Public-private partnership in youth sport delivery: local government perspective

Youth sport programs in Lithuania are delivered in public and private sports schools, also by private sport clubs and various non-government organizations. However, a recent shift from public sector towards private sector has been observed. As a result, public-private partnerships in sport sector and, particularly, in youth sport program delivery, could be seen as a logical next step in strive for good governance. Private sector is mainly focused on utilization of sport facilities, while public sector – the owner of sport facilities – is mainly concerned with the economics of facility maintenance and additional income to offset budget reductions. Similarly to the findings of Legg and colleagues (2018), potential partnership efficiencies are not always realized due to a lack of goal alignment and limited resources. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, data were collected through online questionnaires from 8municipality representatives who were either the heads of sport division or had direct contact with youth sports programs. Research findings were constructed along three phases of partnership governance – formation, management, and outcomes. Study results provide insights into the advantages and disadvantages of public-private partnerships in youth sport delivery, as well as identify possible solutions towards increased effectiveness of collaboration in future. Multiple positive outcomes were identified by this study – from improved infrastructure, increased sport participation numbers to successful collaboration in event management and constructive influence on the establishment of a more efficient regulatory framework. And although, this research has not uncovered more systematic findings regarding public-private partnerships, it clearly proved that benefits outweighed shortcomings, thus, indicating future potential of such governance model.