Assessing financial condition of municipal sports agencies: A data benchmarking approach

Abstract

This study analyzes the development of the financial condition of local decentralized public sports services over a period of 10 years, obtaining benchmarks to serve as a point of reference. In order to do this, the elements of flexibility, independence, and sustainability are analyzed through three indicators in 2,139 observations obtained from municipal sports service organizations in Spain from 2002 to 2011. The majority of the organizations show results that are theoretically adequate in terms of flexibility and sustainability, but not independence. For this reason, the statistics presented can be used as a point of reference in order to classify the organizations in the sector according to their financial performance.