (facilities hired out to sport clubs). Moreover, local population and type of facility were found to be the possible reasons for different approaches. In-house management is associated with smaller municipalities whereas most of their facilities have the character of public goods. In contrast, publicly funded organizations and municipal enterprises appear in municipalities with larger populations providing sport facilities of regional importance in the form of mixed goods. Finally, clubs, as representatives of external provision, mostly provide sport facilities primarily intended for their own purposes - club goods. In the context of recent works and contemporary trends in sport participation, the research findings indicate that different forms of management may have significant effects not only on efficiency of public budgets but also on conditions for sport at local level - especially on targeting those who would participate in sport if they had access to new opportunities or leisure programs.
Highlights
This article analyses the variations in the management of public sport facilities in the Czech Republic at the municipal level
In-house management is associated with smaller municipalities whereas most of their facilities have the character of public goods
In the context of recent works and contemporary trends in sport participation, the research findings indicate that different forms of management may have significant effects on efficiency of public budgets and on conditions for sport at local level – especially on targeting those who would participate in sport if they had access to new opportunities or leisure programs
Summary
This article analyses the variations in the management of public sport facilities in the Czech Republic at the municipal level. Some works talk about a minor impact of sport infrastructure on participation in sport (e.g., Rütten, 2000; Flemr, 2009; Špaček, 2011), uneven availability of sport facilities is widely considered one of the key determinants of differences in (or lower) participation (Seefeldt, Malina, & Clark, 2002; European Commission, 2008; Wicker, Breuer, & Pawlowski, 2009; Veal, 2010). Considering both the variety of sport activities and a growing individualization in sport (Slepičková, 2009; Špaček, 2011), the demands on sport facilities and their providers are still increasing. This was arguably caused by the lack of strategic public support for the clubs, gradual dilapidation of their sport facilities, trends in sport participation (European Commission, 2010; Špaček, 2011), decreasing number of volunteers in sport (Hobza, Dohnal, & Mitáš, 2009) and/or the single-purpose character of most of the club facilities
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