Research on the Operation Mode and Benefits of Sports Public Welfare Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects from the Perspective of Sports-Education Integration
—A Case Study of College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects at Guangzhou Sport University ()
1. Introduction
Sports-education integration is the core strategy for the coordinated development of sports and education in China. Its key lies in breaking down the development barriers between sports and education, promoting resource sharing, talent co-education and social service co-responsibility, so as to open up a new path for the high-quality development of the sports industry and basic education. The cultivation of core competencies in sports requires students to actively participate in project activities and practices, and to develop their physical qualities and skills through self-directed learning and inquiry (Wang & Huang, 2024). Guided by this policy, college sports-related innovation and entrepreneurship projects have gradually transformed into a compound “sports + education” model. Sports public welfare entrepreneurship projects with both social public welfare value and market operation capacity have become an important force serving the healthy growth of teenagers, promoting national fitness and improving the equalization level of public sports services.
The state has continuously issued policies to support college students in innovation and entrepreneurship, encouraging colleges and universities to carry out social public welfare services based on disciplinary advantages. With solid sports skills, teaching abilities and practical enthusiasm, sports-major college students have become the core force of sports public welfare entrepreneurship. Such projects are not only the achievements of connecting college innovation and entrepreneurship education with social needs, but also an important embodiment of colleges and universities fulfilling their social service functions. At present, teenagers in China are facing problems such as the decline of physical health, insufficient mastery of sports skills and a need for enhanced red culture education, which provide realistic demands and development space for sports public welfare entrepreneurship projects.
The three projects cultivated by Guangzhou Sport University, namely the Patriotic Education Training Camp Public Welfare Group, Danyu Feiyang Training Center Public Welfare Group, and Innovative Research on Game-Based Design of Early Childhood Physical Education Based on Embodied Cognition Theory, all take sports-education integration as the core idea, focus on teenagers and young children, deeply integrate professional sports practice with public welfare services, and form a distinctive entrepreneurship model with college characteristics. Research on its operation mode and comprehensive benefits can not only enrich the research results in related fields, but also provide practical basis for the operation of similar projects, the optimization of college entrepreneurship education and the formulation of local policies.
From the existing research, foreign countries have formed a relatively mature model of sports and education integration, and public welfare entrepreneurship research mostly focuses on the balance between social value and market benefits; domestic scholars have carried out a lot of research on sports-education integration policies and sports entrepreneurship models, but there are few special studies on sports-major college students’ public welfare entrepreneurship projects, lacking systematic analysis supported by real cases. Based on typical cases, this paper makes up for this research gap.
Sports public welfare entrepreneurship is a practical entrepreneurial activity supported by professional sports capabilities, with the core goal of solving the needs of public sports services and promoting the fairness of sports services, ensuring the sustainability of projects through market-oriented operation, and taking into account both public welfare and market attributes. Its core characteristics are: clear public welfare orientation, empowerment by sports professionalism, sustainable market-oriented operation, and priority of social value. Operation mode refers to the stable mechanism formed by the project in resource input, organization and management, service supply, market operation, benefit output and other links. The operation mode referred to in this paper is an integrated mode of “professional teaching + public welfare practice + market operation”, including four core modules: resource integration, service implementation, operation management and income distribution. Comprehensive benefits cover three dimensions: educational benefits, social benefits and economic benefits, which are the core criteria for measuring project value. The integrated and innovative project-based curriculum system, practice-oriented teaching models, and open-access resource platforms collectively support the diversity of the vocational education ecosystem (Pan, 2025).
2. Development Status of Sports Public Welfare Innovation
and Entrepreneurship Projects in Guangdong Province
2.1. Continuous Improvement of the Policy Support System
Guangdong Province has built a multi-level policy support framework to provide stable guarantee for sports public welfare entrepreneurship projects. At the top-level design level, documents such as the Action Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving School Sports in the New Era of Guangdong Province clearly support public welfare sports projects to enter campuses and communities; at the entrepreneurship support level, provincial excellent public welfare entrepreneurship projects can obtain special subsidies, forming a pattern combining policy guidance and special support. In terms of funds, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Lottery Public Welfare Fund provides important support for sports public welfare projects, and many cities have also set up college student entrepreneurship subsidy programs. At the same time, the four-party coordination mechanism of sports, education, public welfare organizations and colleges and universities has been gradually established, and the coverage rate of projects connecting primary and secondary schools and communities has increased steadily.
2.2. Continuous Optimization of the Basic Development
Environment
In terms of site resources, the number of community sports parks and fitness trails in Guangdong Province continues to grow, and public sports venues provide public welfare opening hours as required, providing hardware support for project development. In terms of youth sports demand, the province has a large number of sports-featured schools and a wide coverage of various youth sports activities, but there is still a gap in the distribution of sports resources between urban and rural areas. The supply of early childhood sports services in eastern, western and northern Guangdong is insufficient, and public welfare sports projects have great room for expansion.
2.3. Characteristics of Project Operation and Benefits
The number of sports public welfare innovation and entrepreneurship projects in Guangdong Province is increasing year by year. Colleges and universities have become the main incubation platforms, and the number of projects approved by sports colleges such as Guangzhou Sport University is relatively large, and the proportion of graduates engaged in public welfare entrepreneurship is steadily increasing. In terms of operation mode, most projects adopt the method of “public welfare services + reasonable charges”, and some projects realize the linkage development between colleges and communities. In terms of regional distribution, projects in the Pearl River Delta are relatively concentrated, and the growth rate in eastern, western, and northern Guangdong is obvious. The overall benefits of the projects are remarkable, serving a large number of people, increasing employment posts, promoting the sinking of sports resources to the grassroots level, and some projects have achieved self-sustainable operation, forming a virtuous cycle of public welfare services and the sports industry. To enhance the operational efficiency of industry-university-research strategic alliances, the government should adopt proactive and effective measures to pro-vide robust external support for their development while directly guiding their growth (Wang & Wang, 2008).
3. Core Problems in the Operation of Sports Public Welfare
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects
3.1. Imperfect Capital Guarantee Mechanism
Fund shortage is the main problem restricting project development. Start-up funds mainly rely on college entrepreneurship funds, social capital investment willingness is low, and public welfare donation channels are unstable, resulting in a single source of funds. At the same time, public welfare attributes limit project charges, limited profit space, difficult to cover site, personnel and other costs. In addition, fund management is not standardized, use efficiency is not high, and emergency fund reserves are insufficient, further increasing operational pressure.
3.2. Insufficient Team Building and Talent Training
The project team is mainly composed of college students and university teachers, with shortcomings in professional abilities. In terms of operation and management, students lack experience in market operation, financial control and brand promotion, and the standardization level of the project is not high; in terms of teaching services, the team lacks front-line teaching experience and is difficult to accurately match the physical and mental development characteristics of teenagers. At the same time, college students have high mobility due to graduation, internship and other factors, affecting the sustainable and stable operation of the project.
3.3. Difficulty in Balancing Public Welfare Goals and Market
Operation
Public welfare attribute is the core positioning of the project, and market-oriented operation is a necessary condition for sustainable development, making it difficult to balance the two. Excessive emphasis on public welfare services is likely to lead to shortage of funds and unsustainable operation; excessive pursuit of market benefits will deviate from the original intention of public welfare entrepreneurship. In terms of resource allocation, some projects invest more human and material resources in market-oriented teaching, the coverage and quality of public welfare services are difficult to guarantee, and public welfare value is not fully reflected.
3.4. Insufficient Policy Implementation and Resource Integration
There are few special policies for college sports public welfare entrepreneurship projects in local areas, specific support measures such as site preferences and tax reductions are not perfect, and policy dividends have not been fully released. Resource integration among colleges and universities, enterprises, governments and communities is not in-depth, cooperation is mostly short-term behavior, and a long-term and stable cooperation mechanism has not been formed. The cooperation between projects and schools and communities lacks sustainability, making it difficult to form brand and scale effects.
3.5. Imperfect Service Quality and Safety Guarantee System
The teaching curriculum lacks systematic design, hierarchical teaching content is not formulated according to the characteristics of teenagers of different ages, and the integration of sports skills teaching and moral education is insufficient. The quality of public welfare services lacks a scientific evaluation mechanism, making it difficult to continuously optimize services through feedback. The safety management system is not detailed enough, medical security and emergency response mechanisms are not perfect, and there are potential safety risks in services for minors.
4. Optimization Paths for Sports Public Welfare Innovation
and Entrepreneurship Projects
4.1. Build a Diversified Capital Guarantee System
Integrate resources from colleges and universities, markets and society to build a diversified funding channel of “college support + market supplement + social donation”. Colleges and universities set up special funds for public welfare entrepreneurship and include projects in the scope of social service support; the market side expands income through personalized training, corporate team building services, etc., and attracts corporate cooperation and investment; the social side connects public welfare organizations to apply for special funds and attract public welfare donations through brand promotion. At the same time, improve the fund management system, establish detailed accounts and emergency reserve funds to improve the efficiency of fund use.
4.2. Strengthen Team Building and Talent Training
Improve the team level from three aspects: entrepreneurial ability, teaching ability and team stability. Colleges and universities offer courses such as entrepreneurship management, marketing and financial basics to improve students’ operational abilities; the project cooperates with primary and secondary schools and training institutions to provide teaching practice opportunities for team members and invite professional coaches to carry out skill training; establish incentive mechanisms such as internship subsidies and credit recognition to attract stable student participation, absorb teachers, retired athletes and others to join the team, and improve the professionalism and stability of the team.
4.3. Promote the Organic Integration of Public Welfare Services
and Market Operation
The current pace of large-scale urbanization construction in China mainly relies on the development and expansion of the private economy. However, for a long time, private enterprises have faced various institutional and systemic challenges in their development process, which limit their development space (Li, 2013). Clarify the project positioning of taking public welfare as the foundation and market as the support, and ensure the proportion of public welfare resource investment. Design “public welfare + market” integrated products, use market-oriented income to support public welfare services, and require students participating in paid courses to participate in public welfare practices simultaneously. Establish public welfare service evaluation indicators, including service coverage, service quality, social feedback and other aspects into assessment, link with team incentives, and stick to the original intention of public welfare entrepreneurship.
