Anti-doping education in the UK

The purpose of this research was to examine the role, initiatives and challenges facing sport federations in anti-doping education in the UK

More Decision-Aid Technology in Sport? An Analysis of Football Supporters’ Perceptions on Goal-Line Technology

The introduction of decision-aid technology in sport, such as Goal Line Technology (GLT) in football, has generated minimal literature on supporters’ perspectives. This paper aims to investigate Scottish football supporters’ perceptions towards GLT. Two hundred and seventy Scottish supporters completed a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with GLT and factors that influence their level of satisfaction. The majority of Scottish supporters trust the technology applied in football and favours its use. However, they are dissatisfied with GLT in part because GLT is considered to detract from the atmosphere resulting from contentious goals which supporters appreciate and lessen the debate around crucial decisions. Findings also showed that football supporters are against GLT viewing in the stadium and do not welcome future decision-aid technology in football

Get ready to innovate! Staff's disposition to implement service innovation in non-profit sport organisations

While sport entrepreneurs are known for being risk-takers and for being proactive when implementing new ideas, little is known about individuals’ attitudes within non-profit sport organisations. The present study draws on policy implementation and innovation theories to address this gap by investigating staff attitudes toward newness and its impact on innovativeness and change. An online survey was administered to representatives of regional sport federations in Belgium (n=101; 70 per cent response rate) in order to measure their attitude toward newness, the number of service innovation successfully implemented, and the levels of innovativeness and organisational change perceived. On average, sport federation staff show a positive attitude toward newness, which supports the implementation of service innovation. The number of service innovations and perceptions of innovativeness both have significant indirect effects on organisational change as perceived by individuals within sport federations. Managerial and policy implications are provided with regard to the need to develop positive attitude toward newness within non-profit sport organisations in order to foster innovation

Job and career satisfaction in an austerity environment: The role of job security and passion towards work

This study investigates the role of passion in forming job and career satisfaction among employees in the sport industry using the dualistic model of passion developed by Vallerand et al. (2003). The research was conducted within a context of austerity measures and aimed to examine the mediating effects of job security in the relationship between passion and satisfaction at work. Employees within Greek municipal sport organisations completed a self-administered questionnaire (N=170) in order to measure their level of passion towards their work (both harmonious and obsessive), their job and career satisfaction, and their perceptions of job security. Data were treated with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and multiple regression analyses using SPSS and Amos 21.0. The findings reveal that harmonious passion is significantly positively related to both job and career satisfaction, and that job security mediates these relationships. The research demonstrates the benefits of having harmoniously passionate employees, as well as the importance of strengthening or retaining feelings of job security under drastic socio-economic measures

A Financial Management Tool for Sport Federations

Purpose- The purpose of this study is to develop a tool to manage financial performance of sport federations. It stimulates thinking about the necessity for non-profit sport organisations to develop financial performance measures and management to survive and/or to grow. Design/methodology/approach- Adapting the Ritchie and Kolodinsky model of factor analysis through financial ratios in the sport federation context, the paper develops a framework for financial performance measurement of sport federations in Belgium for the years 2001 through 2006. Findings- Based on a principal component analysis, six financial performance-related categories were constructed, i.e.: public funds dependence; financial balance; attraction of resources; financial budget; member services investment and elite services investment. They form the basis of a dynamic strategic management tool where financial categories are related to each other. Research limitations/implications- The financial management tool can be a starting point for further organisational (performance) research. Differences and similarities between countries (e.g., sport policy priorities) and sport organisations (e.g., sport profiles) could be better investigated through this financial performance framework. Practical implications- The tool developed should help strategic volunteers and managers of sport federations to take strategic decision relying on financial information in order to pilot their organisation and to communicate with their stakeholders. Originality/value- Developing financial performance measurement of non-profit sport organisations is challenging and considerably different from for-profit and non-profit organisations. It provides researchers and practitioners with a viable model for analysing financial strategy and performance of sport federations over time

Performance management of National Sports Organisations: a holistic theoretical model

