In the local community, sports clubs present a focal point of engaging all sections of the population in organized regular physical activity; however, they also provide systematic education and training for children and youth, guiding them towards competitive and professional sport. A healthy lifestyle and personal development of young people through engagement in sporting activities is beneficial for improving general social development of the local community. To analyse the relationship between the Municipality of Črnomelj and local sports clubs, I conducted an analysis of the current situation and suggested possible improvements.
This thesis deals with the dynamics of establishing sports clubs in the Municipality of Črnomelj, the legislative definitions of sports clubs at national and local levels and their public interest, as well as the legislative definitions of sports clubs in some other European countries. I also compared public funding provided for sports clubs in the neighbouring municipalities. My findings are based on documentary resources from local authorities. The interview with the current mayor, Mr Andrej Kavšek, gave me an insight into his policies regarding future improvements of the current situation.
The sports clubs in the Municipality of Črnomelj are facing significant difficulties in providing sufficient financial funds for the realization of their professional programmes. The Municipality of Črnomelj has been issuing public tenders for sports programmes co-funding for the past twenty years; however, the municipal budget share for sports has been declining in real terms. Bigger sports clubs have to find sponsorships, donations and other funding sources to cover most of their yearly expenses, which requires considerable efforts.
In the future, improvements should be made regarding communication between the local authorities and the clubs, as well as more efficient organization of sports clubs functioning should be established. There are some possibilities for local sports clubs to participate in the national public tenders for sports funds, where local authorities could provide valuable help and guidance to local sports clubs.
I will present my thesis to the Mayor of the Municipality of Črnomelj or his staff, who could use the findings in my thesis to develop fundamental measures for improving the status and development of sports programmes in local sports clubs.
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