ECA

Guide

An inspiring managerial synergy of ECA Member Clubs

 WELCOME TO THE UPDATED AND REFRESHED 3rd EDITION
Since the original version was published in 2015, the football industry has continued its development at great pace,
with new markets and directions emerging along the way. However, in essence, the structure of the industry and the
clubs themselves have shown remarkable stability in the face of major economic upheaval. This means that, whilst
some case studies or figures needed to be updated, the structural shape of the publication and the 360 degree outlook
on the club football industry have stood the test of time. Modern football clubs have a complex setup with many
different stakeholder relations, constantly facing new challenges in a rapidly changing environment surrounding the
club. To think and act strategically in this environment requires a certain mind-set and a thorough understanding of
all areas of club management. The Club Management Programme which was developed following this publication,
brought a very vivid experience to us. We witnessed during the first two editions of the programme, that Management
is a strong practical exercise essentially based on experience, flexibility, network and, most importantly, willingness
to learn and share knowledge. In the end, you can always try to copy a structure but it is impossible to duplicate
philosophy in club football, and the latter one is built over many years based both on successes and so-called “crises”.
Success is where preparation and opportunity meet, and with this 3rd edition, more than ever we are convinced that
the Club Management Guide will continue to serve as a strong pillar for efficient leadership.

AUTHORS
Olivier Jarosz
Konstantin Kornakov
Sten Söderman

EUROPEAN CLUB ASSOCIATION

The European Club Association is the sole, independent body representing football clubs at European level, and is probably the most important
stakeholder for clubs at the supranational level. ECA counts 232 members in 2017/2018 and its main aim is to safeguard and promote the interests
of European clubs vis-à-vis other stakeholders such as FIFA, UEFA and the European Union. The ECA equally acts as a platform for clubs for the
exchange of expertise and information, with its executive board being composed of club representatives. Among other activities, the ECA contributes
to putting forward and defending clubs’ ideas, suggestions and opinions in different matters – finance, marketing and communication, institutional
relations, competitions and youth – through its thematic working groups. The propositions are conveyed to the executive board and subsequently
defended at the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC). The ECA is bound to both UEFA and FIFA with distinct Memorandums of
Understanding. Additionally, club representatives sit, under their ECA role, in various EU, FIFA and UEFA committees such as the above mentioned
UEFA PFSC, or the FIFA Football Committee as well as the EU Social Dialogue Committee. Futhermore the role of ECA in UEFA decision-making was
further strengthened in April 2017 upon the inclusion of two club representatives in the UEFA Executive Committee as full members with voting rights.
ECA is also engaged in women’s football, with the ECA Women’s Football Committee (WFC) acting as a platform where issues related to European
as well as international women’s football are discussed and dealt with. Clubs and the ECA are, therefore, very closely linked with the ECA being at
international level the most relevant and significant stakeholder for clubs protecting their interests and defending their position towards other actors.
Moreover, ECA launched in 2016 the Club Management Programme.

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

The ECA Club Management Programme, #ECACMP, is an executive programme specifically designed for top club professionals. The programme
is about management in the world of club football, aiming to strengthen the knowledge of football club executives. The programme offers the
participants an opportunity to take a step back and look at the industry with fresh eyes, to share experiences with like-minded colleagues, as well
as to transfer the knowledge gained to help their own club develop further.

The #ECACMP aims to enhance the knowledge of the participants to create the ideal conditions to strengthen their skills to become the next
generation of top football club managers.

For more information, visit the dedicated website www.eca-cmp.com

2 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CL
UB
’S O
BUSINESS

PERA
Chapter 2

TION
SPORT CLUB EXTERNAL CLUB
AL SERVIC
Chapter 1 CORE ENVIRONMENT STRATEGIES
ACTIVITIES Chapter 5 Chapter 6
ES

COMMUNITY
C

Chapter 3
hapt
er
4

HOW TO READ THE ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE?

It is extremely important to underline that this Guide is not envisaged, composed and presented as a
traditional book. This is not a publication that you have to read from the first page to the last. In fact,
you can imagine it as a reference text, which can be used for looking up information in a targeted way,
through the Index, or via a process of “fishing for information” in a less formal way, by simply reading
the parts that are of interest to each specific reader. All the individual chapters are inherently related
to each other by means of reflecting a part of the overall club organisational structure model, but can
be equally useful in a standalone format.
Foreword from the ECA Chairman 5

Message from the ECA General Secretary 6

The Concept 7

Club Core Activities

Chapter 1 13

Sports Activities

Chapter 2 14

Business Activities

Chapter 3 15

Community Activities

Internal Environment
Chapter 4 15

Club’s Operational Services

External Environment
Chapter 5 18

Governance & Institutional Relations

Club Strategies
Chapter 6 19

Strategy, Crisis and Change Management

Outlook 20
FOREWORD
FROM THE ECA CHAIRMAN

The football landscape is in constant transition. The world of football will continue to evolve in many
noticeable ways and clubs will be key drivers in this process. In the 10 years since its creation, the
European Club Association (ECA) has become a primary stakeholder in the football industry. As
ECA, we should remember to think as a unique set of clubs, but at the same time, our common voice
echoes the interests of all clubs across Europe and beyond.
Since the core activity of ECA is ensuring the growth of club football, the sharing of ideas and best
practices amongst members adds intrinsic value to our organisation. We as ECA must always re-
member that we are strong competitors on the pitch, but remain close collaborators off the pitch.
Furthermore, clubs are the stakeholders taking the largest entrepreneurial risks, it is essential that
we continuously evolve and adapt the way we manage our clubs to face the challenges of tomorrow.
In this context, the ECA Club Management Guide is a tool that can be used to assist clubs at all levels
of the game, and should be seen as an instrument to support efficient and successful club mana-
gement. Change and adaptation is key for any club whose objective is to emerge victorious both on
and off the pitch.
As ECA Chairman, I am delighted to present you with the third edition of this Guide, re-edited spe-
cially to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of our association, with a unique collection of club
cases from some of the leading and most innovative football clubs in Europe.

Sincerely,

Andrea Agnelli
ECA Chairman

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 5

MESSAGE
FROM THE ECA GENERAL SECRETARY

The primary objective of football clubs is to win games. It is fair to say that sporting success is at the
heart of European clubs, it is their raison d’être. However, nowadays the business and management
components have grown exponentially and increased their level of influence in the on-pitch success.
A modern football club is an organisation that is able to combine high levels of sporting and admini-
strative efficiency with entrepreneurial spirit and awareness of the stakeholders’ environment.
The ECA Club Management Guide aims to directly respond to the rapid managerial, commercial and
global development of football. It offers an analysis of how football administrations across Europe are
meeting the challenges that stem from these developments.
In producing this guide, our goal is to share the knowledge and experience of club CEOs and top
officials, who have a deep understanding of European club football. The aim was to make it simple
and to the point. For this reason we have included many case studies and personal experiences, al-
lowing every club to draw comparisons. This is a pioneering study, the aim of which is to reflect in a
very practical manner the daily tasks, as well as the challenges in the ever-changing environment we
operate in.
As ECA, we strongly promote good management practices and effective long term planning within
football clubs. It is for this reason that, with a special eye on so-called medium and smaller clubs, we
deem this ECA Club Management Guide beneficial, not only as a source of information, but also as a
lively tool to improve the current and future sustainability of our clubs.

Michele Centenaro
ECA General Secretary

6 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

THE CONCEPT

BACKGROUND & METHODOLOGY

The ECA Club Management Guide is constructed as a mosaic of descriptive parts that are intersected
with examples, key lessons learned and small case studies that have been assembled through a si-
gnificant number of club interviews and visits. This approach enables the guide to feature as many
examples of real-life club activities as possible, both in order to act as a platform to exchange club
experiences for individual benchmarking, but also to enable clubs to learn from each other. This mixed
approach constitutes the main method of presenting material in the guide.

01. WHY A CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE?

This publication aims to gather information directly from clubs, to analyse it and offer a practical
benchmark. The ECA Club Management Guide aims to review different aspects of club management
such as a club’s sporting, business and community activities, as well as internal and external envi-
ronments and strategy development. The ECA Club Management Guide integrates a strong practical
approach, from a European perspective, including case studies and examples from clubs in top, me-
dium and smaller National Associations, based on interviews with club managers, CEOs and other
top executives, demonstrating how clubs have dealt with particular situations in the past. The guide
does not claim to provide a single template to guarantee successful club management, but rather at-
tempts to offer insights into effective club management through sharing real-life examples from clubs
of various sizes and locations throughout Europe of dealing with certain challenges and situations.

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 7

 In a nutshell, what are the guide’s aims:
• To provide an in-depth study of the daily business activities of a football club by sharing
various club methods and knowledge
• To offer to current and future football club officials real-life examples from various areas of club
management, with a special focus on clubs from medium and smaller National Associations
• To share experiences from ECA clubs in order to improve the functioning of clubs
• To improve ECA knowledge related to club structure and to allow members to learn from
each other by offering a platform for knowledge exchange
• To demonstrate that with the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) Regulations fully in place, it is
now almost an obligation for a football club to be structured and run in a sustainable way

02. DATA COLLECTION METHOD

Over 150 interviews from no less than 100 clubs (see contributors & acknowledgements) and 15
men’s club visits were carried out during the project. Each visited club was carefully selected on the
basis of its potential interest as a source of valuable information for the guide in a specific area. Other
clubs could have been considered as equally valuable examples in the same areas; nevertheless, the
selected clubs were considered as the most interesting cases, always bearing in mind the need to
ensure a certain level of representativeness for the guide itself.

Information from the club visits, along with selected excerpts from the interviews, are included
within each chapter as specific examples illustrating the way clubs have dealt with specific
challenges in the past, and highlight ways of handling of a particular situation/event.
15 Men’s football club visits: AZ Alkmaar (NED), FC Porto (POR), FC Zürich (SUI), Ferencvárosi
TC (HUN), Grasshopper-Club Zürich (SUI), Juventus (ITA), KRC Genk (BEL), Legia Warszawa
SA (POL), Molde FK (NOR), NK Maribor (SVN), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), PSV Eindhoven
(NED) - including three Youth Academies: Athletic Club (ESP), Borussia Dortmund (GER), FC
Schalke 04 (GER) and 1 Women’s football Club: 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (GER).

03. TOP-LEVEL RESPONDENTS

In order to gather and source information for such a project it was decided to involve club CEOs and
top executives, being the best individuals to provide an objective analysis of what it takes to run a
football club. For this reason, it was decided to establish a Club Expert Panel composed of active and
former club CEOs in order to benefit from their valuable opinions and comments on club management.

8 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

 CLUB EXPERT PANEL
Some experienced club representatives whose joint knowledge covers all areas dealt within the
ECA Club Management Guide were part of the project as experts. These club representatives
supported the project with all content-related issues, including sharing their experience and
know-how, helping to set-up the survey and questions for interviews, as well as revising the
draft texts.
Peter Fossen, COO, PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Pierre François, General Manager, R. Standard de Liège (BEL) (2003 - 2012)
Lynge Jakobsen, Sports Director & CEO, Aalborg BK (DEN) (1996 - 2013)
Pál Orosz, CEO, Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Dino Selimovic, General Manager, FK Sarajevo (BIH) (2011-2016)
Revaz Tchokhonelidze, General Director, FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)

BRIEF SUMMARY
The chapters of the guide closely follow the club organisational structure model as outlined in the fol-
lowing pages and incorporate the three dimensions of Time, Activity and Environment:

1. Time
Time is critical for strategy. In football, as in business, there are three time horizons
expressed as short term, medium term and long term. These horizons are needed for
planning and evaluation purposes, and offer to club management some fixed anchor
points that are needed to shape their operations. As units of measure in football, short
term can be considered the minimal planning time ranging from the next match to a se-
ason, medium term can be considered a period of up to three years, as within financial
planning parameters, whereas long term is the horizon that looks further beyond that.

