Welcome to ‘The Personal Touch Series’, a catch-up with the team behind Sport Business Chain. On a regular basis, we will share insights about our backgrounds, values, personal views, experience and prospects, so you can get to know us better. As we are strong advocates of the ‘open-door policy’, let this be the corner where we take your questions, encourage feedback and open discussions.
SPORT: A NETWORK OF PEOPLE, FOR PEOPLE
Sport is a complex ecosystem, with a round-the-clock job. Billions of people are impacted by sport one way or another, from physical activity in the schoolyard, sport participation at grassroots and high performance levels, coaches, trainers, development officers to sport policy makers, sport club owners, sport lawyers, marketers, researchers, agents or IT practitioners. Therefore, there is an everlasting chain of networks that stems from sport, involving numerous stakeholders, skills, backgrounds and values. Sport is a network of people, for people.
SPORT: A VIRTUOUS CYCLE
Moreover, both Cosmin and I have studied Sports Marketing and Management in the UK, where we are currently also working. Hence, we have had a front-row view of the mechanism in place, which fosters a continuous collaboration between the public, private and volunteering sport sectors. Government-supported initiatives and strategic funding policies have a positive snowball effect on the entire sport ecosystem, generating a wide range of benefits, such as strengthening sport from the grassroots to the elite levels, creating sport events legacies, as well as encouraging equal employment and top-management representation among men and women.
No, we are not saying the UK model is flawless, but it has definitely demonstrated that building a virtuous cycle leads to long-term sustainable results. Likewise, the Sport Business Chain’s name and strategy aim to showcase the holistic impact of sport, if perceived as an aggregate of chain links.
SPORT BUSINESS: A CHAIN OF LINKS
Strictly from a business standpoint, sport organisations can become more financially and socially sustainable if they pay attention and invest their time in building a long-term strategy based on multiple chain links. For instance, if the objective of a sport club is to gain higher sponsorship deals, the sustainable version is to commit to a long-term approach. Thus:
Developing a social media and communication plan drives brand awareness, which can increase grassroots participation, widening the talent pool of the entity. Then, investing in digital marketing campaigns and relevant content creation can enhance fan experience and engagement, resulting in a higher emotional attachment to the team and more participants to the games. Higher attendance equals more exposure, which can lead to better broadcasting deals and ultimately increased interest from the sponsors.
SPORT BUSINESS CHAIN: SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
- Let’s take a look at sport not only from a physical education angle, but from a complex network of various stakeholders, backgrounds, values and skills that, if brought together, have the power of driving the entire ecosystem ahead.
- Collaboration is the way further.
- Linking the dots and involving the entirety of the sport ecosystem in conversations and mutually beneficial projects would inherently generate growth and development for the Eastern European sport landscape.
As always, we would be thrilled to read your comments and views, and we would love to have the chance to e-meet you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Medium!
