Governance Models Across Football Associations And Leagues

The commercialization of sport since the 1990s has had a number of consequences. The market forces that have defined commercialization, notably pay-per-view television, whilst initially welcomed as important new sources of revenue, have also had the unanticipated consequences of de-stabilizing many sporting competitions and institutions, undermining the financial future of clubs in their traditional role as key social and cultural institutions. This has been manifested in the paradox of chronic financial loss-making amongst professional sports’ clubs in an era of exponential revenue growth, a trend exemplified by the experience of Italy’s Series A and the English Premier League – both cases examined in detail in this book. But, at the same time, some traditional sporting organizations have sought with some success, to chart a middle way, retaining traditional sporting movement objectives whilst also embracing a form of commercialism. The Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland, the supporter-owned FC Barcelona football club, and New Zealand rugby union, offer illustrative examples of such strategies examined in detail. This book explores the background to this clash of commercial and traditional sporting objectives, and debates the consequences for wider sports governance. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

This book aims to provide an extensive overview of how football is organized and managed on a European level and in individual European countries, and to account for the evolution of the national, international and transnational management of football over the last decades.

This original Research Handbook examines the key legal aspects of a professional football club’s actions. Reflecting also on the role of key governing bodies such as UEFA, the Handbook informs and contributes to the ongoing debate surrounding the governance and behaviours of professional football clubs.

Additional written evidence is contained in Volume 3, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/cmscom

Sport Governance provides a comprehensive guide to the practical application of governance principles to amateur and professional sport organisations operating at the community, state/provincial, national, and international levels. It presents a balanced view between accepted practice and what contemporary research evidence tells us about a range of governance principles and practices. Organised in three parts, the text provides the reader with * an explanation of the concept of governance, key terms and definitions as well as the economic, political and social factors that impact on how the governance function is enacted within sport organisations; * an understanding of the “mechanics” of governance – the elements of structure, process and performance that ensure the governance function is carried out within sport organisations; and * a discussion of a number of contextual issues in sport governance, including dual leadership, ethics, governance change and future governance challenges. Sport Governance is essential reading for practitioners working and volunteering in the sport industry and upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in sport and leisure management programs.