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Sport development is an opportunity because of two main reasons:

1 It has a multiple effect on economic activities from no other resource than the willingness of the local people (provided resources for initial investment can be put at disposal).

2 A chain of value around sport activities could easily be built up: maintenance of facilities, security, production of sport simple equipment and clothes, training, etc.

Nevertheless the chain needs to be fed by income coming from outside, it needs to have a competitive market, due to some comparative advantage compared with other areas. The chain is the base for promoting sport events in a competitive manner, which generates other economic activities in the field of services: food, hotels, arts and crafts, gadgets, organisation business, etc.

This is possible if the local system (production, education, services) is functioning. If local people have particular tradition or aptitude in some sport discipline, this helps further, although it cannot be considered a pre-condition for developing chains of value.

Sport development is also an opportunity because it favours social inclusion and contributes to reduce poverty. Many children and young people can find possibilities of socialisation, alternatives to the street and also perspectives for social and economic reinsertion. People with scant resources and skills can find niches in the sport economy, where no special skill is required, but only some training and assistance (which is provided by structures such as the LEDAs). Entrepreneurs can find new possibilities of businesses including the management of sport infrastructures.