Abstract
Many amateur (third sector) sports clubs face financial vulnerability, threatening their ongoing operations. Resource dependency theory argues that clubs should eschew financial vulnerability through diversifying their revenue, increasing funder legitimacy, and having a proactive and open board. Alternatively, club theory highlights members who cooperatively own and enjoy the benefits of club goods; arguing that to eschew financial vulnerability, clubs should work to attract members, and make club facilities available which are of high quality.
We compare and contrast these two theories, analysing factors differentiating financially vulnerable football (soccer) clubs from those that are not. Key factors are: facilities availability (club theory) and an open board (resource dependency theory), which, along with supporting factors, suggest how financially vulnerable clubs can survive and thrive.
We compare and contrast these two theories, analysing factors differentiating financially vulnerable football (soccer) clubs from those that are not. Key factors are: facilities availability (club theory) and an open board (resource dependency theory), which, along with supporting factors, suggest how financially vulnerable clubs can survive and thrive.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 49-70 |
Journal | Third Sector Review |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2018 |
Keywords
- Financial vulnerability
- amateur sports finance
- resource dependence theory
- club theory
- financial viability