This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the different environmental strategies adopted in the football world to foster sustainability. The authors lay out useful insights, both for scholars and practitioners, to improve good governance in football organisations by empowering environmental organisational and operational actions. As well as examining practical methods of implementing green initiatives, the book discusses their added value from different perspectives including football fans, football managers and policymakers. By identifying the most important green actions for the dissemination of environmentally friendly behaviours at both individual and organisational levels, the book demonstrates how football organisations can use operational and organisational methods to develop an environmental sustainability strategy. The book contributes to developing the role of the football world by covering different facets of sustainability such as the circular economy, climate change, green marketing, fans engagement and more. It will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of environmental management, sustainable business and corporate social responsibility, as well as professionals working in the football industry.

A lack of ‘sustainability thinking’ is evident at the heart of many of the problems that football faces today; from the huge amounts of money that clubs seem compelled to spend on what are often short-term gains – and the speculation, debt and market-centred ideology that goes with it – to the not unrelated deep disenchantment experienced by many football fans for a game that they still, despite it all, remain determined to love. Sustainability here is more broadly conceptualised than focusing on environmental issues. It encompasses social and economic sustainability, albeit with a critical eye on the interdependent, often contradictory, relationship between what the United Nations regards as the three ‘pillars’ of sustainability (environmental, social and economic). Fittingly, this book is the result of an international collaboration between an interdisciplinary network of academics and football industry practitioners, brought together by the Centre for the Study of Football and its Communities (CSFC), based at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. The critical insights collected here focus not just on football’s problems, but also how clubs, authorities, players and fans in a range of local contexts are positively tackling the challenges of surviving and thriving in the contemporary global game. This book was originally published as a special issue of Sport & Society.

This book tells the stories of a selection of successful small business enterprises. It is not an account of financial success or brand share, it is a collection of narratives about the journeys made by inspiring, determined, innovative individuals who have applied their passion and skills to the creation of successful small businesses. The case studies tell compelling stories of personal achievement and business success, and encourage the reader to find out more about the small business owners and their products. The stories are about small, strong brands who are socially viable, well established and contribute to society and the local community. Across all the case studies, there is a recurring theme of not just making a profit; but a passion and motivation to succeed.

Elucidating the linkages between race, ethnicity, gender and masculinity in football, this volume addresses topics such as the experience of Muslim players, recruitment of African players, devolution and national identities, minority ethnic clubs, "mixed-race" players, sectarianism, and foreign club ownership.

Scientific Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: A, University of Sunderland (Department of business and law), course: MBA, language: English, abstract: Manchester City Football Club was founded in 1880, and is based in the city of Manchester in United Kingdom. It currently plays in the world famous Barclays Premier League. Since the 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, it has undergone a major reconstruction in terms of both team and management. The new owners have brought with them a vast financial wealth and renewed success to the club, it is now seen amongst the top clubs in Europe. This report examines the football Club in reaching its customers and the role played by marketing staff in the development of the Club. Thus the report is divided into three parts. Part one is a critical analysis of the different activities by the Club. Part two deals with the impact of the environmental and market forces on the Club. The third part evaluates the contribution of the marketing staff to the current and future developments carried out by the Club.

Master's Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Sport - Sport Economics, Sport Management, grade: 2.0, University of Leipzig (Institute for Empirical Research in Economics), language: English, abstract: This thesis will provide the reader with a good understanding of the economic forces in the modern sports industry with a focus on European Football. The reader will be introduced to the most common measures of Competitive Balance and the existing literature on the topic. Equipped with this knowledge, the paper takes the reader on a recap of the European top leagues history with a focus on the Competitive Balance beginning in 1980. The final chapter then provides an econometric deep dive into the data for the Bundesliga. The commercialization of European football strongly accelerated in the early 1990s and brought tremendous revenue increases to the industry. Rapidly, broadcasting revenues became the clubs’ main source of income. Some professional football leagues jointly sell their teams broadcasting rights as bundles and share the incomes with a certain degree of solidarity among them. This study tries to find evidence for the positive impact of such revenue sharing agreements on the competitive balance in Europe’s strongest football leagues. Therefore, a newly developed measure is applied, which contains combined information about leagues absolute level of competitive balance as well as relative changes in standings over time. The results of the study mainly speak in favor of an enhancement of solidarity among teams, because of its positive impact on competitive balance and thus on a leagues attractiveness to customers.

Master's Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 1,3, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Finance), language: English, abstract: The landscape of European football has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, marked by a surge in interest from high-net-worth individuals and private equity firms. This interest stems from the unique blend of competitiveness, community loyalty, and lucrative revenue streams that characterize football clubs across Europe's top leagues, including the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and Ligue 1. Private equity investments in European football clubs have become increasingly prevalent, driven by a variety of factors. One key driver is the escalating costs associated with acquiring top-tier players, which has led clubs to seek external investment to remain competitive. Additionally, football clubs represent an attractive asset class for private equity firms due to their low correlation with traditional economic sectors, offering diversification benefits to investment portfolios. Despite the inherent risks and challenges associated with investing in European football, such as resistance to change from passionate fan bases and regulatory oversight from governing bodies like UEFA, interest from private equity firms continues to grow. This research aims to delve into the motivations behind this trend and assess the potential for financial returns in the European football industry. The case study of Associazione Calcio (AC) Milan's acquisition by RedBird Capital Partners serves as a focal point for analyzing the dynamics of private equity investments in European football. By examining the historical financial performance of AC Milan, evaluating the strategic rationale behind the acquisition, and conducting a thorough valuation analysis, this study seeks to provide insights into the profitability and viability of investing in football clubs. Through a combination of literature review, empirical analysis, and real-world case studies, this research aims to address the following questions: What are the driving forces behind the increasing interest of private equity firms in European football clubs? Can investing in football clubs yield profitable returns, considering the inherent risks and regulatory constraints? What strategies and tactics do private equity firms employ to generate value from their investments in the football industry?

From the Publisher: This expansive encyclopedia breaks new ground, giving definition and focus to an urgent and much-talked-about topic that is extraordinarily wide ranging and all too often misunderstood. As the first major reference work in its field, the three comprehensive volumes span the entire scope of sustainability from ecological concepts to financial concerns to public policy and community action, giving readers a solid foundation from which to think critically about efforts to make a more sustainable world. The Encyclopedia of Sustainability comprises three volumes, each dedicated to one of three equally important contexts in which the term is used: environment and ecology, business and economics, and equity and fairness. Each volume provides authoritative but accessible coverage of basic concepts and terms, as well as policy initiatives, controversies, and future trends. Volumes also include biographical sketches of important contributors to sustainability efforts from the scientific, economic, public policy, and activist realms, plus extensive listings of print and online resources for further exploration.