Against the backdrop of burgeoning co-production literature, this paper addresses the lesser-known role of co-production intermediaries and of the processes through which they foster motivation for co-production. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), we unravel motivational processes through which co-production intermediaries can facilitate self-sustained co-production sequences. Our data comes from an in-depth analysis of a co-production program that utilizes sports as a vehicle to turn service users into co-producers. Our proposed theory, sequential co-production, holds promise to public administration theory and practice, extending the potential of co-production beyond the gratification of immediate self-interest of co-producers with direct benefit from the service. Through sequential co-production, past beneficiaries are seen to ‘pay-it-forward’ by to others co-producing services for others, thereby creating a self-propelling, therefore sustainable, co-production model.