SPORTS MANAGER PROFESSION AND ITS

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1 Česká kinantropologie 2014, vol. 18, no. 3, p SPORTS MANAGER PROFESSION AND ITS PERFORMANCE IN contemporary MANAGEMENT PRACTICES Irena Durdová Department of Management Faculty of Economist, VŠB Technical University of Ostrava Abstract This article based on a research study aims at describing the profession of a sports manager his/her qualities, abilities, skills and knowledge, and outline this profession in present-day managerial practice. The author relies on the results of the research aiming at mapping the main problems of the present-day sports management. The research was carried out from 2009 to The main methods of the research were the methods of qualitative as well as quantitative research, the questioning method, the method of analysis and comparison, the statistical method. 139 respondents sports managers from all over the Czech Republic participated in the research. The result of the research was acquiring detailed list of all characteristics necessary for sports manager s profession (e.g. education, managerial style, language skills, activities, qualities and abilities etc.) and view of the increasing opportunities as well as difficulties of this profession in the present-day managerial practice. Key words: sports management, sports marketing, profession of sports manager, style of management, education, activities, qualities, abilities. Introduction The most frequent types of entrepreneurial activities in sport are: offering advertising services, renting sports venues, selling refreshment, holding events of entertainment and exhibition nature, providing hostelry services, providing consulting services, selling sports goods, providing services in the area of regeneration and relaxation, offering the possibilities and developing movement skills, in-service training. At the beginning of the 21st century sport has become one of the most noteworthy phenomena of the present period of the evolution of mankind. Sport as a part of physical culture is characterized both by its specific characteristics, and its position and functions in relation to other areas of social life. Numerous links between sport and other scientific disciplines, characterized by formative effect, are reflected in state policy, they influence education and art as well as physical and psychological development of an individual. Sport plays a considerable part in satisfying needs of individuals and at the same time it attracts attention and interest of general public [4]. Parks (1998) was more definitive: Sport is a competitive physical activity, utilizing specialized equipment and facilities, with unique dimensions of time and space, in which the quest for records is of high significance. 77

2 J. B. Parks provided another perspective with his suggestion that sport should: be playlike in nature, involve some element of competition, be based on physical prowess, involve elements of skill, strategy and chance, have an uncertain outcome [7]. There is a number of factors influencing the present development and socially-economic significance of sport. These factors include e.g.: rise in new types of sports and movement activities, variedness and range of population engaging in sport and movement activities, rational management of leisure time by the contemporary population, sport is becoming an important leisure time activity, rise in the awareness of sport as a part of healthy lifestyle, rise in competition with companies and facilities offering the same or similar movement activities, rise in production of goods related to sport, establishing new sports venues and sports facilities, maintaining the existing ones, rise in new production technologies for goods related to sport, increasing the importance of service as a sports product, development of marketing in sport connected with the development of sport advertising, rise in individual forms of sponsoring in sport, rise in mass media interest in sport and sports environment, rise in the number of journals, magazines and publications, from professional to popular ones, rise in the possibilities of education in sport, rise in the number of job vacancies created by sport, development of sport as sphere of activity for entrepreneurial activities, development of tourism, travelling globalization of sport [2]. Exist three unique aspects of sport management: sport marketing, sport enterprise financial structures, sport industry career paths. These three aspects of sport management make sport different from other business enterprises and justify sport management as a distinct area of professional preparation. A fourth unique aspect of sport that we would add to Parks s (1998) list is the enormous power and influence of sport as a social institution. The marketing process needs to be managed. Information is the foundation of successful marketing - particularly information about the stakeholder, consumers and competitors. A sports product is the game or event itself the sport. Sport has tangible and intangible elements, which is what marks it a unique product to market. The tangible elements include 78

