Delivering Sports Participation Legacies at the Grassroots Level: The Voluntary Sports Clubs of Glasgow 2014

Abstract

Voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) provide the primary opportunities for organized community sport in the UK and thus hold the responsibility for delivering on mega-event sports participation legacies. This study presents findings from open-ended questionnaires and interviews conducted in two phases (Phase 1—Spring, 2013; Phase 2—Summer, 2015) with representatives from a sample (n = 39) of VSCs to understand their ability to deliver on the participation legacy goals of London 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Thematic analysis of the data outlined three themes where support for VSCs should be placed when planning future mega-events: building VSC capacity, retaining members in the long-term, and promoting general visibility of the VSC throughout the event. Bid teams who hope to use mega-events as catalysts for sports participation increases should direct funding and guidance toward VSCs to ensure they have the tools, knowledge, and capacity to deliver on national sports participation ambitions.

Temporal Variations in the Relationship Between Legacies and Support: A Longitudinal Case Study in Rio 2016 Olympic Games

“…In terms of tangibility, the literature presents investigations focusing on either tangible (Solberg & Preuss, 2007) or intangible legacies (e.g. Macrae, 2017;Taks, Littlejohn, Snelgrove, & Wood, 2016). Economic, tourism, and structural legacies are commonly referred as tangible or hard legacies, as they can be palpable or concretely felt and supported by numbers (e.g.…”

“…Since the literature and nonacademic reports have failed to show unequivocal tangible legacies for hosts (Kesenne, 2012), scholars have changed their focus from these legacies to intangible or soft legacies (Chalip, Green, Taks, & Misener, 2017). Different intangible legacies have been discussed in the literature, such as cultural, psychological, and sporting legacies (Macrae, 2017;Misener & Schulenkorf, 2016;Taks et al, 2016).…”

Long-term impact of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games on sport participation: A cohort analysis

“…Moreover, as shown in the theoretical framework (Figure 1), the indirect influences from the event contributed to the long-term impact of the Olympic Games through its effects on the policy, behavioral, and social environments. Consequently, not only experiencing the Olympic Games as residents of the host country but also the improved accessibility to sport would be essential to stimulating sport participation (Frawley & Cush, 2011;Macrae, 2017).…”

The role of voluntary sport organisations in leveraging the London 2012 sport participation legacy

“…This disengagement is influenced by a lack of open, two-way communication, as there were 'poor communication processes' (VSO National Manager) impacting the acceptance and understanding of leveraging strategies. Previous studies have indicated capacity and communication challenges between VSOs and clubs, highlighting the need to strengthen inter-organisational communication, to ensure clubs feel supported and engaged (Macrae, 2017;Pappous & Hayday, 2016).…”

“…Leading to valuable insights into club capacity, inter club competition and the importance of partnerships and embedding strategies into an organisation's marketing mix (Taks, Green, Misener & Chalip, 2018;Taks, Chalip, & Green, 2015). Yet, few studies have investigated this within the context of a MSE, either at the national VSO level (Girginov et al, 2017;Hayday, Pappous & Koutrou, 2017) or local club level (Macrae, 2017;Pappous & Hayday, 2016); to identify the specific components that need to be considered by Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), when working with sports organisations to increase sport participation.…”