2. Activity
Clubs perform several activities at their core. There are three such core activities identi-
fied: sport, business and community. Naturally, there are no ‘pure’ activities as such, as
an activity in each of the three sectors impacts on the other two; however, they can be
distinguished by their primary functions. Clubs also require various services in order to
enable the three core activities to be developed.

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 9

 3. Environment
The environment is what shapes a football club and gives it its unique features, but it is
also a source of many opportunities for clubs that are able to recognise their competiti-
ve advantage, which are determined by their surroundings. This environment will have
football-specific elements, and also components that are universally applicable to any
economic and social entity that is functioning within a given jurisdiction. The relation-
ship between the club and its wider world will ultimately be responsible for its success
or failure as an organisation.

These three dimensions combine to provide an overview of a framework club organisational structure,
that has been utilised as the basis for the construction of this guide. From both a content and editorial
point of view, they shape the different chapters and their content by focusing on club activities that
are firmly located within a club’s specific environment and where different functions are necessarily
framed by the time dimension and time horizons.
Chapter 1 focuses on sports activities, which ultimately define and make a football club. The football
department of any club is directly or indirectly responsible for a significant proportion of a club’s overall
spending. The sports structure of clubs is shaped by short term, medium term and long term pressures,
with various functional actors in this structure responsible for the success of the club in the short, medium
and long terms. Relationships between key internal actors are of vital importance for the sporting success
of the club, which, in most cases, is also a prerequisite for the business and community success. Ultimately,
the success or failure of any short and medium term measures that are implemented, is determined by the
long term approach, where club leadership and elements such as youth development play a crucial role.
Chapter 2 focuses on business activities, exploring the current state of the football club economy
and analysing the business dimension from a revenue and cost point of view. The specific nature of
the business of football is tackled in a descriptive manner, with an emphasis on what makes football
the unique industry it is considered to be. The chapter also utilises the time dimension by placing the
various cost drivers and revenue streams into the three time horizons.
Chapter 3 focuses on the community aspect of club activities, under which various manifestations
of community activity have been located. For professional clubs, their active community is a source
of revenue, support, criticism and even human capital. Clubs have been engaged in CSR (Corporate
Social Responsibility) activities since before the term was invented, but ‘community’ does not com-
prise only individual charitable actions with underprivileged sectors of society. In reality, football clubs
serve as an effective nexus between the local community, the business world and public authorities,
and this has made them extremely important players within their environments. However, increasing
club commercialisation has placed significant pressures on this relationship, with clubs seeking to
retain legitimate and authentic lines of communication to their communities.
Chapter 4 describes the internal operational services of a club as its internal environment. All of the-
se services are not unique to football clubs but nevertheless play a crucial role in enabling the three
core activities to be developed. A descriptive approach is once again employed, and the services
are analysed, starting with a look at a number of examples of real-life club organisational diagrams,
followed by club administration, through to marketing and commercial, infrastructures, communica-
tions, medical and legal operative functions.

10 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

Chapter 5 identifies the external environment of football clubs, ‘embedded in a world of institutions’.
Various aspects such as the geographical, economic and political factors are mentioned. Clubs are
also given the opportunity to determine their location within the football pyramid and understand the
relationships that govern the life of the overall football industry, both internally and externally, with
regard to the existence of many important stakeholders, lines of communication, non-football influen-
ces and the roles of society and the community at large.
Chapter 6 develops the issue of club strategy planning, which generally concerns the formulation of
plans to achieve certain long term goals and the allocation of resources required to do that. The long
term planning and vision function is one of the most important functions on the part of club owner-
ship, as it serves to lay the foundations for overall club development and will have an impact on the
short, medium, and long term time horizons for any club. Ultimately, a regime’s success or failure will
be determined by the ability of the top club authority to analyse the club’s internal possibilities and
environment in order to formulate the correct policies and plans. Various real-life club strategies are
also given as examples in parallel with the functions of change and crisis management, which are
generally the two mechanisms that regulate club development in the time dimension.

