Who really governs the sports club?

Voluntary sports clubs are one of Sweden’s largest popular movements – but who actually governs them? Formally, they are owned and governed by their members. At the same time, it is often unclear who makes the decisions, what mandate different roles have, and how the members’ collective interests are safeguarded. Researchers at Jönköping University (JU) will now study how governance and member influence actually function.

In many clubs, responsibility and influence are spread across a wide range of actors: members, parents, volunteers, sponsors, and municipalities. At the same time, demands for transparency, sporting success, commercialization, and professionalization are increasing. When there are no clear frameworks, it becomes difficult to know who decides, for example, on investments, finances or the club’s long-term direction.

“When responsibility is shared but at the same time dispersed, there is a risk that important decisions are made without proper anchoring. The question then becomes not only how the club is managed, but who governs it,” says Lena Olaison, project leader and Assistant Professor at Jönköping International Business School, JU.

Focus on ownership and the role of members

Previous research on sports clubs has often focused on the work of boards and day-to-day management. This research project shifts the focus to ownership – that is, how the members’ collective interests are formulated, interpreted and given effect in the club’s governance.

“We want to understand how small and medium-sized sports clubs set their long-term direction. What should they prioritize, who are they there for, and what boundaries exist between different interests? These questions become particularly sensitive when members are minors, when volunteers’ engagement is time-limited, when resources are scarce and when demands are high,” says Lena Olaison.

From research to practical support for clubs

The study will be carried out in three stages: case studies in four to six small and medium-sized sports clubs across Sweden, a national survey, and then the development of a practical tool for club boards and members.

“An important outcome of the project is a user-friendly toolkit that can help club boards work more systematically with ownership issues when ownership is dispersed and, in many cases, invisible. This may involve clearer priorities, roles and follow-up, but also ways of including children and young people in the club’s development,” says Lena Olaison.

The project involves researchers Lena Olaison and Timur Uman from Jönköping International Business School, as well as Martin Carlsson-Wall from the Stockholm School of Economics. The project is funded by the Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation and the Tore Browaldh Foundation.