How new multi-sport facilities can be used after major events

Municipalities building new multisport facilities for major events could risk ending up with expensive, underutilized complexes, but a new study suggests there are several factors that can keep them productive over the long term.

The researchers found that factors such as the location and design of the facility, the formal arrangements between operational groups, and the breadth of the sports and recreational program offered at the facility all helped foster a legacy of participation after the event.

“Major sporting events often require the construction of new facilities, but typically these facilities place a significant financial burden on the host community and are underutilized after the event,” said Kevin Wilson, lead author and Ph.D. Candidate in Waterloo’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. “Perhaps the best-known Canadian example of a so-called white elephant is the 1976 Montreal Olympics, which left the city $1.2 billion in debt.”

Researchers examined a successful single-site case study to uncover the factors that led people to continue using these sports facilities. The case involved a $205 million construction project funded through a multiparty agreement between federal, provincial and local governments and a local university. The facility was built on redeveloped brownfield land adjacent to a low-income neighborhood near the university.

Researchers conducted interviews with facility operators five years later and found that these factors contributed to greater usage: a facility that bridges stakeholder needs, a design that meets pre- and post-event needs, a formalized one Communication and coordination before and after the event and programs that meet the diverse needs of the community.

“Communities need to understand how participation in sport works in their area and where there are gaps in service,” Wilson said. “You need to consider age, gender, income, time off, availability of facilities and programs, and tie participation to a long-term community master plan.”

Wilson added that host communities should not only conduct a needs assessment to identify high-priority capacity and areas, but also select a venue that meets the needs of both the event and the surrounding community, and use cross-sector partnerships to manage it build up the post – event operation.

The paper, Investigating the Legacy of Sports Participation at a Major Event: The Case of a Multipurpose Sports Facility, was co-authored by Wilson and Dr. Patti Millar of the University of Windsor and appears in International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing.