Last week, the Sigulda County Council began reviewing a collective application signed by more than 500 county residents. Its initiators are the football school “Sigulda”, which wants to receive co-financing according to the same principles as the sports school founded by the municipality. Experts predict that such a precedent can have a far-reaching impact on the future sports system in Latvia.
IN BRIEF:
- Currently, both municipal and private sports schools go through the same accreditation process as the state.
- In the upcoming sports law, state officials are trying to incorporate a regulation that would oblige municipalities to finance private sports schools as well. Local governments actively oppose it.
- Juris Slavēns, a member of the board of the “Sigulda” football school, states that they also offer professionally oriented education to the children of the county, so they want the same funding rules as sports schools founded by municipalities.
- In Jelgava, more children play football in private sports schools, but in Sigulda there are no opportunities to practice football in the municipal sports school.
- The vice mayor of Jelgava, Aigars Rublis (JV), believes that the sources of financing should be reviewed, as it is not possible to put all of this on the shoulders of the municipality.
- Jānis Sarāns-Reneslācis, a sworn lawyer and sports law expert, welcomes the activity of the residents of Sigulda county and believes that the situation has the potential to set in motion a process that would lead to the reform of youth sports financing on a national scale.
Juris Slavēns, a member of the board of the “Sigulda” football school, states that they also offer vocational education to the children of the region. “We would like more equal support for transport, room rentals, competition fees and various other possible benefits in football as well.”
375 students train at the football school. Local government support is only 7% of the organization’s budget. “If we calculate per child, then the municipal support is 2.37 euros per month, if I’m not mistaken,” says Slaven.
Sigulda Sports School does not have a football section, so several private clubs offer football training. On the other hand, in the city of Jelgava, football is among the sports learned in the sports school, but a smaller number of students are engaged in it in the sports school than in the two private football clubs – FS “Jelgava” and “Viola”. However, private clubs do not receive municipal funding for providing training for children.
“If we provide our municipality founded [sporta] school activities, then allocate funds for some others [sporta] schools… This is a question that must be seen in the context of whether we are duplicating ourselves and whether we are not reducing our role in this way, which is directly related to the activity of the children’s and youth sports school,” says Jelgava Vice Mayor Aigars Rublis (“Jaunā Vienotība”).
Both municipally founded and private sports schools go through the same accreditation process carried out by the state. In the upcoming sports law, state officials are trying to incorporate a regulation that would oblige municipalities to finance private sports schools as well. Local governments actively oppose it.
“In order to move in this direction regarding the funding of these schools, it is necessary to understand what the source of funding is, because it is impossible to put everything on the shoulders of the municipality,” says Rublis.
In one of the previous “What should be changed in Latvian sports?” for the stories of the rubric in August, Guntis Apīnis, Sports Advisor of the Latvian Association of Local Governments, emphasized that if the opportunity to apply for funding is expanded, but the funding is left at the same level, then it is not enough. “Conflict situations are created. Therefore, if the country could do this [starpību] co-finance, it would be just and fair.”
Jānis Sarāns-Reneslācis, a sworn lawyer and sports law expert, welcomes the activity of the residents of Sigulda county. The situation has the potential to mobilize residents in other counties as well and to experience a degree of escalation that would lead to a nationwide reform of youth sports funding.
“This is actually a very good situation, which allows us to pave the way for a much more efficient use of municipal funds in each specific municipality, where there is a sufficiently strong involvement of the private sector
in providing state-accredited sports education programs for young people,” says the sports law expert.
Full conversation with Jānis Saran-Reneslāci
In his opinion, it will be very difficult for the municipality of Sigulda region to find legal reasons to oppose the requirements of the collective application of the region’s residents. If both municipal and private sports schools are accredited according to the same principles, they should also be financed according to the same principles.
“Arguments can always be found in every specific situation. But I agree that it is very difficult to understand what its rationality could be – why you oppose it. The key word is – equal funding. Respectively, we apply the same principles as for the municipal sports school in relation to the private sports school, which performs the same function,” says Sarans-Reneslācis.
The deputies of the municipality of Sigulda region decided to refer the issue to the committee responsible for sports. Members will then look at it again.
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