3 such things as the type of sport it is, who plays the participants, the make up of the team(s) and the type of competition. Sports marketing means more than just sale, promotion, public relation, it represents a complex function. It is a process, a method leading to setting and implementing activities for production, setting price, promotion and distribution of sports events so that the needs of customers were satisfied. By a customer we mean a person interested in any activity of a physical cultural and sports organization/its active and passive members, spectators, sponsors, relevant state authorities [6]. Aim The aim of the research was to identify problems which are pointed out by managers of large and small sport clubs and organizations in the Czech Republic during the exercise of their profession. Methods The methods of the research comprise the methods of qualitative analysis, the questioning method, a concrete individual half-structured interview and the methods of statistical data processing. The main method applied in the research was questioning method, specifically individual structured interview with 9 open-ended and 3 closed questions. The total number of respondents from all over the Czech Republic who took part in the research was 139 (121 men and 18 women). The answers of the managers of sports clubs and organizations to closed questions were processed by standard statistic data selection procedure, the answers to open-ended questions were subsequently categorised during evaluation. The method of an interview is time-consuming, but it enables the interviewer to discuss the given topics with the respondent more lengthily. The interviews with the managers took place in the environment of a sports club or organization, the interviewee usually being the main manager or a representative of the club top management. The length of the interview did not exceed 60 minutes. The students from the Faculty of Economics of the VŠB-TU Ostrava were also involved in the research in the role of interviwers. 43 sports managers out of the interviewed 139 were managers of sport clubs participating in top competitions in the Czech Republic, 74 were managers of the clubs involved in performance competitions and 22 managers of the sport facilities offering sport and physical education services, especially sale, choice of exercise (aerobics, fitness bodybuilding), training and courses of physical activities. In view of popularity of individual sports in the Czech Republic, the highest percentage of the research participants comprised managers of football clubs (25.2%), then 15.1% of managers of ice hockey clubs, 7.2% consisted of managers of floorball clubs, 5.0% managers of basketball clubs and the same percentage (i.e. 5.0%) managers of tennis clubs of the respondents were managers of sport facilities offering physical education and sports services. The remaining part of the approached managers (26.6%) represented other sports handball, figure skating, dancing, rowing, bodybuilding, golf, weightlifting, martial arts, canoeing, swimming, volleyball, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, cycling. About one third of interviewed managers were top sportsmen (29.5%), 59.7% engaged in performance sport and 10.8% did sport only for leasure. The respondents stressed that 79

4 experience from former actively practiced top (or performance) sport can facilitate sports manager s work, especially as far as dealings with sponsors are concerned. As regards the length of practice the sports managers performed their profession for, we can summarize like this: the most frequently stated length of practice was 1 to 5 years (28.1%), 22.6% stated years of practice, 14.8% years of practice and 9.4% had more than 21 years of practice in the field. Results We asked the respondents to specify the most important activities of a sport manager. Most respondents agreed on the fact that the most important activities in the area of sport management are all activities leading to acquiring funds essential for successful functioning of a sports club (organization). They mentioned activities of a manager in the area of marketing strategy and cooperation with sponsors including acquiring sponsors, and activities that lead to acquiring grants and subsidies from regions, cities and municipalities. The answers included a fact that sport manager should be able to deal with finances thoughtfully, economic efficiency in his/her actions is essential. The interviewed managers further stressed that all activities connected with complex coordination of management of the club focused on meeting its sport goals, suitable strategy leading to good base for sportsmen and coaches, creating the best possible conditions for subsequent meeting sport goals, for increasing sport performance are significant. Similarly, all the activities of a manager connected with meeting individual managerial functions organizing, planning, leading people, choosing co-workers, check were highly emphasized. Accent was also put on activities leading to creating good interpersonal relationships both within internal environment of the sports club and in public (communication with sponsors, with municipality representatives, with sport union of a particular sport). The respondents further stresses all activities of a manager necessary for ensuring optimum training conditions (for sportsmen and trainers), including looking for talents. A sport manager must ensure the formal aspect of the sport activity of a club (registration, applications for competitions), good-quality training conditions (rentals of sports venues or repairs or maintenance of the existing ones), material supplies, securing tools and implements, sports equipment. According to the respondents, sport manager must have basic knowledge of economics, especially management and marketing, of law and revenue statutes, but also corresponding language skills. Without this knowledge he could hardly perform activities connected with ensuring the income part of the budget, preparing sponsor or promotional contracts, record keeping and other club agenda. When we asked about the most significant qualities and abilities a sport manager should be endowed with, we got the following answers: communicativeness, good manners, honesty, diplomacy and correctness, wholesome self-confidence, ambition and purposefulness, natural authority, charisma, precise, clear, quick, creative and flexible decision-making, independence and creativity, ability to improvise, logical thinking, 80