4.4. Deepen Multi-Party Coordination and Resource Integration
Build a coordination mechanism of government guidance, college incubation, enterprise support, and campus and community implementation. The government issues special support policies to provide support in sites, taxes and funds; colleges and universities integrate resources such as professional teachers, venues and facilities, and publicity platforms to promote the integration of projects and talent training; all parties sign long-term cooperation agreements, clarify the division of powers and responsibilities, realize resource sharing and complementary advantages, and promote the brand-oriented and large-scale development of projects.
4.5. Improve the Service Quality and Safety Control System
Design hierarchical and classified teaching plans in accordance with the physical and mental development laws of teenagers aged 3 - 18, and promote the in-depth integration of sports skills with will quality and cultural education. Establish a multi-dimensional evaluation system, comprehensively evaluate service quality combined with classroom observation, questionnaire surveys, feedback from parents and communities. Improve the safety management system, equip professional first aid personnel and equipment, purchase insurance for trainees, establish safety plans and conduct regular drills to comprehensively reduce operational risks.
5. Project Achievements
5.1. Game-Based Design Project of Early Childhood Physical
Education Based on Embodied Cognition Theory
Based on the talent training objectives of college physical education majors and the practical needs of early childhood physical education, this project closely follows the policy orientation of Healthy China and sports-education integration. Aiming at the problems of single form of early childhood physical activities, overemphasis on skill training and neglect of physical experience, and ignorance of children’s subjectivity, it takes embodied cognition theory as the guide to create a game-based, situational and experiential early childhood physical education teaching mode, helping children achieve motor development, cognitive improvement and emotional cultivation in physical practice. At the same time, it provides a platform for college students to conduct teaching research, practical exercise and social services, and improve the teaching ability and scientific research literacy of physical education majors.
5.2. Patriotic Education Training Camp and Public Welfare Group
Project
Relying on the resource accumulation of the Patriotic Education Association of Guangzhou Sport University and the college innovation and entrepreneurship support system, this project focuses on the requirements of patriotic education in the new era, and creates a comprehensive practice platform for primary and secondary school students, integrating flag guard training, red culture study, public welfare education and summer/winter vacation training camps. It takes professional sports skills as a career to inherit red culture, cultivate teenagers’ patriotism, and improve college students’ organizational coordination, operation management, and social service abilities, realizing the organic unity of professional learning, entrepreneurial practice and social responsibility.
5.3. Danyu Feiyang Training Center and Public Welfare Group
Project
The current pace of large-scale urbanization construction in China mainly relies on the development and expansion of the private economy. However, for a long time, private enterprises have faced various institutional and systemic obstacles in their development process, which limit their development space (Liu, 2020). Relying on the professional advantages of the China Badminton College of Guangzhou Sport University, responding to the policy call of improving teenagers’ physical health and sports-education integration, this project takes badminton skill teaching as the core to create an innovation and entrepreneurship project integrating professional training, market operation and rural public welfare. It aims to improve teenagers’ sports skills and physical fitness, promote sportsmanship, and provide a platform for sports majors to carry out entrepreneurial practice, teaching training and social services, so as to cultivate compound sports entrepreneurial talents.
6. Conclusion and Prospect
6.1. Research Conclusion
Supported by professional sports capabilities and oriented by public welfare services, the three sports public welfare innovation and entrepreneurship projects of Guangzhou Sport University have constructed an integrated operation mode of “professional teaching + public welfare practice + market operation”, integrated multi-resource to promote the in-depth integration of sports and education, which is an effective practice of the concept of sports-education integration in the field of college students’ entrepreneurship. The projects have achieved good benefits in education, society and economy, and play an exemplary role in improving the comprehensive literacy of teenagers, cultivating college students’ entrepreneurial abilities, and making up for the shortcomings of grassroots sports public welfare services. However, they also face common problems such as insufficient capital guarantee, weak talent team construction, difficulty in balancing public welfare and market, insufficient resource integration, and imperfect quality control system.
6.2. Research Prospect
Under the background of continuous improvement of sports-education integration and innovation and entrepreneurship policies, sports public welfare innovation and entrepreneurship projects will have a broader development space. In the future, projects can further expand service coverage, take the road of brand-oriented and large-scale development, and combine smart sports technology to improve the accuracy of public welfare services. Follow-up research can expand the scope of research, include sports public welfare entrepreneurship projects in different regions and types into comparative analysis, build a more universal operation mode and benefit evaluation system, deeply explore the integration path of projects and national strategies, and promote them to play greater value in social services and talent training.
Projects
2024 National College Students’ Entrepreneurship Training Program Patriotism Education Training Camp and Public Welfare Group (No. 202410585010X). 2024 Provincial College Students’ Entrepreneurship Training Program Danyu Feiyang Training Center and Public Welfare Group (No. S202410585025X). 2024 Provincial College Students’ Innovation Training Program Innovative Research on Gamification Design of Preschool Physical Education Based on Embodied Cognition Theory (No. S202410585022).
NOTES
*First author.
#Corresponding author.