Local government on sport fields

The first report of this type prepared by „Rzeczpospolita” indicates that 73 towns in Poland dedicated last year PLN 270 million to sport clubs in such disciplines as football, handball, volleyball, speedway and ice hockey.

This is a considerable amount and a question arises if the local governments should spend millions on professional teams, which frequently are just a business project. This was discussed by the participants of a debate entitled “Emotions paid for from the budget or how and why the local governments in Poland co-finance professional sport?”.

Promotion of a city

- There is no straight answer, there are arguments both in favour and against - said Anna Krupka, Deputy Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport. - Successful athletes always encourage children or the general population to be more physically active. Sport also promotes cities, and in this sense, it is probably a good investment - she added. Minister Krupka mentioned the handball club Vive Kielce as an example, which by winning the Champions League found its way to neon screens in Paris. She believes that many people learned in this way that a city like Kielce exists.

Tomasz Jażdżyński, president of Gremi Media (publisher of, among others, “Rzeczpospolita”), noted that the argument in favour could also concern the risk that without local government funding, football games outside the premier league would cease to exist. Or it would be organized at a level far different from the current standard. Moreover, it is possible that support from local budgets for sports clubs gives them greater opportunities to create sport academies for children and youth, thanks to which these clubs can find young talents (not only for themselves) and contribute to the popularization of sport in general.

At the same time there are several reasons against. - Such an argument may concern the perception by the local population, which do not always think that investing in professional sports clubs, especially those taking part in European competitions, is a good move - said minister Krupka. In other words, residents may have doubts as to whether it is worth financing with public money what should be self-financing, or what may easily find non-public sponsors. And wouldn't it be better to allocate this money to, for example, the construction of generally accessible sports fields or the development of mass sport.

Firstly, mass sport

- When it comes to sponsoring elite teams by the local government, I am definitely in favour, but under certain conditions - said Robert Korzeniowski, chairman of the Robert Korzeniowski Foundation Council. - First of all, the role of the local government is to promote physical activity of all residents and the development of infrastructure for the needs of mass sport - said Korzeniowski. If the city achieves these goals, there are no obstacles for it also to contribute to professional sports clubs.

Another challenge for local governments is, according to Korzeniowski, the promotion of competitive sports and the development of facilities for future achievements in Olympic disciplines. When asked for details, he calculated that "creating" an Olympic champion in a certain discipline would mean 8–13 years of preparation, each training year costs PLN 200–500 thousand, so a quick count gives PLN 5-6 million of costs. - Of course, this concerns individual sports, not counting the equipment or the necessary infrastructure. There is no competitive sport without the support of the local government - emphasized Korzeniowski.

- I am not entirely convinced that cities should invest in professional sport. Large sports clubs operate more on business principles, and you can ask yourself why the local government should support this particular business and not some other - said Mirosław Bieniecki, president of the Bieg Rzeźnika Foundation.

According to Mr. Michałowski, local budgets should primarily contribute to the financing and promotion of mass sport. - I'm not saying they don't, because they do. But there is always a question about the effectiveness of investments in sports clubs - emphasizes Bieniecki.

The effectiveness of this type of expenditure is a broad topic. On the one hand, it is about the ongoing control of public expenditures, which, according to the participants of the debate, should be strengthened. There are also situations when local government money does not go to support the success of players, but, for example, to full-time jobs for subsequent officials.