Purpose Organisational performance of sport organisations has been studied over the last three decades. However, little attention was paid towards performance management (PM) compared to performance measurement. The purpose of this paper is to close this research gap by establishing a holistic perspective for PM of National Sports Organisations (NSOs) that accounts for their uniqueness, the interdependence of their operating systems and their relationship with their environments. Furthermore, this paper presents a holistic model of PM for NSOs. Design/methodology/approach The model was developed from a literature review process and uses the macro, meso and micro framework to describe external and internal environmental influences that affect the PM of NSOs. Findings The NSO’s ability to respond to the dynamics of their external environment by implementing organisational processes that account for the resources available and their structural designs influences their PM. Furthermore, the ability of the individuals within NSO to create enabling environments for PM influences organisational efficiency and effectiveness. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to sport management literature on the PM of NSOs, and informs sport managers on ways to improve organisational performance by implementing holistic approaches to PM. Originality/value This is the first study that takes a holistic approach to PM of NSO and depicts the specific elements that play a crucial role in managing NSO’s multi-dimensional performance

Do non-profit sport organisations innovate? Types and preferences of service innovation within regional sport federations

Research question: Little is known about innovation in the non-profit sport sector. The present research addresses this gap by questioning whether and to what extent sport federations innovate. It aims to identify types of innovation implemented by sport federations and their attitude and preferences towards innovation.  Research methods: An online questionnaire was administered to a sample of key representatives (i.e. Chair, Secretary General or Directors) of regional sport federations in Belgium (n=101; 70% response rate).  Results and Findings: Directed content analysis of the service innovations described by respondents reveals ten different types of sport and non-sport service innovations. Results suggest that membership size and categories of sport influence preferences in knowledge creation/appropriation, and ultimately the type of innovation developed. This paper also suggests that sport federations are driven by demands by members in meeting their expectations of new services and are not risk averse. On average, the sport federations surveyed have a positive attitude towards newness which favours innovativeness.  Implications: The present study would help researchers to advance further into the knowledge of service innovation in non-profit organisations. It should act as a foundation for research and practice on specific types of service innovation in sport. Managers should realise the importance of attitude for innovation and use the suggested typology to provide new services in different categories and meet members’ expectations

Organizational performance of Olympic sport governing bodies: dealing with measurement and priorities

It is widely recognized that the performance measurement of organizations should help them in their strategic decisions and in their capacity to evaluate their successes. This measurement is, however, lacking in the sport governing bodies from the French speaking Community of Belgium. This paper proposes a model to measure organizational performance by considering objectives distributed among five main dimensions: sport, customer, communication and image, finance and organization, which are measured by quantitative performance indicators. The focus of the paper is on governing bodies of Olympic sport (n = 27) and the model measures their strategic objectives and operational goals. In addition, the priority that the Chairs of 13 Olympic sport governing bodies attach to each dimension and each objective is assessed. Finally, there is a discussion of the comparison of their priorities and their organizational performance, which leads to the identification of four strategic orientations

Professional football clubs retail branding strategies

Purpose: While some football clubs are recognised as popular brands, little is known about the way they leverage their brand in their merchandise retailing. This study draws on brand equity and supply chain management to address this gap by investigating retail branding strategies used by professional football clubs. In particular, it analyses the type of product merchandised, the reasons for selling certain products and the ways through which football clubs merchandise, including their partners in distribution channels. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was undertaken involving content analysis of 22 Scottish professional football clubs’ websites and annual reports, and semi-structured interviews with seven football clubs retail managers and four supply chain partners. Transcribed data was coded and thematically organised through an inductive process using the qualitative data analysis software NVivo 10.  Findings: Three types of merchandise have been identified, basic, fashion and short season. Building brand equity is considered the main motive for retailing merchandise. Some football clubs use intermediaries or outsourcers to respond to sudden consumer demands and to ensure high levels of service, whereas others have an integrated supply chain which allows for greater control.  Research limitations/implications: This paper contributes to the discussion on the role of retailing in football club brand equity. It suggests initiating intermediaries in the distribution channels to build brand equity thus enabling clubs to become more responsive to consumer demand.  Originality/value: This is the first paper to look at retail branding strategies of professional football clubs

Determinants of Service Innovation: a Typology of Sports Federations

The increasing commercialisation of the sports sector and changing consumer demands are some of the issues that create challenges for non-profit sports in contemporary society. It is important for managers and marketers of these organisations to innovate because innovation is a way to grow within a competitive environment and to meet customers expectations. The present study aims to develop an explorative typology of sports federations based on their attitudes and perceptions of determinants of innovation and their innovation capacity. A cluster analysis suggested three clusters with different responses towards service innovation: traditional sports federations, financially secure sports federations and competitive sports federations. Sports federations perceiving competition in terms of financial and human resources, favouring change and paid staff involvement in decision-making processes, and with negative economic perceptions are significantly more innovative. These findings have implications for the management and marketing of non-profit sports organisations