5 ability to find different solution alternatives, cope with critical stuations, art of motivation, being empathic and assertive and tolerant, industriousness, determination, resolution and responsibility, patience, perseverance, consistency, ability to set realistic targets, art of losing, keeping promises, suitable temperament, ability and willingness to study. The respondents also stressed that managerial qualities must be innate, that it is less a career than a vocation. We were also interested in the issue of cooperation between sports environment (sports clubs) and economic subjects (companies), how many sponsors the interviewed managers of sports clubs and organizations cooperate with and how this cooperation is developing. Over one half of the respondents (53.90%) stated that they cooperate with smaller sponsors, mostly the sportsmens relatives, trainers or the main manager s close acquaintances. 29.6% of the respondents cooperates with one main sponsor and a few smaller side ones % of the respondents cooperates only with one, maximally two big sponsors. 5.8% of the respondents do not cooperate with any sponsor (these were mostly small sports facilities). We wanted to know if the relationship sponsor x the sponsored was in any way affected by the economic crisis. 40.1% of the respondents identically confirmed that their club was strongly affected by the crisis, they were forced to lower all costs. They pointed out that lack of finances even resulted in decreasing the standard of the club sport results. 33.3% of the interviewed managers experienced considerable decrease of sponsoring companies which encountered economic difficulties themselves and literally overnight stopped contributing to sports clubs for their functioning. 15.4% of the respondents confirmed that the municipalities also decreased their subsidies of the sports clubs or increased the rental for their sports grounds it originally rented for a symbolic price. Only 7.20% of the respondents stated that the crisis has not considerably affected them, that permanent sponsors they have strong bond with have not stopped their sponsorship activity. Sponsors mostly have not left football and ice-hockey sports clubs participating in top competitions. One of other issues concerned communal sphere i.e. whether the municipalities contribute to sports activity in their region. 32.0% of the respondents answered that the municipality contributes fundamentally for the operation of the sports club. The respondents stressed that without this support that represents more than one half of the total income of the club they would not be able to do the sport. 24.8% of the respondents answered that they get considerable contributions from the municipal sphere, but only for sports activity of children and youth. 15.2% of the interviewed managers of sports clubs admitted support from the municipality, but only in the form of rental of sports grounds at low price. Sometimes the municipalities contribute to buy sports material necessary for doing a particular sports branch. 14.0% of the respondents claimed that the contributions (subsidies, grants) from the municipalities represent up to one third of entire sports club income. 7.8% of the sports club managers get contributions from the municipality only exceptionally and 5.2% of sports clubs get no contributions from the communal sphere. 81

