Sports clubs and organizations in changing times: the case of Singapore

Abstract

Abstract Sports clubs are places where people commonly gather to engage in sports. In many countries they are a key component of the sport delivery system. This study examines the role and evolution of sports clubs in Singapore against a backdrop of the socio-political-economic development. In the process, three themes are identified, namely, (a) the influence of state intervention, (b) the nature and relevance of sports clubs through the years, and (c) market-sector development and its influence on sports clubs. The functionalist view provides us with an understanding of the socio-political-economic conditions and why the government of Singapore employs sport as a vehicle for social development and nation-building. How the resultant sports policies, state-funded facilities, and sports participation conduits offered by the private sector shaped the evolution of the role of sports clubs is discussed. In Singapore, the role of sports clubs is unique in that participating in sports is no longer confined to the traditional sports clubs, but is distributed across state-funded facilities and membership programmes as well as private-sector offerings. Instead of sports being confined to the elite few as in the past, the notion of ‘Sport Without Boundaries’ envisioned by Vision2030 is becoming a reality.