Socioeconomic Problems of Sports Clubs

Abstract

Many particularities distinguish the economic situation of sports clubs from profit- orientated firms. They stem from the constitutive features of a sports club: voluntary membership, orientation towards the member's interest, independence of third parties, democratic decisional structure and voluntary work. The major particularities that crystallize are the structures of resources and kinds of financing, goods produced, the optimization of goods production, control mechanisms through which the various demands and expectations are keyed to one another, goals of the executive board and decision-taking according to the majority vote. These particularities are not only of consequence for the social structure of the club, but also constitute the basis for an economic theory of sports clubs.