The Contribution of Sports Clubs to Public Welfare in European Societies. A Cross-National Comparative Perspective

Elmose-Østerlund, Karsten; Ibsen, Bjarne; Nagel, Siegfried; Scheerder, Jeroen (2020). The Contribution of Sports Clubs to Public Welfare in European Societies. A Cross-National Comparative Perspective. In: Nagel, Siegfried; Elmose-Østerlund, Karsten; Ibsen, Bjarne; Scheerder, Jeroen (eds.) Functions of Sports Clubs in European Societies. A Cross-National Comparative Study. Sports Economics, Management and Policy: Vol. 13 (pp. 345-385). Cham: Springer International Publishing 10.1007/978-3-030-48535-1_14

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This chapter presents the results from a cross-national comparative analysis of European sports clubs’ contribution to public welfare and offers potential explanations for the similarities and differences identified. The analysis reveals how sports clubs make a significant contribution to public welfare with regard to the four functions examined: health promotion, social integration, democracy and voluntary work. However, the contribution of sports clubs to these functions can mainly be understood as side effects to the activities offered by clubs. Sports clubs’ contribution to public welfare is in many respects relatively similar, but the analysis also identifies significant differences between countries. Potential explanations for the similarities and differences identified are examined at different levels of analysis. At the macro-level (societal level), explanations pertaining to the historical origin and political opportunity structure for sports clubs are discussed. At the meso-level (sports club level), potential explanations regarding the constitutive elements and typical features, the organisational capacity as well as the structural characteristics of sports clubs are discussed. At the micro-level (member level), potential explanations pertaining to the social background as well as motivation and engagement of members are discussed. The chapter ends with five awareness points to enhance sports clubs’ contribution to public welfare.

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