The contribution of the EU structural and cohesion funds to the sporting sector : evidence from Malta

Abstract

The topic of sport in the European Union (EU) warrants research since this sector is vital to the well-being of all the EU member states vis-à-vis its contribution to health, the economy and social and cultural inclusion, these being primary areas the EU seeks to achieve results in. One way in which the EU offers assistance to this sector is through EU funds. Hence, this dissertation focuses on the contribution of EU funds, with a special focus on the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF), to provide support to the sporting sector to help it improve. Two research questions were set with a view to explore the concepts of and relations between ‘EU Funds' and 'Sport.' An in-depth analysis of how the EU has helped the sporting sector through the ERDF fund in the programming period 2014 to 2020 is presented. A case study on Malta was subsequently chosen since Malta has one of the lowest rates of people doing physical activity or practicing a sport amongst EU member states. The discussion and data collection tools were made using a mixed-method approach. This data identified the main sporting projects proposed and approved by the ERDF fund to allocate funds and co-finance these projects around the EU member states, including Malta. The findings show that money is allocated to different areas of the sporting sector to improve the economy, health, and gives inclusion in a member state’s society. After these findings and the research questions were answered and discussed, suggestions and recommendations were given on how sport should be improved, with a special mention to Malta.