Business Innovations for Sport Clubs

ICSSPE comprised a collection of evidence-based business innovations, concepts and good practices outside the field of sports, in order to translate them into tangible learnings for sport club innovations, concepts and good practices. The resource was developed during the CHAMP project, which aims to support the innovation and development of sports clubs.

The approach ICSSPE took to deliver this was through the analysis of cooperate sector innovations and dismantling them through the use of business development tools. Co-authors Keri McDonald and Rick Schmitz, together with ICSSPE under the leadership of the Executive Director, Detlef Dumon, looked at the branding elements of a business and analysed the business using a 3 tier approach which covered the macro level in which they operate (PESTEL), the competitive level (Porters Five Forces) and self –assessment tools (SWOT). Academic and non-academic case studies on innovative practices that help to gain customer loyalty outside of the sport sector were researched and analysed. Key components, like competitor advantage, satisfaction, perceived quality, brand image and multiway communication, were identified.

The review of business innovations is a useful tool for:

• Practitioners who want to extend their appreciation of traditional club customs to new possibilities by looking at cooperate sector innovations
• Clubs who want to understand and broaden their knowledge on how other sectors and industries operate

The literature review is available to download as a PDF here.

The ERASMUS+ co-funded project, CHAMP Clubs for Health-enhancement, Activation, Modernisation and Participation came into action in 2019 as a response to the rising problem of decreased numbers in club sports participation, which can be observed in several countries. The final outcome of CHAMP will comprise of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), providing an accessible learning platform for clubs to gain insight into best innovative practices within and outside of sporting contexts.