Sports club activities have been supported in Finland since the 1920s. During that time, the activities of the clubs have become more diverse, but the main lines of assistance have remained unchanged.
From the survey of Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences’ (Jamk) Liikuntan organization information development project, it appears that financial support for basic activities would be the most important form of support for sports clubs. The survey was sent to all clubs that received club support from the Ministry of Education and Culture for 2019–2022, and 219 clubs responded to it.
Most of the subsidies granted to clubs are currently various development subsidies, which always have some kind of targeted goal, such as salary or functional development.
– The need for general assistance is clear, and instead of discussing whether clubs should be assisted and how much, we should start discussing how and what kind of activities should be assisted or supported, reflects the researcher Samuli Oja Likes from Jamk.
– In Finland, there are clubs that operate entirely on a voluntary basis, suitably professionalized clubs and even clubs whose operations are close to the operating principles of companies. Of course, their needs are different, Oja continues.
The survey shows that, in addition to financial subsidies, subsidizing the use of facilities is important, especially for big clubs. Developing municipal sports facilities are a lifeline, when the number of enthusiasts increases, the facilities become cramped. For smaller clubs, it is more important than big ones to get financial support for the substantive development of activities such as events and strengthening skills.
– There would be a need for more individualized and customized forms of support and assistance, says Samuli Oja.
The municipalities have the main responsibility for assisting sports clubs. The state’s direct assistance to clubs has focused on club support and the important corona grants of recent years. In addition, the state assists the clubs indirectly through the municipalities’ state contributions.
The turnover or total volume of the clubs in Finland is around 800 million euros. Its biggest payers are households. Sports clubs receive about 70 million in direct financial support each year. The municipalities finance about 60 million of it, the Ministry of Education and Culture’s club support is 3–5 million, and the rest is made up of grants from sports federations, EU funding and some grants from national sports organizations.
– In reality, the amount is higher, because there is no information on grants from, for example, foundations or companies, nor on those employed by TE centers, for example. That 70 million includes annually recurring grant entities, but for example municipal subsidies for conditions are a much more significant entity than monetary support, explains Samuli Oja.