ABSTRACT

S everal trends over the past 10 years have affected the financial operation of public sector sport facilities (Attwood, 2012). Budget tightening and cuts that began during the Great Recession, coupled with a change in culture to focus on competition and elite performance, have caused park and recreation agencies to depend on innovative programming. The types of facilities and varieties of programming have increased to meet consumer desire. Parks used to be fields of grass and woods; now they include interactive playgrounds, sporting courts, game fields, and advanced trail systems. Community centers, once offering little more than gym space and meeting rooms, have evolved into large multipurpose facilities. These venues frequently offer aquatics facilities, climbing walls, open gym space, running tracks, fitness centers, multipurpose rooms, and child care areas.