Career patterns of marketing managers in top European football clubs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Nessel
Keyword(s):  
Sports Management ◽  
Career Patterns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
European Football ◽  
Main Activity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Functional Experience ◽  
Football Industry

PurposeThe goal of this research was to explore career patterns of senior marketing managers in the best European football clubs (SMMEFCs).Design/methodology/approachThe data came from the LinkedIn profiles of current and past SMMEFCs. Firstly, the optimal matching algorithm was used to determine clusters of pathways leading to a first SMMEFC position based on the main activity of the employing organisation. Secondly, these patterns were compared in terms of variables depicting the career paths, clubs and managers. Finally, the evolution of the post-SMMEFC careers was analysed.FindingsPeople in their first SMMEFC positions are mainly male with a university degree in business and marketing, and with a predominantly functional experience in marketing. There are five ways to become an SMMEFC: through business (40% of the sample), football (32%), other sports (11%), marketing and communication (11%), and media (6%). As the majority of SMMEFCs come to their positions from outside the sporting world, the specificity of the football industry is not a serious obstacle. Instead, the careers are bounded by functional marketing experience. Among the individual sequences leading to a first SMMEFC position, only around half of the football cluster may be considered traditional careers. Football, and sports in general, seem attractive for post-SMMEFC career development for the majority of managers coming from all pathways.Originality/valueThe study is the first one to quantify career patterns in professional sports management. It provides new insights about marketing careers and practice in European club football.

scholarly journals FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL INDUSTRY: TRENDS ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (36) ◽  
pp. 471-480
Author(s):  
V. Reikin
Keyword(s):  
Annual Reports ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Theoretical Generalization ◽  
European Football ◽  
Football Industry ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the study is the analysis of financial and economic aspects and assessment of current trends and prospects for the development of professional football industry as an independent academic field. In this article the following general scientific and applied methods were used: analysis and comparison — to determine the main trends in the development of top professional football clubs in the context of globalization; generalization — to establish the influence of institutional factors on the economic results of football clubs activity; expert assessments — to determine the market value of players in the global transfer market; abstract and logical methods — for theoretical generalization of the obtained results, forecasting the prospects for the development of European professional football and formulating conclusions of the study.  The article deals with the analysis of financial and economic results of  European football top clubs functioning in the pre-crisis period (before COVID-19). The author emphasizes the dualistic origins of modern professional football, which combines sports and commercial components. It is analyzed the impact of «Bosman case» and the rules of «financial fair play» on the professional football industry development in the context of globalization. The sources and structure of football top clubs income are also analyzed. The main focus is on European football, where current trends are most clearly manifested. The source of information was the annual reports of audit firms, specialized analytical laboratories and FIFA data. As a result of globalization processes, the author predicts the creation of full-fledged «SuperLeague» championship of top clubs with the greatest financial opportunities, as well as the appearence of polycentrism phenomenon in the world football industry. The forecast scenarios of  football industry perspectives, formulated by the author, to substantiate the financial and economic aspects of clubs and players transfer market functioning, can be used in practice to assess the potential and formulate strategies for professional football leagues and clubs.

scholarly journals Potential investment to professional sport subjects

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg V. Litvishko ◽  
Roman R. Veynberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Professional Sports ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Stock Index ◽  
Sports Clubs ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Physical Form ◽  
European Football ◽  
Football Industry

Purpose of the study.The introduction of financial discipline rules by the Union of European Football Associations started a new stage in the development of the football industry. According to the UEFA statistical report in 2017, football clubs for the first time reported a total profit of more than 600 million Euros, while a few years earlier the total losses of clubs representing the highest European football divisions were 1.7 billion Euros. This fact indicates a possible change in the investment attractiveness of sports clubs. The purpose of this study is to assess the presence of the investment potential of the football industry as a possible object of capital investment.Materials and methods.The study analyzed the data obtained from the official statistical sources, including a comparative UEFA report for 2017 on the licensing of clubs “Landscape of European Club Football”, normative legal acts regulating public relations in the field of professional sports, publishing in periodicals and the Internet, illustrating the practice and problems of professional sports development, as well as statistical data from the portals www.stoxx. com and www.investing.com. The study applies such methods of scientific cognition as a method of statistical and economic analysis, comparison, analogies, synthesis, as well as the method of measuring and aggregating data, the graphical and tabular method.Results of the research.When considering the shares of professional sports clubs as objects of capital investment, it is advisable for investors to pay attention to the functional type of assets that such organizations possess and the degree of diversification of their activities. The structure of non-current assets and the share attributable to tangible assets - sports infrastructure and other objects, is an important factor affecting the specific risks inherent in the activities of sports subjects, which allows to compensate losses incurred as a result of not achieving the goal set for the team for the season due to revenues from other activities that affect the investment attractiveness of the club.Conclusion. Based on the results, we can draw the following conclusions. The football industry has significant revenue growth potential. The increase in the financial profitability of professional sports subjects is accompanied by a rise in the stock index quotes, which accumulates the shares of European public football clubs. The comparative analysis carried out in the research indicates the attractiveness of these financial instruments as an investment object. However, such investments are characterized by a high degree of risk due to the specificity inherent in the professional sports industry. From the total number of factors affecting the exchange rate fluctuations of football clubs' shares, one can single out the most significant indicators such as the outcome and significance of the match, the nature of the tournament, and the sports (physical) form of the team.