GENERAL FRAMEWORK OF CLUB FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT

Since there are few existing theories dealing with the football industry, an empirical approach has
been adopted primarily and a so-called deduction view has been applied in a secondary phase.

Why is it so difficult to explain a sporting result? Studying insights enables us to attempt to determi-
ne some root causes for certain situations and outcomes. The guide also proposes a club organisa-
tional model composed of three core activity elements, which operate within the layers of internal
and external environments, all functioning within a time dimension.

An organisation type is assumed to be influenced by two factors: the ‘internal environment’ and
the ‘external environment’. The sports result and business result are two tangible variables that
have been traditionally included in the analysis of football club operation through league placing
and tournament wins on one side and the economic performance of clubs on the other. But the
community result is also a variable that is consciously or unconsciously driving many of the club
activities, and is often independent from the economic or sporting variables. The organisation type
is assumed to be a logical consequence of the internal as well as the external environments.

An example of the importance and influence of the total club environment is highlighted in the table
below, where two clubs from different but roughly similarly-sized countries have similar financial
numbers if we look at the percentages that make up the turnover, but are miles apart in terms of
the actual figures.

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 11

SOME CLUB FIGURES EXCLUDING INCOME FROM TRANSFERS OF PLAYERS AND UEFA
COMPETITIONS REVENUES

ANNUAL SOURCE OF TOP POLISH CLUB TOP ENGLISH CLUB

% %
REVENUE 2016/2017 (€ MILLIONS) (€ MILLIONS)
Match day 8.2 26 126.8 21
Broadcasting 11.5 36 176 29
Commercial 12 38 313 51
Total 31.7 100 615.8 100

Source: ECA Member Clubs

A CLUB PERFORMANCE CYCLE

INTERNAL EXTERNAL
FACTORS FACTORS

BUSINESS
RESULT SPORTS
RESULT
ORGANISATION

COMMUNITY
RESULT

LEGITIMACY

12 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

CHAPTER 1: SPORT ACTIVITIES
PLAYER RECRUITMENT INFLUENCE SCHEMATIC

CLUB STRATEGY LEADER

(Chairman/Chief Executive)
Formulate the overall strategy of the club,
including football, which will influence the
transfer policy; ensure that the various
operational tasks involved in completing
transfers are delegated and completed; verify
that an economic rationale for transfers is in
place at the club.

LIN
E OF
CO
HEAD COACH M

M
Identify positions within the squad that may

UN
EXECUTIVE INPUT
require strengthening; develop existing

IC
AT
players within the squad to maximise their

ION
performance and increase value; validate
transfer targets identified by the Scouting
Department and selected by the club
management.

PLAYER
INFORMATION EXECUTIVE IMPUT
RECRUITMENT

FOOTBALL STRATEGY LEADER

(Sport Director)
N
TIO

Implement the transfer policy of the club by

CA

identifying the markets in which the club

I
UN

INFORMATION will be active and establishing the selection

M

criteria used by the club; analyse existing

OM C squad strengths and weaknesses together
OF E with the head coach; facilitate transfers by
LIN identifying the specific transfer targets on
which the club intends to focus through to
contact and negotiation with targets, clubs
SCOUTING DEPARTMENT and other stakeholders .

Collect data on potential targets from markets

identified by the club, based on criteria set by the
club; disseminate gathered information within the
club between key decision makers; provide facts
on player recruitment made by the club in order
to maximise the success rate of transfers.

LEGAL/CLUB SECRETARY
Advise on documentation concerning transfers and contracts; finalise
any documentation required in transfer or player dealings; register player
transfers and contractual agreements.

