Social return on investment (SROI) in sport: a model for measuring the value of participation in England

ABSTRACT

Recent and historical evidence suggests that sport creates societal benefits in terms of improved health, reduced crime, improved education and enhanced subjective well-being. However, there is limited empirical research on the monetary value of these non-market outcomes for society. The original research presented in this paper aims to calculate the social impact of sport in England, using a Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework. It is the first time an SROI framework has been used to value the sports sector at the national level. According to our study, in 2013/14 the social value of sports participation in England was £44.8 billion and the total financial and non-financial inputs to sport were £23.5 billion, giving an SROI ratio of 1.91. This means that for every £1 invested in sport, £1.91 worth of social benefit was generated. The research has several implications for policymakers. First, it shows it is possible to use an SROI framework to measure and value the wider benefits of sport to society, which provides a useful benchmarking tool for gathering evidence on the social impact of sport. Second, the research demonstrates that the return on investment in sport in England is positive and substantial, providing policymakers with evidence-based research upon which to better articulate the case for investment in sport. Third, it provides evidence that sport creates value to society across multiple social outcomes, potentially making it a cost-effective investment for addressing social issues across multiple public policy areas.

KEYWORDS:

• Sports participation
• sports volunteering
• non-market benefits
• social impact
• social value; Social Return on Investment (
• SROI)

Acknowledgments

We thank Rebecca Jones (Sport Industry Research Centre) for contributing to the production of the figures. We also thank the anonymous reviewers who have helped refine and improve the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).