CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal
While corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are well-established among football clubs, COVID-19 challenged clubs’ capacity and commitment to continue delivering in times of crisis. Focusing on Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Premiership clubs and their charitable foundations,...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Financial Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/10/4/86 |
| _version_ | 1797979127265886208 |
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| author | Severin J. S. Oeckl Stephen Morrow |
| author_facet | Severin J. S. Oeckl Stephen Morrow |
| author_sort | Severin J. S. Oeckl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are well-established among football clubs, COVID-19 challenged clubs’ capacity and commitment to continue delivering in times of crisis. Focusing on Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Premiership clubs and their charitable foundations, we examined challenges presented by restrictions and limited resources and how these impacted the decision making of CSR managers, as well as their prioritisation of projects undertaken. Qualitative research methods were applied in a two-step process. A content analysis drawing on publicly available resources provided a holistic overview of the CSR landscape in Scottish football. Subsequent semi-structured interviews with CSR managers of four clubs’ foundations offered detailed insights into crisis response. We found that resource limitations resulted primarily in operational rather than financial difficulties. To remain functional and consistent with their motives, foundations initiated new ways to address target groups’ social needs. Specifically, delivery shifted towards direct help and short-term support. While foundations continued to benefit from being associated with the parent football club, autonomy from the club was a critical success factor intensifying stakeholder relationships and community links. COVID-19-related disruptive factors resulted in more rapid decision making and greater empowerment of operational staff. Lessons learned have potential implications for CSR management post-pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:34:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c034eca57e6e43afb1502e19ef37ba0f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7072 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:34:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Financial Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-c034eca57e6e43afb1502e19ef37ba0f2022-12-22T15:47:08ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Financial Studies2227-70722022-09-0110868610.3390/ijfs10040086CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New NormalSeverin J. S. Oeckl0Stephen Morrow1Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UKEdinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UKWhile corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are well-established among football clubs, COVID-19 challenged clubs’ capacity and commitment to continue delivering in times of crisis. Focusing on Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Premiership clubs and their charitable foundations, we examined challenges presented by restrictions and limited resources and how these impacted the decision making of CSR managers, as well as their prioritisation of projects undertaken. Qualitative research methods were applied in a two-step process. A content analysis drawing on publicly available resources provided a holistic overview of the CSR landscape in Scottish football. Subsequent semi-structured interviews with CSR managers of four clubs’ foundations offered detailed insights into crisis response. We found that resource limitations resulted primarily in operational rather than financial difficulties. To remain functional and consistent with their motives, foundations initiated new ways to address target groups’ social needs. Specifically, delivery shifted towards direct help and short-term support. While foundations continued to benefit from being associated with the parent football club, autonomy from the club was a critical success factor intensifying stakeholder relationships and community links. COVID-19-related disruptive factors resulted in more rapid decision making and greater empowerment of operational staff. Lessons learned have potential implications for CSR management post-pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/10/4/86corporate social responsibilityfootballCOVID-19stakeholderresource dependency |
| spellingShingle | Severin J. S. Oeckl Stephen Morrow CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal International Journal of Financial Studies corporate social responsibility football COVID-19 stakeholder resource dependency |
| title | CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal |
| title_full | CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal |
| title_fullStr | CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal |
| title_full_unstemmed | CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal |
| title_short | CSR in Professional Football in Times of Crisis: New Ways in a Challenging New Normal |
| title_sort | csr in professional football in times of crisis new ways in a challenging new normal |
| topic | corporate social responsibility football COVID-19 stakeholder resource dependency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/10/4/86 |
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