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Project

Are business models and ecosystems for sports organizations sustainable?

1. Is there a sustainable business model or ecosystem for sports clubs? Is the current business model in sports 'build to last' or 'build to sell' or just 'fake'? The fact that sports and leisure in general have also caught the eye of some large international investment funds in recent years indicates that there is more business rationale than a mere “bottomless hobby project for some happy few”. Today you see different models developing simultaneously next to each other. On the one hand, there is a global (megalomaniac?) plan for a selective set of sports clubs that want to attract the big money (e.g. Super League concept in soccer) on the other hand, sport is a very local thing. But what about the many clubs/competitions (such as the Belgian) that find themselves between the level of top clubs at world level and amateur level? Is this viable or are they “stuck in the middle, and in starving condition”. In other words: Is the global - local aspect a complementary fact or are they substitutes and will there be a crowding out, whether or not in the short term, in which the 'middle segment' in particular threatens to disappear? Or are there other models where this “middle segment of transfer clubs” fits into a bigger picture. 2. Asset management and financing. Approaching a sports club as an asset manager – where the value of the assets (players) is characterized by risk and (un)certainty, indicates that classic or less classic portfolio approaches can be relevant. How can a club finance its assets? The model of sustainable value creation (both for the community in general and for investors in particular) in the longer term is often subject to (credit) financing needs and its link with the capricious capital market and the issues of the day. Also in the sports world, which is closely followed by the media, the 'issues of the day' play a role and the unpredictability of the short-term results means that value creation is not easy. Today there are a variety of (inventive) forms of financing. To what extent can these contribute to long-term value creation?

Date:17 Nov 2022 →  Today
Keywords:Ecosystem, Sports, Sustainable
Disciplines:Management of sport and physical activity
Project type:PhD project