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 13

CHAPTER 2: BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
POTENTIAL NEW OR ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF REVENUE IN THE SHORT TO MEDIUM TERM

Further development and

International
segmentation of supporter
expansion
base

Further development Further development of

of media rights market infrastructure use

Further development Further development

of IP rights sales of player transfer market

Segmentation and
‘Portfolioisation’ and
regionalisation of
development of side
sponsorship and
businesses
commercial partnerships

Transnational leagues/
Stadium live broadcasts regionalisation projects
of team’s away games and competitions covering
larger markets

Commercialisation of Digital developments

knowledge and eSports

14 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

CHAPTER 3: COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
THE FAN IS CENTRAL

SOURCE OF
REVENUE

MATCH
PERFORMANCE
CONTENT
AUDITOR
GENERATOR

SOURCE
POLITICAL
OF HUMAN
SOVEREIGN
CAPITAL

CHAPTER 4: CLUB’S OPERATIONAL SERVICES

COMMON CLUB ORGANISATIONAL CHART:
CLUB OWNER
or/and
CHAIRMAN

CEO

SPORT ADMINISTRATION FINANCE MEDIA LEGAL

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 15

ECA 1ST SUBDIVISION CLUB, BRITISH APPROACH

CHAIRMAN
Full-time with club

MANAGER

FOOTBALL FINANCE & COMMUNICATIONS COMMERCIAL

ADMINISTRATIONS OPERATIONS

16 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

ECA 1ST SUBDIVISION CLUB, SOUTHERN EUROPE APPROACH

GENERAL
DIRECTOR

VICE-DIRECTOR VICE-DIRECTOR
(SPORT) (ADMIN)

1ST TEAM ACADEMY COMMERCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

MARKETING TICKETING

COMMUNICATIONS

MEDIA INSTITUTIONAL

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 17

CHAPTER 5: GOVERNANCE & INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS
CLUB SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

ULTRAS

NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT

DAY-TO-DAY SPONSORS
MANAGEMENT
STAFF

FANS
AGENTS

LEAGUE

CITY
COUNCIL
MEDIA

PLAYERS’
FAMILIES OTHER CLUBS

CLUB

SHAREHOLDERS MEDICAL
STAFF PLAYERS

UEFA

FIFA PLAYERS
UNION

COACHES
ECA

18 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

CHAPTER 6: STRATEGY, CRISIS AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT
IN GENERAL, STRATEGY IS COMPOSED OF SEVERAL CRUCIAL PROCESSES:

GOAL
RE-DEFINITION ANALYSIS

FEEDBACK
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSIS

REVIEW FORMULATION

STRATEGY
FEEDBACK GOAL
ANALYSIS DEFINITION

IMPLEMENTATION

ACTION
CONTROL AND PLAN
FEEDBACK FORMULATION
COLLECTION
COMMUNICATION

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 19

OUTLOOK

A lesson from Chapter 6 is that a club might be tempted to implement a strategy when it encounters
a crisis. But a crisis is also a strong impetus for the manager to take a step back and, for example, to
invest in youth players, giving them the chance to become the seeds of tomorrow’s fruit.
Given this guide’s strong practical approach and European perspective, it presents a significant num-
ber of examples and case studies from clubs across all geographies and sizes, demonstrating how
clubs have dealt with particular situations in the past.
At the same time, organisation charts and strategies are of no use if they are not implemented. This is
where the importance of competent leaders cannot be emphasised enough.
From the club development framework in the above part of this guide, we assume that there are five
maturing steps, or levels of development, of a football club. In the club analyses, we saw the condi-
tions for good management, which were: flexibility, clear power and decision-making rules, a positive
attitude to change and a development view shaped by strategy.
These conditions constituted the base for ‘legitimacy’, which we see as the key frame. Football is nor-
mally successful when the administrative activities are perceived as a team activity with the focus on
collaboration. The activity on the pitch and during the matches should be characterised by collabora-
tion but can, in specific situations, be extremely hero orientated.
This ECA Club Management Guide focuses on administrative activities. ‘None of us is as smart as all
of us’ − contemporary views on leadership are entwined with our notions of heroism, often so that the
distinction between leader and hero becomes blurred. In our society, leadership is too often seen as
an inherently individual phenomenon.

