Irrespective of the players competing and the fans erupting within the stadiums around the world, football or soccer clubs at the elite echelons of the game are fundamentally media and entertainment companies.
Understanding that football or soccer teams place as much investment off the pitch as they do on the pitch, enables people to gain perspectives on it as a business value, and harbouring ways of being able to grow the asset in the short, medium and long-term.
When competing as a media attraction, specific clubs fully recognise that they are now directly fighting for the limited attention of people as they strive to keep up with leading establishments and media platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney.
Further competition is also coming in the form of YouTube, TikTok and many more who may in the future also be able to tap into the interested global viewers.
When discussing the potential income generation and interest of the game, in the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the global football community observed an increase in cause-related or higher purpose marketing. The widespread and global reach creates a need for football or soccer properties to become brand activists, and practice with caution marketing and sponsorship.
The Growth of the Game
The increasing popularity of women’s soccer is another potential growth area for sponsoring partnerships. A newer member to the sport sponsorship realm is eSports. This is certainly a growing market for advertisers and sponsors within soccer to tap into, as eSports market revenue is forecast to exceed $1.62 billion by 2024. Moreover, revenue from eSports sponsorship and media rights reached $822 million in 2020 and is forecast to grow another 50% by 2023.
The game as we know it is more than just a sport. It is the “joga bonito” (the beautiful game) that inspires billions of people around the globe, but has the responsibility to serve as a global ambassador for solidarity, unity, and collectiveness.
Importantly, soccer stakeholders have the responsibility to serve as: (a) enablers of sustainable development; (b) promoters of tolerance, respect, reconciliation, and peacebuilding; (c) empowers of women, youth, and underprivileged groups; and (d) implementers of health, education, integrity, and fair play objectives.
What is Sports Management?
- The study and practice of all people, activities, businesses, or organizations involved in producing, facilitating, promoting, or organizing any sport-related business or product.
- A multidisciplinary field that integrates sport industry and management.
- A specialized field of management developed to support organizations that deal with sport and physical activity.
Soccer has always been political in many ways as an integral aspect of many societies. Modern soccer is tied to a plethora of political issues such as racism, migration, social inclusion, and equality.
Memorable rivalries between soccer clubs like the example of Barcelona vs Real Madrid, and Celtic vs Rangers are representative of socio-political and religious dimensions tied to the game.
The illustrated quote by Zlatan Ibrahimović sets a dilemma on whether soccer and politics should be intertwined or remain separate…
“Politics divides the world, sport unites it. Football unites athletes wherever, we do what we do to unite: this was my message. Athletes should be athletes & politicians should do politics.”
– Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Join Our Soccer Business Course
The ISSPF Certificate in Soccer Business & Management delivers six specialized and succinct lectures that incorporate theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to comprehend and apply critical managerial, business, and ethical concepts within soccer entities.
Lectures are delivered by our ISSPF faculty member, Dr Chrysostomos Giannoulakis, thus providing consistency, homogeneity, and alignment of the course topics.
Dr Giannoulakis is a sport management academic and professional with 20 years of experience in the wider sport industry. He has submitted a number of external funding proposals, including a sport for social change project that focused on utilizing soccer as a means of coaching education and cultural exchange in Israel, Palestine, and Morocco.
Certificate in Soccer Business & Management
How this Course will Help you
The Soccer Business & Management course is designed for those who wish to be exposed to managerial components and the business side of the soccer industry, so that they can:
- Comprehend the fundamentals of sport management as they apply to effective organization and management of a soccer club or soccer-related entity.
- Understand how key financial and administrative areas lead to effective management processes, ethical choices, and sustainable development.
- Acquire a critical, holistic, and ethical approach to the soccer business, as well as recognize current and future trends within the greater soccer industry.
Is this Course for You?
- Individuals with an interest in developing their skills in order to support managerial and business matters of a soccer club.
- Those who wish to delve deeper into the soccer industry from a sport management perspective, supported by theory and case studies.
What Does the Course Cover?
Module 1: Historical and political aspects of soccer
Module 2: Governance and regulation of soccer
Module 3: Strategic management of soccer clubs
Module 4: Finance and revenue generation in soccer
Module 5: Marketing and sponsorship of soccer clubs
Module 6: Sport-for-development in soccer
Certificate in Soccer Business & Management
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