scholarly journals Does size matter?

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 162-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish Ramchandani ◽  
Daniel Plumley ◽  
Harry Preston ◽  
Rob Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Competitive Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Premier League ◽  
European Football ◽  
Size Threshold ◽  
League Structure ◽  
Football Industry ◽  
Size Matter ◽  
English Premier League

PurposeThis paper aims to explore at what league size competitive balance reaches its best level through a longitudinal study and by using the English Premier League (EPL) as an example.Design/methodology/approachTo test the influence of league size on competitive balance in the EPL, the authors first calculated competitive balance scores for 22 seasons between 1995/96 and 2016/17 under the existing 20 team system. They then calculated a further ten normalised competitive balance scores for each EPL season by adjusting the league size to examine the league size threshold at which competitive balance in each season of the EPL was at its best level.FindingsThe analysis indicates that the current league structure of 20 teams compromises the overall level of competitive balance in the EPL in comparison with a league comprising between 10 and 19 teams. However, the authors cannot pinpoint the precise league size at which the EPL is most competitively balanced, as no significant differences were observed between the competitive balance indices for these league sizes.Originality/valueThe findings of this study have practical relevance for league organisers and the Union of European Football Associations given that they themselves have stated that competitive balance will be a big challenge for the European football industry in the coming years.

CSR disclosure as a legitimation strategy: evidence from the football industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Raimo ◽  
Filippo Vitolla ◽  
Giuseppe Nicolò ◽  
Paolo Tartaglia Polcini
Keyword(s):  
Limited Attention ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Football Industry ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The latest developments in the football industry, the commodification of sport, the excessive focus on profitability and the limited attention to social and environmental aspects have caused a legitimation crisis for football clubs. According to the legitimacy theory, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure represents a tool capable of allowing the construction or repair of legitimacy. This study, in line with this theory, aims to analyse the amount of CSR disclosure provided by football clubs and the determinants, related to visibility, of the level of information provided. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a manual content analysis on the corporate websites of the 80 football clubs that qualified for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League group stages for the 2019–2020 year to measure the level of CSR disclosure and subsequently a regression analysis to examine the impact of visibility on the amount of information provided. Findings Results reveal that football clubs still disclose relatively little information about sustainability issues, and that sports performance visibility, human capital visibility and social media visibility positively affect the amount of information that football clubs disclose. Originality/value This study extends the horizons of CSR disclosure to the football industry which is still little explored in the academic literature. Furthermore, it extends the scope of legitimacy theory, showing how CSR disclosure can be a means for football clubs to obtain or repair legitimacy. Furthermore, this study extends the list of determinants of the level of CSR disclosure, showing that visibility can influence the amount of CSR information.

Broadening the horizons of intellectual capital disclosure to the sports industry: evidence from top UEFA clubs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Vitolla ◽  
Nicola Raimo ◽  
Michele Rubino ◽  
Antonello Garzoni
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sports Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sports Industry ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Football Industry ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose The football industry presents a unique setting for intellectual capital analysis. This study aims to investigate the online intellectual capital disclosure level of top football clubs and to analyse the impact of some explanatory factors on the level of information provided. Design/methodology/approach The authors use manual content analysis of the websites to measure intellectual capital disclosure levels along with a regression analysis on a sample of the 80 football clubs that qualified for the group stages of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions and Europa League. Findings Empirical results reveal that football clubs disclose a limited amount of information regarding intangibles on their websites. In addition, they show that sports performance, technical market value and social media visibility have a positive effect on the disclosure level. Originality/value This study extends the horizon of intellectual capital disclosure to a sector (football) that is currently under-explored and broadens the list of antecedents of the intellectual capital disclosure level.

