Journal of Public Administration, Finance and Law (Dec 2018)
THE ROLE OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORTING YOUTH AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES. CASE STUDY
Abstract
Sport is a vector of social cohesion that demands from the state and local authorities intelligent and strategic sports policies based on an inclusive sporting governance model adapted to its own socio-cultural identity. However, the Eurobarometer on Sport and Physical Activity (2013) for the 28 Member States shows that 59% of Europeans don’t do sports or never carry out sporting activities, thus causing a negative impact on the health of the population and on the socio-economic level, given that sport has an important place in the European economy (3.65% of European GDP), providing jobs for 5.4% of the working population. From this perspective, the present paper performs a comparative analysis centered on the support mechanisms granted by the EU Member States to physical education and sport, focusing on the financing of sport clubs and the employment of athletes during sporting activities or after its conclusion. For the comparative analysis, the paper selected a number of EU Member States, which it grouped into three categories, which correspond to the states on the first and last places, respectively in the middle of the ranking presented by the Eurobarometer. The analysis carried out in the paper highlights the fact that at the level of the analyzed states there is an increasing involvement of the local authorities in ensuring a comprehensive status of the athlete and also in the promotion and development of the sports sector, even if the magnitude, sometimes overwhelming, of budgetary constraints often conditions the local sports policies, with many common points in this respect, but also significant gaps between these states.
