SPORTS STATISTICS IN PORTUGAL

Trend analysis of statistics on the number of athletes. Disaggregation of data by type and by age. Other sports development indicators. Handball study case. Funding and finance of the local government. Swimming pools study cases.

Coelho e Silva MJ, Figueiredo A, Gonçalves CE (2007). Sport in a changing society. In CE Gonçalves, SP Cumming, M Coelho e Silva, RM Malina (editors). Sport and Education – tribute to Martin Lee. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra / Coimbra University Press. 189--‐198. [ISBN: 978--‐989--‐8074- ‐16--‐4, Depósito legal: 268633/07]

Instituto do Desporto de Portugal (2005). Estatística do associativismo em Portugal. IDP. Lisboa

Sport System

Total athletes in thousands. Source IDP, (2005)

“Our national sport participation rate of 22% is rather compromising.” Paulo Frischknetch

Between 2001 and 2004, the central public administration signed a contract:

- 126.9 millions of €, sports federations;- 3,57 millions of €, Olympic Committee of

Portugal;- 165.2 thousand €, Portugal Sports

Confederation;- 52.5 thousand € with coach associations.

What is the allocation of the state budget for the sports system?

Annual increase in the number of athletes and support for sports federations (1996-2003)

Public funding for sports federations, in millions of euros. IDP (2005) source.

Total athletes in thousands . IDP (2005) source.

- Will the sports public administration have capacity for increased funding of 36.51 million to 73.02 million euros?

- Or sports associations have the ability to ensure the sport based on only 49.5 euros/year/athlete?

Imagine that the number of athletes doublesto 754 thousand.

Handball Portuguese Federation – a case study

In 7 years (1996-2003), the number of athletes increased 57%!

Total number of athletes enrolled in the handball federation. IDP (2005)

Overall support from the sports public administration to the Portuguese Handball Federation. IDP (2005)

The amount of funding to this federation increase 66%

Sport increase (1996-2003)

57% athletes 66% financial support

Number of coaches of the Portuguese Handball Federation. IDP Source (2005), no data available for 1996

Number of referees and judges of the Portuguese Handball Federation. IDP (2005) source.

Coaches in Portugal

- Only 14% of the coaches take the activity as a profession;

- 88% are less then 30 years old;

- “I had to prioritize my profession”, “I had other things to do” were the main reasons.

But, what about the number of clubs/teams?

In 7 years, the number of athletes increased 57% right?

Number of clubs affiliated in sport federations. IDP (2005) source.

Despite the increased number of athletes and increased funding from the state, the number of clubs, referees and technicians/coaches does not follow this trend.

- Overcrowding clubs/teams;- Less attentional focus of the coach to the athlete:

- less contact- Less feedbacks

Lower learning

School sports

School sports should emerge as an alternative to this increase of the number of athletes.

Keeping the initial funding to federations, the nominal value per practitioner would be 215 euros/athlete;

The sports school provides activity to 120 000 practitioners with little more than 3 million €, resulting in a rate of 25.3 €/athlete/year!

[-]- Density foreign competition;- Continuous training of coaches;- Limitations on the multi-annual planning.

[+]- Logistics and administrative structure of the nuclei- Ability to respond to the interests of young people- Access to a reasonable network of sports equipment- Protecting the rights of young people, in particular

mobility

FUNDING AND FINANCE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Extract of the activity plan and finacing of the Municipality of Coimbra

The maintenance effort of these infrastructures can become incompatible with the support of the practice promoters , forcing municipalities to be the promoters of the activities.

Management of a swimming pool

Monthly costs and revenues of Lousã local pool.

Estimates of costs and revenues in the local swimming pool of Catanhede.

Cost impact of the Swimming pool’s Lousã

- Monthly deficit of 8 000 euros. Catanhede

- Monthly deficit of 15 000 euros. Coimbra

- Monthly responsibility of 200 000 euros. Lisboa

- 7 swimming pools waiting to be open to public.

• To reverse this situation, in several cases the solution pass by getting the clubs “away”(impose limits) of the pools and make activitys that give more profits.

The maintenance costs and the poor social adherence make of some of these infrastructure’s a pain in the head for the town council.

It’s necessary to make a good analysis of the building plan, evaluating all the facts: geographic space, social accessibility, financial needs etc.