Chinese Investment in the European Football Industry

2020 ◽  
pp. 1392-1413
Author(s):  
Sue Claire Berning ◽  
Daniel Maderer
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Outward Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Chinese Firms ◽  
Chinese Investment ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
European Football ◽  
Cross Case Analysis ◽  
Football Industry

Outward foreign direct investment of Chinese firms in developed markets is a relatively new phenomenon. Since December, 2014 when the Chinese government announced a major investment program in sports, Chinese firms have particularly focused on foreign direct investments in the European football industry. We analyze the investment patterns, the determinants, and the motives of six investment cases of Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) undertaken in European football clubs. Based on Dunning's OLI paradigm and the determinants-framework from Holtbrügge and Kreppel, a within-case and cross-case analysis was conducted. We reveal that the main motives of Chinese investments differ between asset-seeking and market-seeking to a combination of both. The most important determinants of OFDI were the size of the host market and the level of know-how in it, while firm-specific resources and the strategic importance of the industry for the home government was a joint determinant for all Chinese companies.

scholarly journals Sustainable value creation? Entrepreneurial orientations in the football industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-44
Author(s):  
Mike Bull ◽  
Geoff Whittam
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Sustainable Value ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Football Industry

PurposeIn this paper the authors investigate precarious value creation in English football clubs. They examine strategic, economic, cultural and social capital to analyse the orientations of legal owners of football clubs (entrepreneurs) and the implications for moral owners (the fans). Their research question is not if entrepreneurs create value – but whether the value created is productive or destructive.Design/methodology/approachThe research design is a case study of the professional football industry, specifically 44 football clubs in the top two professional divisions in England, namely the English Premier League and the English Football League Championship. The authors’ methodology is secondary textual data. Their approach is to examine official club statements, triangulated with regional and national press reports, fan accounts and narratives from published artefacts; fan blogs and websites.FindingsThe “opening up” of the professional football industry in England to market forces in 1983 has subsequently attracted entrepreneurs that use football clubs as artefacts to pursue other business interests. Over-grazing on strategic and economic capital at the expense and exploitation of social and cultural capital exists. As entrepreneurial opportunities to exploit a football club's assets becomes more apparent, the unique relationship between club and fan is being strained. The authors observe detachment, disenchantment and protest.Research limitations/implicationsThe data sought for this study design was necessarily in the public domain and therefore drawn from secondary sources. The scope was English football and the top two divisions, thus the findings are context specific to that region and level.Practical implicationsFor policy, the authors call for a new government inquiry into football ownership in English football, re-examining heritage, purpose and value creation.Social implicationsFootball fans are the majority stakeholder in the football industry but are under-represented in English football because of the private ownership of football clubs. Fans are, however, a barometer for how their owners are acting as custodians of their clubs and if the value created by entrepreneurs is productive or exploitative.Originality/valueThis paper has value in drawing attention to this unique and ignored industry from an entrepreneurship perspective, provoking a call for further research to explore this phenomenon. Sustainable value creation may be a useful framework for further research in this and other industries.

Market valuation and risk profile of listed European football clubs

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Prigge ◽  
Lars Tegtmeier
Keyword(s):  
Risk Profile ◽  
Share Price ◽  
Capital Asset Pricing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Share Prices ◽  
Asset Pricing Model ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Price Appreciation ◽  
European Football ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether stocks in football clubs are valued in line with the valuation of other capital assets in the capital market. Moreover, it analyzes the risk profile of football stocks. By taking this perspective, the paper also contributes to the discussion on the motives of those who invest in football clubs, particularly the question of whether they expect extra benefits, i.e., in addition to dividends and share price appreciation, from the investments. Design/methodology/approach The empirical study analyzes the share prices of 19 listed European football clubs from January 2010 to December 2016. Building on the capital asset pricing model, the authors used Zellner’s (1962) seemingly unrelated regressions. Findings The results indicate that the majority of the football clubs in the sample are overvalued. This implies that investments in football stocks are mainly attractive for those investors who expect to derive extra benefits from their investment. That might be likely for strategic, patron and fan investors, but not for purely financial investors. Research limitations/implications As a next step, more advanced factor models could be applied to the analysis. Practical implications For investors, the results imply that portfolio diversification is particularly beneficial while buying football stocks. For football clubs, the rather low general market risk, combined with the overvaluation, leads to low equity costs when new shares are issued. Originality/value The results suggest that dividends and share price appreciation are not the only benefits football stock owners derive from the stocks, thus underlining that further investigations in their motives to hold football stocks are very promising.

