The impact of organizational capacity on voluntary engagement in sports clubs: A multi-level analysis

As volunteerism occurs in an organizational context, both individual factors and organizational characteristics affect (potential) volunteers in sports clubs. Whereas a number of researchers have studied individual-level determinants, knowledge on the role of organizational-level factors is limited. Based on the concept of organizational capacity, in the present study, the authors investigate whether and how human resources, financial, and structural capacities of sports clubs influence individual voluntary engagement. Using data from German football and track and field clubs (n = 296) and their members (n = 1222), the effects of organizational capacity on voluntary engagement within two subsamples, adult members and parents of underage members, are examined. The results of multi-level mixed effects regression analyses show that all capacity dimensions are significantly associated with voluntary engagement of both adult members and parents of underage members. A larger number of members and a greater share of volunteers reduce the amount of time a volunteer devotes to voluntary work; adult members are less likely to volunteer when their club has a balanced budget; and strategic planning increases the likelihood of individuals to volunteer informally. Overall, the results support the notion that the organizational context is more relevant to volunteering of adult members than individual characteristics and equally relevant to parents of underage members. Managerial implications to facilitate volunteering, such as shifting club goals towards youth development and sports for all provision, are discussed.     

Does it really matter? A study on soccer fans’ perceptions of ethical leadership and their role as “stakeowners”

Ethical leadership is increasingly studied in the context of soccer clubs, as it is believed to represent an effective answer to soccer’s “dark side.” However, current academic understanding is limited to key internal stakeholders’ perspectives, such as coaches and players. A highly relevant stakeholder group that is still largely neglected is fans, as they are believed to be uniquely able to influence leadership in sport clubs, while some of soccer’s ethical issues, such as violence and discrimination are strongly associated with fans. This study highlights this duality by referring to fans as “stakeowners,” namely legitimate stakeholders with certain rights as well as responsibilities. Moreover, the authors examine whether ethical leadership by soccer club leaders really matters to fans. Drawing on a qualitative case study in a Belgian professional soccer club, findings indicate fans care mainly about those aspects of ethical leadership that impact their own position, such as clear communication and fan empowerment. On the other hand, findings suggest fan influence on the leadership of their club should not be exaggerated. After all, the club’s leadership questions the critical importance of fans as being core to (soccer) management’s activities and leadership.     

Individuelle und strukturelle Faktoren der Mitgliederbindung im Sportverein

This article analyses the conditions influencing the commitment of members of sports clubs. It focuses not only on individual characteristics of members, but also on the corresponding structural conditions of sports clubs related to the individual decision to quit or continue their membership. The influences of both the individual and context levels on the commitment of members are estimated in different multi-level models. Results of these multi-level analyses indicate that commitment of members is not just an outcome of individual characteristics such as strong commitment to the club, positively perceived communication and cooperation, satisfaction with sports clubs? offers, or voluntary engagement. It is also influenced by club-specific structural conditions: commitment is more probable in rural sports clubs, and clubs who explicitly support sociability, whereas success-oriented sporting goals in clubs have a destabilizing effect.     

Who will volunteer? Analysing individual and structural factors of volunteering in Swiss sports clubs

Abstract

This article analyses the conditions influencing volunteering in sports clubs. It focuses not only on individual characteristics of volunteers but also on the corresponding structural conditions of sports clubs. It proposes a model of voluntary work in sports clubs based on economic behaviour theory. The influences of both the individual and context levels on the decision to engage in voluntary work are estimated in different multilevel models. Results of these multilevel analyses indicate that volunteering is not just an outcome of individual characteristics such as lower workloads, higher income, children belonging to the sports club, longer club memberships, or a strong commitment to the club. It is also influenced by club-specific structural conditions; volunteering is more probable in rural sports clubs whereas growth-oriented goals in clubs have a destabilising effect.     

我国职业足球俱乐部财务监管制度分析

我国职业足球俱乐部财务监管制度的科学性、有效性是促进职业足球俱乐部健康发展的重要保障。当前我国足球职业俱乐部财务监管制度的缺位主要体现在足球俱乐部资产缺少有效评估以及资金运作存在随意性,研究认为通过对我国职业足球俱乐部财务监管实施产权多元化,完善资产评估体系,加强俱乐部财务的内部控制和社会监督,可实现职业足球俱乐部财务监管的健康有序发展。     

职业体育俱乐部市场化运作的品牌战略——以法国4大足球俱乐部为例

以法国4大足球俱乐部为研究对象,系统论述各自品牌战略设计和运作的具体策略与途径。论析树立强大而极具历史的品牌是体育俱乐部健康成长和商业化运作的重要前提,而实施品牌战略之前应考虑内外催化因素相结合的方式,以减少品牌建立过程中的不良影响。研究认为以法国足球联盟为代表的运营模式对俱乐部及其品牌发展潜力有着决定性作用。此外,打造与球迷共生的品牌还应考虑如何应对场上表现的影响。     

