Patterns of Economic Development and the Formation of Clubs

This study investigates the sources of heterogeneity across a worldwide set of countries. Unspecified ex ante and unanticipated cultural (Protestant versus Catholic), geographical (continents), and institutional (OECD versus non-OECD) clubs emerge endogenously and naturally as homogeneous classes on the basis of their economic structure. The dynamics both within and across the identified groups of countries are consistent with multiple equilibrium-growth models proposed by, for instance, Azariadis and Drazen (1990), therefore strengthening the viability of the convergence club hypothesis. In particular, higher stages of development are, on average, non linearly associated with higher stages of growth.     

The contests for power and influence over the regulatory space within the English professional football industry, 1980–2012

This study draws on the concept of ‘regulatory space’ to analyse the evolution of financial regulation of professional football clubs in England over the past 30 years. It begins by setting out the institutional context and, in particular, the internal governance structure of the Football Association. It then discusses three periods that demonstrate how the regulatory environment is characterised and shaped by different organisations, particularly the football authorities. It concludes by arguing that appropriate financial regulation is unlikely to occur under the following four circumstances: where internal governance structures of regulatory bodies are constituted in such a way as to inhibit the process of decision-making; where powerful actors maintain control of significant financial resources and have a desire to limit financial regulation; where minor actors do not have sufficient power and leverage; and where the government is unwilling to intervene and use legislation.     

对大学生RobCup机器人足球比赛指导的研究与实践

大学生RobCup机器人足球比赛做为学习和实践的一个良好的结合点,对于提高学生的学习兴趣、应用所学知识的实践能力,具有很好的促进作用。在这项活动中,我们加强对学生的指导和管理,取得了一定成效。     

Feeling at home: an autoethnographic account of an immigrant football fan in Western Sydney

Despite the relocation, pressures that usually restrict time available for leisure activities, football fandom is one distraction new immigrants continue to enjoy after moving to a new country. In this paper, I explore my own connection to the Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (WSWFC), a relationship that helped me integrate into a new society after what had been a challenging migration experience. I use an autoethnographic approach and a theoretical background that characterises football fandom as a metaphysical experience of the ordinary people. The story of my involvement with the WSWFC and its fans shows how football fandom can be an effective tool for new immigrants, assisting with socialisation and integration into the new society.     

Strategic Management of External Change in NSW Registered Clubs

ABSTRACT

This research examines how clubs strategically manage change resulting from alterations in their external environment. Specifically, this paper aims to investigate the marketing implications of recent legislative change arising from restrictions imposed on advertising and promotion of club gaming in one Australian state, the most populous state of New South Wales (NSW). Managers of three northern NSW clubs situated adjacent to the southern Queensland (QLD) border were interviewed to obtain primary data for this investigation. Results show that legislation restricting gaming advertising, promotion and external signage has caused difficulties in marketing these three clubs whose core product is gaming machines. Short-term results of revised marketing strategies indicate that club member numbers are steady but spending is unpredictable. Visitors are harder to attract, particularly new visitors.     

Utopian community football? Sport,hope and belongingness in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers

Refugees and asylum seekers have become increasingly demonised as part of anti-migrant sentiment leading to social exclusion. Sport has been utilised as a tool for social cohesion though evidence as to its efficacy in such a task is limited. Based on a three-year research programme exploring the role of football in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in the U.K., this paper examines the concept of belonging, provides evidence for the role of community-based sport in social development and concludes with a call for practitioners to maximise their belief in concrete utopian ideals without losing the inherent critical approach needed to positively develop the industry in which they work.     

The influence of multiple types of service convenience on behavioral intentions: The mediating role of consumer satisfaction in a Taiwanese leisure setting

Service organizations are looking for ways to better deliver consumer value and to increase consumers’ purchase intentions. Organizations can differentiate themselves by making their services easier to consume, that is, more convenient. Service convenience is complex and is comprised of five convenience types, namely, decision, access, transaction, benefit, and post-benefit. Research into service convenience has examined how these types of convenience affect consumers’ experiences and intentions, but limited research has studied it within a leisure setting. With data collected from a sample of 443 Taiwanese, this research uses mediated regression to examine the influence of the five types of convenience on consumers’ behavioral intentions, and the mediating role satisfaction plays in the relationship. The findings indicate that only benefit and post-benefit convenience are associated with improved behavioral intentions and that satisfaction partially mediates the relationship for those two types of convenience. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

“Continent-wide” sports spectacles: The “multiple host format” of Euro 2020 and United 2026 and its implications

Predominantly, sport mega-events (SMEs) have been staged in one or, occasionally, two countries. However, the 2020s, symbolize a decade where two of the largest SMEs will take up a geographically unique format, and be staged in 12 and 3 host countries, respectively. This article visits the “multiple host format” and examines three key organizational implications of this alternate format. These include grievances for event attendees, less financial risk concerning new stadia/infrastructure, and challenges with regards to security planning. Overall, the format represents an including and innovative solution, in a time wherein SMEs have been questioned for excessive expenditure and “unsuited” hosts.     

Football players’ career and wage profiles

The objective of this article is to look over football players’ career path, from lower leagues to the first league, and the associated wage profile. The information comes from a Portuguese longitudinal matched employer–employee data set defining several career events according to players’ movement across football clubs and across professional and semi-professional leagues. Our identifying strategy relies on coach changes to reduce the potential bias resulting from players’ moves between clubs. The estimated first-difference wage equations indicate that players can expect a wage premium when they get transferred to new clubs in higher leagues or a wage penalty when moving to lower leagues. Players who stay in the same club after the club being relegated can also expect a wage penalty.     

论五人制足球运动在陕西省高校推广的意义

通过对五人制足球运动的介绍和十一人制足球运动特点的比较,以及对影响陕西省高校足球运动开展的影响因素的分析,得出五人制足球运动相对于十一人制足球运动更适合在陕西省高校开展。