Management & Marketing (Jul 2021)
POTENTIAL PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL CLUB: A BUSINESS-ORIENTED ORGANISATION
Abstract
This study aims to find out how professional football clubs purposefully operate as business-oriented organisations rather than sporting and recreational organisations. Over the decades, there have been increased football seasonal operations informed by business with huge marketing activities to achieve maximally in the business environment. In addition, it has been noted that some football clubs are striving to make profits using strategic marketing opportunities that support and connect with playing games or matches. The foundation of business is based on profit, which usually emanates through the type of players and coaches that are recruited, which determines several other openings, such as marketing strategy, etc. The number of marketing activities engaged by clubs’ in recent years in their seasonal operations is unquantified, which poses a challenge in achieving club objectives (i.e., sporting, and recreational activities). This paper investigates the exorbitant use of marketing by the clubs to maximise profit rather than achieving professionalism in the sports and recreational services in their immediate sporting environment. A sample size of 150 professionals was taken from five potential professional football clubs located within the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The findings of this study confirm that marketing is vital for football clubs to succeed and that marking is relevant to clubs’ seasonal successes. The study concludes that it is important for the football club marketing managers to consider corporate marketing activities for the development of appropriate marketing actions that will allow them to remain competitive both in business and in recreation.