跆拳道俱乐部消费环境满意度的学生会员属性分析

跆拳道俱乐部会员对俱乐部的环境满意度可能会影响到其行为选择和决策倾向,最终影响到俱乐部运营情况,而学生会员是跆拳道俱乐部会员的重要组成部分。通过对杭州市跆拳道俱乐部的300名学生会员进行问卷测评,分析不同性别、年龄和跆拳道级别的学生会员属性对俱乐部环境满意度的教练员资质、课程项目与设施3个维度的认知情况。发现女生对俱乐部课程设置和设施的满意度显著低于男生,学历越高对指导者资质的满意度越低,黄带、绿带和蓝带的中级水平会员对教练员资质和课程项目的要求较高。所以俱乐部丰富课程内容和完善设施更利于吸引和保有女生会员,聘请高水平教练员、设置内容丰富的课程项目是吸引高学历会员和中级水平会员的关键。     

价值链理论在足球俱乐部发展中的具体应用

揭示足球俱乐部竞技水平的高低是吸引球迷开拓市场的关键，足球俱乐部所具备的文化内涵和文化品位是提升足球俱乐部社会形象的重要环节，建立适合足球市场的营销模式是足球俱乐部发展的原动力．按照市场经济规律要求，转换足球产业的经营机制，探寻适合足球产业的发展道路。     

‘He is Father Christmas when Man-U wins’: EUFA league and the dynamics of spousal relations in Nigeria

The European Champions League and Premiership have become infectious to Nigerian families. As a patriarchal society, husband fanship influences and alters social interactions before, during and after UEFA matches. Against this background, this paper examines the influence of husbands’ sports fandom on social relations in families and opportunity for deviant behaviour. Findings show that husbands’ identification with European clubs is redefining social relationships at the family level. Families were labelled as: couple as fans of same club, couple as fans of rival clubs and families with one soccer-loving partner. Loss of matches may lead to refusal to eat food, aggressive behaviour, conflict, lack of communication, while victory brings joy, gifts and better bonding and communication. Watching matches outside the home increases the opportunity of husbands to associate with deviant peers and, consequently, deviant behaviour. To keep their marriages, women have converted to soccer lovers to enhance communication and check their husbands’ association with deviant peers.     

‘We are all Foxes Now’: sport,multiculturalism and business in the era of Disneyization

On Monday 2 May 2016, a little heralded, medium-sized, provincial soccer club, Leicester City, one with no record of league titles in 132 years of trying, no European heritage of any note, and no major expenditure on players, won the English Premier League (EPL) title. This astonishing outcome is at odds with the development of monetised late-modern European club soccer. A select group of clubs with a global ‘reach’, owned and funded by foreign capital, have increasingly dominated the EPL since its formation in 1992. Leicester City’s triumph was also notable because Leicester is regarded as a settled multi-cultural city. The title win was widely interpreted as a vehicle for promoting racial integration, as well as celebrating positive owner/fan identities, civic pride, and traditional sporting values over the ethos of business. This paper explores these issues and what the Leicester victory meant to local supporters, and to the city.     

The (Re)Constitution of football fandom: Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem and its supporters

Abstract

Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem, a fan owned club in Israel, was established in 2007 by fans of Hapoel Jerusalem, in protest against the management of the original club. The fans have adopted anti-racism, opposition to violence and inclusiveness as markers of their identity, while stressing their links with the surrounding community. The paper emphasizes the role of reflexivity and agency, as the fans built the new club to embody their aspirations. The emphasis on reflexivity is required to integrate in the analysis, both macro-social elements, and processes linked with ‘everyday life’. The paper stresses the unintended consequences of the fans’ success, in creating a football club owned by them. The performance of HKJ fandom forged, over a short time, an inclusive ‘protected space’, wherein norms of solidarity and trust were developed. Such a space attracted several thousand persons – many of them coming to football for the first time – and cultivated a sense of ‘community’ that has become of growing importance in the fans’ collective identity.     

Mixing Business with Leisure? The Football Club Doctor,Sports Medicine and the Voluntary Tradition

The football club doctor has traditionally been a role fulfilled by a local general practitioner on a casual basis over a long period. Since the 1990s, due to football's accelerated commercialization, a number of clubs have appointed full-time doctors with specialist sports medicine knowledge. This article explores the origins and development of this role in its wider social context since the late nineteenth century and argues that initially club doctors were part of a voluntary tradition. In addition, the development of the role has reflected the nature of sports medicine in Britain and more particularly football, as well as highlighting the changing demands and pressures of the job in light of growing commercial demands.     