Long gone the glory days

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Richelieu ◽  
Stéphanie Lessard
Keyword(s):  
Brand Identity ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Know How ◽  
Brand Promise ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
History Of ◽  
European Football ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the catalyzing factors team managers of previously successful European football clubs could capitalize on in order to build or rebuild the brand identity of their respective team via the Europa League. Design/methodology/approach – The authors followed a case analysis method. The authors selected teams that have had a history of good performance in European competitions in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, before falling off the radar. A total of 19 teams, representing 15 countries, accepted the invitation. Findings – The managers underlined eight major catalyzing factors. The managers specifically emphasize the importance of branding and how it can crystallize the promise these teams articulate to their fans, on and off the football pitch. Moreover, the values that a team encapsulates and communicates through its daily actions seem to represent the essence of the brand. Research limitations/implications – One risk relates to the respondents who could very well know what a brand is and how a brand should be managed in theory, but it does not necessarily mean that they know how to do it at all. Practical implications – The paper highlighted the importance of shrewd management, especially when resources are scarce. A competition such as the Europa League might provide some room to maneuver but, above all, the organization must deliver the brand promise to its fans. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies looking at the leverage a European football competition could provide to previously successful clubs.

Top European football clubs and social networks: a true 2.0 relationship?

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelia Araújo ◽  
Pablo de Carlos ◽  
Jose Antonio Fraiz
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
European Football ◽  
Facebook Pages

Purpose – In the scenario of today's Information Society, social networks are powerful promotional tools that football clubs can use to their own advantage by managing efficiently and effectively their image so as to enhance their appeal to sponsors and firms looking for marketing and advertising for their products. By analyzing a series of items that appear in the foremost European football clubs’ official Facebook pages, the purpose of this paper is to provide both descriptive and quantitative accounts of the extent to which those football clubs succeed in managing the potential for interactivity that their official Facebook profiles provide. Design/methodology/approach – The authors take as the basis of the quantitative analysis the volume of reactions from the fans of the clubs’ official Facebook pages displayed in the form of comments or clicks on the button “Like,” taken as a function of the type of posts published under the Facebook “Timeline” tag. Besides elaborating upon the data thus collected in terms of a descriptive study, the authors conduct correlation range statistical tests (Spearman's ρ coefficient) and an analysis of variance in order to obtain quantitative results on which the authors support the concluding statements. Findings – There is a mild positive correlation between a club's ranking according to UEFA and both the number of fans and the degree of effective interaction displayed in the club's official Facebook pages. Regarding the different types of content to be found in the posts, there is also a significant difference between the important volume of reactions to those most frequently posted and the very limited response displayed to the least frequently posted types. In this sense, it is to be stressed the moderate response obtained by the content openly demanding the users’ interaction (polls, contests, greetings, or encouraging messages, etc.). Research limitations/implications – The authors believe that the most important limitation is the small size of the sample, having a scope of 20 European football clubs, and its short time frame, since the data referred only to March 2013. Nonetheless, these are the most representative clubs in the European scenario, since they comprise UEFA's top 20 ranking. Practical implications – It is interesting to study, as the authors do in the contribution, different aspects regarding the design of football clubs Facebook pages and the activity shown therein, so as to learn how to improve their effectiveness in providing for a true interactive experience. Research on the types of content to be found in the posts available on Facebook's “Timeline” tag that can contribute to establishing a deeper engagement on the part of the fans can thus be very useful to anyone devising marketing strategies for a football club. Originality/value – The research literature on the use of social networks such as Facebook by sports organizations and, more particularly, by football clubs, is still very scarce. Past contributions have been focussed on the presence of football on the Web 2.0 in general terms, and on comparing different online interactive tools. Nonetheless, they do not tackle the questions related to the types of content provided by a particular social network, the response to them by the users, and with it, the characterization of their effectiveness as communications, marketing, and promotional tools.

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