E-Book Overview
The public sector is the largest provider of sport and leisure facilities and the biggest employer of leisure management graduates – the last decade has seen enormous changes in this sector. In this significant new student textbook – the first to investigate leisure management in a public sector context – Leigh Robinson examines the unique issues facing public sector managers and analyzes the application of contemporary management strategies and techniques to public sector leisure. It provides thorough coverage of the work and skills required in addition to the challenges and issues facing leisure managers. This book also challenges the perceptions and negative comparisons with the private sector. Written using a clear and user-friendly style, this textbook will be core reading for students of sport, leisure and recreation management, and makes an accessible reference for practicing managers working across the spectrum of leisure provision, from sport facilities through to parks, arts and heritage.
E-Book Content
Managing Public Sport and Leisure Services The public sport and leisure sector is both the major provider of sport and leisure facilities and the largest source of employment within the industry. Changes in the government legislation of the industry, as well as growth and development within the sport and leisure industry at large, mean that managers in the public sector have faced a revolution over the last two decades. This book analyses the issues facing contemporary managers and considers how traditional commercial management techniques can be adapted to present best practice in the management of public services. Part I: Introduces and contextualises management in the public sport and leisure service. Part II: Describes and evaluates the key functions of sport and leisure management, including strategic, human resource and financial management, and offers best-practice applications for the public sector. Part III: Assesses the future of public sector sports and leisure, and analyses the implications for management in the coming years. Managing Public Sport and Leisure Services allows students to develop an understanding of the complexities and realities of management within the public sector. It provides a unique resource for students following courses in sport and leisure, and public sector management. It also presents an invaluable practical resource for professionals within the industry. Leigh Robinson is a lecturer in Sport and Leisure Management at the Institute of Sport and Leisure Policy, Loughborough University, UK. Managing Public Sport and Leisure Services Leigh Robinson First published 2004 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada By Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004. © 2004 Leigh Robinson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-64655-X Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-67590-8 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0–415–27076–6 (hbk) ISBN 0–415–27077–4 (pbk) For Lisa and Callum Contents List of illustrations Introduction ix xi PART I The challenge of public sport and leisure management 1 The public sport and leisure context 1 3