A Time for Thinking

This post is my presentation from the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ) 2008 Conference. The post contains the abstract and slides.

Hodgetts, D., Mummery, K., & Duncan, M. (2008). An examination of a major event and the sport legacies produced. Paper presented at the Sport Management Association of Australia New Zealand Conference, Fremantle, Australia.

The aim of the current research is to investigate the impact that a major sporting event has on the development of that sport in the region.

While there has long been an emphasis on the economic and tourism impacts, there is increasing focus on other benefits from hosting major events, including leaving a legacy for the sport itself. This sport development legacy might include increased participation, volunteers or coaching & officiating. However, it is not necessarily a matter of “build it and they will come”; a conscious, sustained effort is required in order for a sport to develop as a result of an event. While there has been increased focus on this appealing concept of providing benefits for sport, there has been little research has been done to measure this aspect of an event’s impact.
A case study approach was utilised for this research project. The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships are an annual event with 6,000 competitors aged from 15 to over 70 and an estimated 100,000 spectators over the five days of the event. After twelve years at Kurrawa, Queensland, the championships are being held in Perth, Western Australia from 2007 – 2009. The 2007 event provided an AUD$23m economic impact to the state, but there is no indication what impact the event will have on surf lifesaving in Western Australia, or has had previously in Queensland.
An online survey was conducted 12 months after the initial event in Western Australia to survey members on motivations for attending the event. Specific legacy questions were asked of Western Australia and Queensland respondents.
The findings suggest that the event is generating some benefits in the area of sport development, but that further work is needed to create an ongoing legacy. A full analysis will be presented at the conference. Further research will examine the organisation’s membership, coaching/officiating and competition statistics and interview key stakeholders on the legacy the event has provided. These measures will be repeated for each of the three years of the event.

While there has long been an emphasis on the economic and tourism impacts, there is increasing focus on other benefits from hosting major events, including leaving a legacy for the sport itself. This sport development legacy might include increased participation, volunteers or coaching & officiating. However, it is not necessarily a matter of “build it and they will come”; a conscious, sustained effort is required in order for a sport to develop as a result of an event. While there has been increased focus on this appealing concept of providing benefits for sport, there has been little research has been done to measure this aspect of an event’s impact.
A case study approach was utilised for this research project. The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships are an annual event with 6,000 competitors aged from 15 to over 70 and an estimated 100,000 spectators over the five days of the event. After twelve years at Kurrawa, Queensland, the championships are being held in Perth, Western Australia from 2007 – 2009. The 2007 event provided an AUD$23m economic impact to the state, but there is no indication what impact the event will have on surf lifesaving in Western Australia, or has had previously in Queensland.
An online survey was conducted 12 months after the initial event in Western Australia to survey members on motivations for attending the event. Specific legacy questions were asked of Western Australia and Queensland respondents.
The findings suggest that the event is generating some benefits in the area of sport development, but that further work is needed to create an ongoing legacy. A full analysis will be presented at the conference. Further research will examine the organisation’s membership, coaching/officiating and competition statistics and interview key stakeholders on the legacy the event has provided. These measures will be repeated for each of the three years of the event.