Abstract
This chapter addresses developments in the sport industry in Belgium, with a particular focus on the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Data on sport-related companies was gathered by national statistical offices that use the Belgian equivalent (NACE-BEL 2008) of the Statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE Rev. 2, 2008). The chapter starts with a positioning of sport organisations based on available research in the governmental, the commercial and the civil society sector. After that, the focus is on structural, professional and financial parameters of sport-related companies to estimate the size of the sport industry and particular subsectors. Lastly, an overview of the largest sport-related companies is provided, with a particular focus on the fitness industry. It is concluded that the sport industry has grown substantially over the past years, particularly due to a recent rise in the number of companies involved with the exploitation of fitness centres and sport and recreation education. Moreover, the sport industry has grown relatively stronger than the total economy both in terms of the number of companies, employment rates and revenue.
Selected country facts, whole Belgium (in 2013) | |
|---|---|
Capital | Brussels |
Geographical size (km2) | 30,528 |
Population (million) | 11.16 |
GDP (euro per capita) | 35,300 |
GDP (per capita in PPS) | 120 |
Annual net earnings average (€) | 26,609 |
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- 1.
Cultural autonomy of language communities was gained in 1969 (Scheerder et al., 2011b).
- 2.
EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interests, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation. EBITDA-% = 100 x EBITDA/revenue. EBITDA-% = EBITDA margin.
- 3.
Information on the business size in Bel-First is available for 54% of all companies. The majority of these companies is classified as ‘small’ (87.8%), whereas a minority is labelled ‘medium-sized’ (11.0%), ‘large’ (1.2%) or ‘very large’ (0.04%). No information on the operationalisation of the size is provided by Bureau Van Dijk (2016). Information on staff members and company revenue is mainly available for large companies.
- 4.
Cf. Club Brugge (since 1997, EBITDA-%2014 = −28.92), Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (since 1998, EBITDA-%2014 = −25.79), Koninklijke Beerschot 2 Club (since 1999, EBITDA-%2012 = −40.66), Stayen (since 1999, EBITDA-% not available), Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht (since 2010, EBITDA-%2014 = 6.93) and Kortrijk Voetbalt (since 2010, EBITDA-%2014 = −4.46).
- 5.
Cf. La Rasante (since 2000, EBITDA-%2013 = 8.39)
- 6.
Cf. Pipa Trading (since 2006, EBITDA-%2014 = −1.26), David Lloyd Leisure Operations (since 2009, EBITDA-%2013 = 26.04), S&R Gent (since 2010, EBITDA-%2013 = −74.82), S&R Beveren (since 2010, EBITDA-%2013 = −73.85).
- 7.
Cf. Compagnie Le Zoute (since 1931, EBITDA-%2013 = 6.51), Koninklijke Renvereniging Oostende (since 1989, EBITDA-%2013 = −262.34).
- 8.
Jezet Seating (since 1989, EBITDA-%2013 = −0.71)
- 9.
Cf. Kodak (printing plates, professional digital cameras, printing software, etc.) and Evedec (facilities support management services).
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Michael Goethals and Guy Pauwels of the Research Administration of the Flemish Government for their support in providing the data for this chapter. We also thank Erik Thibaut (KU Leuven) for his support in the analysis and the interpretation of economic measures.
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Borgers, J., Scheerder, J. (2017). BELGIUM: The Rise and Size of the Sport Industry in the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. In: Laine, A., Vehmas, H. (eds) The Private Sport Sector in Europe. Sports Economics, Management and Policy, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61310-9_3
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