Social leverage of sporting mega-events and co-production. The case study of Orlik facilities in Poland after EURO 2012

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study analyses the process of social leveraging of UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland for sports participation through a case study of Orlik facilities. It identifies new arrangements in the governance of the facilities that are based on the co-production of amateur sports offer in a polycentric nested system. This novel bottom-up approach brought results in terms of increased participation in the facilities. The analysis is based on a case study of Orliks over a period of eight years, from 2011 until 2018. The main method was ethnography consisting of open-ended semi-structured interviews and participant observation. This study connects the notions of legacy and leverage of mega-events with Elinor Ostrom’s concept of co-production. The analysis supports earlier findings on the legacy of mega-events in terms of sport participation which discussed the advantages of bottom-up, local approaches in comparison to centrally planned programmes.