In Italy, the sports industry is worth over 3% of GDP and public expenditure dedicated to the sector has the capacity to mobilize a large amount of private investment, with a multiplier of about nine times. The data is contained in the first study of theObservatory on the Italian sport system created by Banca Ifis and presented on Wednesday at the Coni headquarters.
Italian sport: turnover from 2019 to today
According to the analysis, in 2021 our country's sports system produced a turnover of 78,8 billion euros (equal, in fact, to 3% of the gross domestic product). The result marks a strong recovery compared to the 2020 crisis, when revenues had not gone beyond 66,3 billion. However, analysts point out that last year's numbers still do not represent a general point of reference, due to the heavy limitations always linked to the pandemic.
To get a more reliable picture, it is therefore necessary to go back to 2019, when the turnover of Italian sport reached 95,9 billion, equal to 3,6% of GDP.
The four sectors of the sports industry
According to Banca Ifis, the Italian sports system comprises a total of four sectors:
- the manufacturing companies (clothing and equipment);
- sports clubs and facilities management;
- sports media, events and betting;
- the positive externalities, among which stands out savings for the public health system – estimated at 5,3 billion, 0,5% of GDP – as sporting activity prevents the onset of certain pathologies.
Italian sport and public spending
With regard to the public spending dedicated to the industry sports, in 2019 has arrived at 4,9 billion (equal to 0,3% of GDP and 0,5% of total Italian public expenditure), activating 41,8 billion of investments by private companies, i.e. sports clubs and facility managers. For every million public investments, therefore, more than 20 million revenues are triggered in the sector.
Companies, employees and sportsmen involved
In all, the Italian sport system includes 74 thousand companies (professional, amateur and facility management), it employs 389 people, the equivalent of the inhabitants of Bologna, and involves 15,5 million people who play sports.
The sports betting industry
In the analysis by the Banca Ifis Observatory there is also a focus on betting sports, an industry that resisted the crisis thanks to the online channel and managed to score revenues of 11,7 billion in 2021, a result down by only 1,5 billion compared to 2019.
