The Private Sport Sector in Europe: A Cross-National Comparative Perspective (Sports Economics, Management and Policy Book 14)

This book outlines the private sport sector in different European countries. Sport in the European countries is organized in three distinct sectors. These are the state/public sector, which provides financial and political support for sport infrastructure; the civic/non-profit sector, which provides sport activities and services for citizens, usually in the forms of sport clubs; and the private sector, which is comprised of profit-making private companies and professional teams that produce and sell sport products and services. The private sport sector is becoming ever more important in a global market economy and a financial climate characterized by a public sector in crisis. Taking this into consideration, this book provides a detailed outline of the structure and characteristics of the private sport sector, discusses recent developments in the sector, and compares data across business fields and countries. Containing contributions from sport academics from eighteen countries, this book provides an overall, up-to-date picture of the private sport sector in Europe. Filling a significant gap in sport sociology and economics scholarships, this book will be of use to students and scholars of business and social sciences of sport as well as decision makers and the entrepreneurs.-- Provided by publisher Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Getting a Grip on the Private Sport Sector in Europe (Antti Laine, Hanna Vehmas)....Pages 1-16 AUSTRIA: Winter Tourism and Sport Retail Most Significant Sport Business Fields (Philipp Vejchoda)....Pages 17-32 BELGIUM: The Rise and Size of the Sport Industry in the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region (Julie Borgers, Jeroen Scheerder)....Pages 33-56 CYPRUS: A Small Island Country, Full of History and Passion for Sport (Nicos Kartakoullis, Theofilos Pouliopoulos, Christina Loizou)....Pages 57-72 CZECH REPUBLIC: Growth of the Profit-Making Sport Sector After Economic and Political Transformations (Irena Slepičková, Petr Laník, Jakub Popelka)....Pages 73-87 ESTONIA: To Buy or Not to Buy Is a Question for Many Estonians in Sport and Leisure Participation (Kristjan Port, Karel Kulbin)....Pages 89-105 FINLAND: The Importance of the Private Sport Sector Has Increased in the 2000s (Antti Laine)....Pages 107-124 FRANCE: A Market Dominated by Sport Goods Retailers (Nicolas Delorme)....Pages 125-139 GERMANY: Transformation Towards a More Private Sport Sector (Christoph Breuer, Thomas Giel, Kirstin Hallmann)....Pages 141-157 GREECE: The Impact of Economic Crisis on the Private Sport Sector (Kostas Alexandris, Panagiota Balaska)....Pages 159-174 HUNGARY: Filling the Gaps in the Strategic State Sector (Szilvia Perényi, Mihaly Szerovay, Ilona Bodnár)....Pages 175-192 ITALY: Dichotomies Between Professionalism vs. Voluntarism and Commercialisation vs. Non-profit in the Sport Sector (Antonio Borgogni, Simone Digennaro, Emiliano Mazzoli)....Pages 193-209 LATVIA: On Its Way to Developing the Private Sport Sector (Signe Luika)....Pages 211-229 LITHUANIA: Towards Professionalization of the Private Sport Sector (Vilma Čingienė, Kristina Kalašinskaitė)....Pages 231-249 THE NETHERLANDS: A Joint Venture of Clubs, Businesses, Municipalities and Schools in Sport (Koen Breedveld, Andries Kuipers)....Pages 251-268 PORTUGAL: A Growing Sport Market in a Dominant State Model (Rui Gomes, Nuno Gustavo, Ricardo Melo, Vera Pedragosa)....Pages 269-285 ROMANIA: Private Sport Sector at the Crossroads of Past Socialism and Present Capitalism (László Péter)....Pages 287-308 SPAIN: Evolution and Characteristics of the Private Sport Sector – Focus on Fitness Centres and Gyms (Ramón Llopis-Goig, Anna Vilanova, Jorge Martín Sánchez)....Pages 309-324 UNITED KINGDOM: Dominance of the Commercial Sector in the Sport Market (Chris Gratton, Themis Kokolakakis)....Pages 325-342 Development, Current Situation and Future Prospects of the Private Sport Sector in Europe (Antti Laine, Hanna Vehmas)....Pages 343-354 Appendix: NACE Rev. 2 Directly Sport-Related Classes (Antti Laine, Hanna Vehmas)....Pages 355-357 "This book outlines the private sport sector in different European countries. Sport in the European countries is organized in three distinct sectors. These are the state/public sector, which provides financial and political support for sport infrastructure; the civic/non-profit sector, which provides sport activities and services for citizens, usually in the forms of sport clubs; and the private sector, which is comprised of profit-making private companies and professional teams that produce and sell sport products and services. The private sport sector is becoming ever more important in a global market economy and a financial climate characterized by a public sector in crisis. Taking this into consideration, this book provides a detailed outline of the structure and characteristics of the private sport sector, discusses recent developments in the sector, and compares data across business fields and countries. Containing contributions from sport academics from eighteen countries, this book provides an overall, up-to-date picture of the private sport sector in Europe. Filling a significant gap in sport sociology and economics scholarships, this book will be of use to students and scholars of business and social sciences of sport as well as decision makers and the entrepreneurs."--Page [4] of cover Annotation This book outlines the private sport sector in different European countries. Sport in the European countries is organized in three distinct sectors. These are the state/public sector, which provides financial and political support for sport infrastructure; the civic/non-profit sector, which provides sport activities and services for citizens, usually in the forms of sport clubs; and the private sector, which is comprised of profit-making private companies and professional teams that produce and sell sport products and services. The private sport sector is becoming ever more important in a global market economy and a financial climate characterized by a public sector in crisis. Taking this into consideration, this book provides a detailed outline of the structure and characteristics of the private sport sector, discusses recent developments in the sector, and compares data across business fields and countries. Containing contributions from sport academics from eighteen countries, this book provides an overall, up-to-date picture of the private sport sector in Europe. Filling a significant gap in sport sociology and economics scholarships, this book will be of use to students and scholars of business and social sciences of sport as well as decision makers and the entrepreneurs