Finland: From steering to the evaluation of effectiveness

Abstract

The Finnish sport system consists of three major elements: voluntarism in sport clubs; the public sector with state subsidies for municipalities’ sport budgets; and the private sector’s offering of sport-related services and products. Participation in sport by Finns has traditionally been based on the combination of a strong civic sector and state support. Nowadays, however, as a result of the recent economic recession, the breakdown of the Nordic welfare model and changing values in relation to voluntary work, there have been changes in Finland in terms of the condition of sport and the relationship between the public and voluntary sectors. There has also been a decline in the level of state support for maintaining and constructing sport facilities. New forms of collaboration, especially in the for-profit and voluntary sport sector, are needed in order to secure citizens’ possibilities for sport in the future.