6 As far as the style of management is concerned, 46.0% of the respondents prefers democratic style of management, 28.8% the combination of autocratic and democratic style of management, 20.9% autocratic style of management and 4.3% professed liberal style of management. We were also interested in opinions of the professionals from practice about the importance of higher education in the field and the possibilities of employment for the graduates from higher education institutions focused on sport economics, sport management and marketing. 59.9% of the respondents believe that higher education is not essential for the profession, but it is an advantage, 25% stated that higher education is necessary for managerial work in the field of sport management and 15.1% expressed exactly opposing opinion. The respondents answered the question concerning possibilities of employment for the graduates in fields of study focused on sport management and marketing as follows: only sport managers with higher education will find employment, sport management as a profession is gaining prestige (21.5%), at present it is impossible to find employment as a sport manager (17.2%), the graduates will find employment not only as managers of sports clubs, but also in related areas (tourism, business sale, production of sports products, sport services, etc.) (15,1%), rmance sportsmen) and at the same time have higher education, preferably economic specialization (14.5%), only former top sportsmen will find employment, regardless of education they have (8.1%), the possibility of finding employment in the area of sport management differs according to regions and according to the type of sport branch (7.2%), the time of increased demand for sport managers has not come yet, in the course of time there willbe demand mainly for managers with higher education, at present it is not possible to find employment in sport management without contacts and connections (5.6%), l ike in every profession, the ability to find employment depends on the graduate himself/herself (4.7%). Discussion The interviews with the sport managers yielded valuable facts and statistic data that helped to meet the aims of the research, i.e. select the most serious problems of the present-day sport management. The respondents were asked to give thorough description of their biggest problems they personally deal with while practising their profession. Their answers to some of the questions proved the validity of general managerial theories in practice. The interviewed described a number of activities a sport manager has to do. They most often agreed on the fact that these include all the activities leading to ensuring finances necessary for successful functioning of the sports club, then the activities connected with discharge of all the basic managerial functions. The respondents thoroughly enumerated all the qualities and abilities necessary for the profession. They also specified knowledge a sport manager should have. The main 82

7 emphasis was put on knowledge of economics, management and marketing, law and at least one world language and the ability of constructive communication. Only 15% of the respondents assumes that higher education is not important for the profession. The other respondents agreed on the fact that higher education is a big advantage, some of them even stated that it is necessary for the profession. According to those who were interviewed, the current problem number one is ensuring sufficient funds necessary for meeting mainly sport aims of the club. At present it is very difficult to get a new sponsor, but also to keep the existing one. The communication with sponsors becomes artistry. The respondents agreed on the fact that they often use their contacts and acquaintances when looking for new sponsors. According to respondents the most frequent types of entrepreneurial activities in sport are: offering advertising services, renting sports venues, selling refreshment, holding events of entertainment and exhibition nature, providing hostelry services, providing consulting services, selling sports goods, providing services in the area of regeneration and relaxation, offering the possibilities and developing movement skills, in-service training. According to respondents, another problem is the fact that there are still not enough sports ground, the existing ones often deteriorate and there are not enough finances to repair them. Besides, the rentals for using sports grounds are increasing. The managers claim that children and youth are not inclined to go in for sports and they are encouraged to do that in their families. Passive lifestyle of families, and thus of children, prevails, including spending spare time in a passive way. Youth competitions are not filled because of children s reluctance to do sports. As for the possibility for the graduates from higher education institutions with specialization sport manager to find employment, the respondents tended to be rather pessimistic in their answers. They responded with the intent that for the professionals with higher education in sport management the time is yet to come. Conclusion The research whose main goal was to select the main problems of the present-day management in sport brought a number of important indicators and interesting data. Interviews with sport managers showed some facts, observations and problems the managers commonly face in their practice. Some problems were connected with sport as such and they have a general character commercialization of sport, acquiring finances, cooperation with sponsors and communal sphere, negative phenomena within the present-day sports environment, problems in interpersonal communication, etc. Specific problems are solved by the managers of a particular sports and level of the competition the club is participating in. The most significant problem of the present-day sport management univocally proved to be lack of finances and acquiring additional financial sources necessary for ensuring successful operation of the sports club. These facts are subordinate to all activities of a sport manager. It can also be stated that a big problem of the present-day sport management is lack of economically educated sport managers, i.e. professionals who could apply their theoretic knowledge of management and marketing in their everyday 83

