Sport Club Management

Sport clubs are firmly established and play an important role in the development of athletes. However, few resources are available for those responsible for organizing, developing, and managing club sports. Sport Club Management provides

administrators, managers, and coaches with the background and examples necessary for running a sport club by considering its unique demands. With this outstanding guide, leaders have the tools to develop and sustain organizations that are viable and financially successful and that satisfy the needs of athletes and those who support them.

This resource breaks down the complex fundamentals of management for all club sports—whether a multi-age-level program with an extensive budget or a local club with limited resources. Those who manage and lead clubs will find that they can develop a successful business plan without sacrificing their player development program or their club mission. In addition, they’ll gain the latest information on creating a distinctive club culture, organize their procedures, and encourage profitability by running the organization using a business mentality.

Unlike most books written for sport club managers, this resource recognizes the responsibilities of leaders and administrators by extending beyond the coaching level. In addition to player development, the content focuses on successful business tactics as they relate to sport clubs, including how to meet the management, marketing, retention, communication, and administrative needs of the organization. The book also provides advice on determining the organizational structure of the club, hiring effective leaders, understanding parental relationships, and facing legal and ethical issues. Every chapter in the book includes reader-friendly features that aid in comprehension:

• Thought-provoking opening scenarios, revisited at the chapter’s end, draw readers in and invite them to consider how they would respond to similar situations.

• Successful Strategies sidebars discuss real-world examples of issues a club manager might face and how those issues were resolved.

• Numerous reproducible sample forms make it easy for readers to implement new strategies based on the administrative needs of their own clubs.

Sport Club Management expertly shows readers how to run a club in today’s demanding, high-tech environment. With this guide, leaders will be able to communicate their club’s mission, establish its brand, and bring in the revenue required to ensure long-term success.

Matthew Robinson, EdD, is associate professor and director of the sport management program at the University of Delaware. He also is a member of the legal studies faculty, has a secondary appointment with the School of Education, and serves as director of the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program funded by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity fund. Robinson also serves as director of management education for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and developed the organization’s director of coaching course.

Robinson earned his EdD in athletic administration from Temple University. He is the author of another successful sport management text,has written over 25 articles, and has delivered over 100 national and international scholarly and professional presentations. He is president of CPTM Sport Enterprise, a sport consulting firm.