Good governance from a national perspective: the case of Sweden

In recent years, good governance has been established as an overarching concept for the struggle against corruption and abuse of power in both international sports organizations and the hosting of major championships. Still, in Sweden, the concept is to a large extent unknown. This can partly be explained by the fact that Swedish sport is weakly represented in international sports organizations, and rarely hosts major sporting events. Further, a strong popular movement tradition and limited commercialization have fostered a notion that Swedish sport has been spared from such economic and democratic problems. However, a new study regarding economy and ethics in local sport clubs indicates the occurrence of financial irregularities and the need for increased awareness of the principles of good governance. Method The study was conducted by The Swedish National Centre for Research in Sports (CIF) and United Minds as part of CIF’s assignment to monitor government support to sport. A web-based questionnaire concerning financial management and ethics was sent to the treasurers of all local sports clubs within The Swedish Confederation of Sports. 5480 treasurers responded, repre- senting a response rate of 34 percent. A non-response analysis showed that the questionnaire replies were evenly distributed across the country and that all sports were represented. Results The treasurer’s description of Swedish sports confirms the picture of a non-profit movement with low degree of professionalization and commercialisation. A majority of the sports clubs are small (fewer than 200 mem- bers) and primarily engaged in youth sports. Their turnover is low and member fees are their main source of revenue. Only three out of ten clubs have employees and a majority of the cashiers lack professional experience in the areas of finance and accounting. According to the cashiers, economic irregularities are common among Swedish sports clubs. Most common are unaware irregularities, caused by carelessness, ignorance or stress. But one out of four also state that it is common with conscious financial fouls with the aim to support the clubs non-profit endeavours. Discussion The study indicates a perception in Swedish club sports that financial irregularities can be justified if they serve a good purpose. Increased awareness of Good governance can be an important strategy to counteract such views. References Centrum för idrottsforskning 2014:3 Etik och ekonomi i idrottsföreningar