8 practice. Not only innate qualities and abilities, but also the acquired ones play a very important role for the profession of a manager, as well as a sport manager. In proportion to new kinds of sport that appear, the quality of the area of physical education and sport is improving, as the population is more and more interested in healthy lifestyle and more and more those who are interested get the opportunity to go in for sports, sport begins to be generally understood as an important social-economic institution, the significance of sport as a product increases, various forms of entrepreneurship in sport are expanding, profits rise, sport management and marketing improves. Globalization in sport proceeds very fast and higher and higher demands are placed on sport managers. The worldwide trend suggests that also in the Czech Republic there will be increase in job opportunities for graduates with the qualifications of a sport manager. At the same time, the sports environment already lacks professionals specialist for the area of management and marketing. It is necessary to support all possibilities of education in the given field of study. Fields of study with specialization in sports management and marketing began to be offered by our higher education institutions after the revolution in They are still new, developing fields of study and this specialization is offered by only a few higher education institutions in the Czech Republic. VŠB-TU Ostrava is among them, the field of study Sport Management has a 14-year old tradition here. Sport management study programme is a bachelor branch of the Economics and Management study programme at the Faculty of Economics at the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava (VŠB-TUO). The VŠB-TUO Department of Physical Education and Sport participate in teaching of physical education subjects. The establishment of this branch at the Faculty of Economics, VŠB-TUO was based on the existing structure of study programmes and the long-term conception of the faculty. Teaching in the Sport Management study programme started at the Faculty of Economics, VSB-TUO in the academic year 1997/1998. The study programme was established because of the needs of practice, in response to an important position and role of sport in the society nowadays. Students will acquire necessary knowledge and skills related to his/her expertise during the studies so that the graduate is able to put acquired knowledge into practice. The graduate should know the basic economic principles and legal norms related to this field; he/she should become an expert of the general sport issues, know the technical and methodological aspects of selected sport disciplines and have a personal assumptions and deep interest in the chosen field and the study programme as well. Work Exercise of the Graduate is very wide from the functions on different organizational levels in the existing sports clubs, associations and organizations from local and regional to national, in institutions and facilities that provide recreational, rehabilitative, and leisure-oriented programs (fitness, wellness), in advertising and marketing agencies in the area of sport services, in companies that manufacture and sell sports goods, in organizations specialized in sport events organizing (competitions, tournaments, meetings, etc.). In the future, enlightened sport managers will become more aware of their social responsibilities and will deliver their services in ways that reflect this understanding. For example, professional child care services will become routine 84

9 in sport facilities, something we have already begun to see. Sport managers will become more conscious of environmental concerns and will incorporate this understanding into their business practices. Sport managers of the future will use previously untapped and undertapped target markets, such as women and people of differing ages, abilities and sexual orientations. They will also recognize the importance of keeping the sport experience accessible to all socioeconomic groups. References [1] Certo, S. C., Certo, T. (2011) Modern management: Concepts and skills. 12 th ed. Prentice Hall. ISBN [2] ČÁSLAVOVÁ, E. (2009) Management sportu. Praha: East West Publishing Company. [3] DURDOVÁ, I. (2009) Základní aspekty sportovního marketingu. Ostrava: VŠB-TUO. [4] DURDOVÁ, I. (2012) Ekonomické aspekty sportovního managementu. Ostrava: VŠB-TUO. ISBN [5] HOBZA, V., REKTOŘÍK, J. (2007) Základy ekonomie sportu. Praha: Ekopress. ISBN [6] NOVOTNÝ, J. et al. (2011) Sport v ekonomice. Wolters Kluwer ČR. [7] PARKS, J. (1998) Sport Management. Human Kinetics Publishers. Doc. RNDr. Irena Durdová, Ph.D. Department of Management, Faculty of Economist, VŠB Technical University of Ostrava, Sokolská tř. 33, Ostrava 1 irena.durdova@vsb.cz 85