Funding of sports is inefficient, says ESRI

ELITE activities that do not encourage public participation receive two-thirds of all sports funding despite government policies aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles.

That’s according to an Economic and Social Research Institute report being published today, which describes government funding of sport as “inefficient” and calls for reform of the way sports are publicly funded.

The report casts doubt on the wisdom of providing more sporting facilities around the country, saying that such a policy is “very unlikely” to lead to a significant increase in the number of people playing sport.