中国职业足球俱乐部公司化无形资产界定研究

采用文献资料、调查访谈、比较研究等方法，对我国职业足球俱乐部公司化中的无形资产界定进行了系统研究。结论：应以现代公司制度的产权制度来塑造中国职业足球俱乐部，其中无形资产的界定是关键，要使职业足球俱乐部公司享有法人财产权，能够自负盈亏、自我发展。     

Injuries in formal and informal non-professional soccer – an overview of injury context,causes, and characteristics

The objective of this study is to analyse context, causes, and characteristics of injuries in non-professional soccer. Therefore, a retrospective telephone survey was carried out with persons who were injured while playing soccer and who reported this accident to the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (Suva). Based on these data, an analysis of 708 soccer injuries was performed. The findings show that 30.1% of the injuries occurred during informal soccer play, and 75.4% of the injured persons were soccer club members. 53.0% of all injuries were caused by contact and 29.5% by foul play. Foul play was not associated with injury severity. With respect to injury severity, twisting/turning and being tackled by an opponent were identified as the most influental injury causes. Moreover, the risk of being severely injured was particularly high players of the 30+/40+ amateur leagues. In conclusion, the findings highlight that 30+/40+ league players are a major target group for the prevention of severe soccer injuries. Soccer clubs may constitute an appropriate multiplier for implementing prevention strategies such as fair play education, healthy play behaviours, and prevention programmes. Finally, a better understanding of injury situations leading to severe injuries is needed to improve injury prevention.     

当前形势下我国职业足球俱乐部行规研究

职业足球俱乐部是体育改革的产物，国家目前对此没有相应的立法，因此俱乐部行规的作用显得非常重要，在一定程度上弥补了立法不足的缺陷。我国俱乐部行规多以规范性文件的形式为主，内容方面应该进一步补充与完善。随着俱乐部的发展，行规的制定应该多样和灵活，同时处理好行规与法律的关系。     

Financial condition of Brazilian soccer clubs: an overview

In Brazil, the transition to corporate management of soccer clubs started in the 1990s. When the ‘Lei Pelé’ was enacted in 1998, expectations were very high that the Brazilian clubs would become modernized institutions capable of surviving in the recently developed soccer business. However, the results that clubs reported in their financial statements a decade later do not show the desirable evolution. This essay looks back at this modernization process while analysing the clubs’ results and their financial ratios with the aim of understanding their main difficulties and how successful they have been in trying to modernize.     

我国足球后备人才多元化培养路径现状及对策

采用访谈法、实地考察法、问卷调查法等,对足球重点城市的后备人才培养路径及合作情况进行调查.结果显示:主要存在教育系统、职业足球俱乐部、体育系统、民办足校和业余足球俱乐部4种培养路径.认为:各路径间的合作仅限于形式,未能实现人才培养的整体涌现效应.提出转变理念、政府主导、完善政策、整合资源、制定长远发展规划的多元化共同培养发展对策.     

Jersey sponsors in football/soccer: the industry classification of main jersey sponsors of 1147 football/soccer clubs in top leagues of 79 countries

The growing popularity and developments in football/soccer have affected the football/soccer industry dramatically. The popularity and developments have increased the interest of companies in the last two or three decades. Companies have started to invest and become a sponsor of football/soccer clubs. Jersey sponsorship has emerged as a result of the increasing interest and investments. Nowadays, the jersey sponsorship is popular and has become an important type of revenue source for football/soccer clubs. As a result of popularity of jersey sponsorship, jersey sponsors must be investigated and analysed. This paper deals with the industry classification of the main jersey sponsors which have names and logos on the front of the football/soccer clubs home jerseys. A total of 1147 football/soccer clubs in 79 countries top leagues, as of 31 December 2012, have been investigated. The Industry Classification Benchmark is used to classify the industries of the main jersey sponsors of football/soccer clubs.     

论价格歧视理论在我国职业足球联赛门票定价中的应用

门票作为俱乐部主要的收入来源,其定价方法应该以更灵活多变的形式出现,以此来吸引更多不同人群、不同消费层次的观众.二、三级价格歧视在我国职业足球联赛门票定价中分别具有不同的作用,我国的职业足球俱乐部应该借鉴国内外体育比赛的门票定价策略和销售经验,认真研究我国体育消费者的消费特征和消费市场,应该研究运用怎样的价格歧视对俱乐部和消费者最有利,从而使球队比赛门票的需求与供给达到均衡、俱乐部获得最大利润、消费者得到最大满足,从而使整个职业足球市场化达到最优状态.     

Match-Qualität und ehrenamtliches Engagement in Sportvereinen

Recent studies have found a positive link between match quality, i.?e., the congruence of motives for doing volunteer work and the actual experiences, and the satisfaction of volunteers. We studied determinants of match quality based on data of volunteers in sports clubs from Rhineland–Palatinate. We found that match quality is positively correlated with different forms of support and recognition by sports clubs, whereas support by the employer plays only a minor role. We furthermore found path dependencies: previously gained skills and the question who or what affected the initial decision of doing volunteer work influence match quality. Match quality is lower if a lack of volunteers is perceived within a club. On average, match quality is higher for volunteers who do operative work than for volunteers in executive positions.