Abstract:
Professional football clubs, as a significant element of the African and South African sports
industry, find it increasingly difficult to balance the needs of shareholders and fans, and be
commercially viable concurrently. It is in stark contrast with European professional football clubs
in the UEFA (European Football Association) and English Premiership leagues that consistently
enjoy financial success and growth. The business models of European professional football is
highly structured, and reliable data are available through detailed financial statements of
professional football clubs and industry reports. In stark contrast, in Africa, professional football
business models are almost non-existent. This study aims to propose a viable business model for
managing professional football in Africa. Specific objectives were to explore the variables of
professional football business models, examine and compare quantitative financial data of
identified business model variables, evaluate qualitative views of professional football experts on
the relevance and significance of business model variables and propose a viable business model
for professional football in Africa. A mixed methods research design was used to collect data by
analyzing business models and financial statements of professional football clubs and conducting
semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of senior executives in professional football in
Europe and Africa. Findings indicated that elements of the revenue-generating business are
standard across African and European professional football models but that African clubs underutilize these elements. Qualitative data corroborated this finding, and a business model for African
professional football clubs was proffered.