20 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

Given our continuing obsession with solitary genius, reflected in everything from the worship of head
coaches and sport directors to our fascination with high profile players, it is no surprise that we tend
to underestimate just how much creative work is accomplished by groups. Yet we all know that coo-
peration and collaboration grow more important every day.
A shrinking world in which political and technological complexity increase at an accelerating rate
offers fewer and fewer arenas in which individual action suffices. Recognising this, we talk more and
more about the need for teamwork, for example, as a call for a new model of executive action in fo-
otball. Yet despite the rhetoric of collaboration, we continue to advocate it in a culture in which people
strive to distinguish themselves as individuals.
Football clubs are managed like teams. Supposing that a team can be seen as a chain of spring coils,
if one element or level of the team fails for example, the chairman, the entire chain starts to tremble
and become unbalanced. The whole team, and often the club, then perceives uncertainty.

FIVE LEVELS OF RELATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN CEO

CHAIRMAN CEO MATRIX

CHAIRMAN SPORT DIRECTOR SPORT DIRECTOR SPORT DIRECTOR

COACH COACH COACH COACH COACH

TEAM TEAM TEAM TEAM TEAM

ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT 21

If administrations no longer work efficiently, the working conditions of the players will deteriorate
and the sponsoring, merchandising, sales and so on will decrease. It is the same situation as in any
traditional company when managing uncertainties. The more levels in a club organisation, the more
changes and uncertainties have to be managed.
Football club managers will normally have some kind of a long-term view, but first and foremost they
have to cope with and satisfy the club’s stakeholders. This means that most club managements will
end up betting on a short-term and lucrative victory, rather than a long-term success.
Consistent competition and other challenges ensure that innovation is necessary. Education and
exchange of information are two key sources that can provide club managers with certain ideas, con-
cepts and answers to questions.
One of the aims of the ECA is to support the football industry and football clubs specifically through
sharing best practice and knowledge among the association’s members and beyond. This ECA Club
Management Guide is certainly an important tool in this process, and offers a rich set of mosaics for
clubs to examine and maybe adopt, in part, for their own jigsaw. However, even if clubs seek to learn
from the best in order to become better, they will still not be better than average.
For the football industry to become truly an industry, and one that is careful about its integrity, has
a sustainable economic basis, creates added value and retains its strong connections with its com-
munity and society at large, in order to become the best, clubs have to realise that they individually
need to identify what makes them unique and different, both internally and within their environment.
This process of ‘finding itself’ should serve as a springboard for sustainable and comprehensive deve-
lopment of clubs, and the ECA will continue working in this field in order to support club football and
the football industry in its quest to become better.

Disclaimer
This research is based on the participation of members of the European Club Association (ECA). The information, views and opinions
contained in this research do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the ECA nor that of its members. The Club Cases do not
reflect the official club position but are based on the interviews with individuals at the moment of their realisation. A number of written
sources were used as a source of inspiration and are highlighted in the ‘suggested reading list’. When tables, quotes and graphics
were taken directly from a source, this is referenced accordingly. Otherwise, all materials are part of ECA’s own analysis. The materials
contained in the research are for general information purposes only and are not offered as nor constitute advice on any particular matter.
The ECA has endeavoured to keep the information up to date, but it makes no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or
implied, about the completeness, accuracy, or reliability, with respect to this information.

ISBN: 978-2-8399-2444-3

First published in 2015

2nd edition 2016
3rd edition 2018

© The ECA Club Management Guide constitutes a collection of independent data arranged in a systematic and methodical way and,
as such, constitutes a database protected by database rights. Copyright throughout the research is vested with the ECA and all rights
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22 ECA CLUB MANAGEMENT GUIDE - EXTRACT

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