The increasing commercialisation of the sports sector and changing consumer demands are some of the issues that create challenges for non-profit sports in contemporary society. It is important for managers and marketers of these organisations to innovate because innovation is a way to grow within a competitive environment and to meet customers' expectations. The present study aims to develop an explorative typology of sports federations based on their attitudes and perceptions of determinants of innovation and their innovation capacity. A cluster analysis suggested three clusters with different responses towards service innovation: traditional sports federations, financially secure sports federations and competitive sports federations. Sports federations perceiving competition in terms of financial and human resources, favouring change and paid staff involvement in decision-making processes, and with negative economic perceptions are significantly more innovative. These findings have implications for the management and marketing of non-profit sports organisations.
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Despite several decades of Sport for All policies, opportunities for sports participation are still unequally divided, with certain socially disadvantaged groups having less access to sports. To reduce this gap, structural efforts are needed. A question that arises is what role nonprofit sports clubs can fulfill in this matter. In this study, first, it is explored how nonprofit sports clubs perceive their role and responsibility towards socially disadvantaged groups and how they act on it. Second, it is investigated which factors predict the presence or absence of efforts from nonprofit sports clubs for lowering barriers. For this second question, we focus on people living in poverty. Data are based on a survey among 580 nonprofit sports clubs throughout Flanders (Belgium). The findings indicate that the human resources capacity of the club is not the main barrier. It is argued that local sports authorities and sports federations have an important part to play in supporting and encouraging sports clubs in terms of social inclusionary policies, for example by instilling awareness.
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Today, Dutch National Non-profit Sports Organizations (NNSFs) experience financial pressures. Two indications for this are described in this paper i.e. increased competition in the sports sector and changes in subsidy division. Decreasing incomes from subsidies can be compensated with either increasing incomes from a commercial domain or increasing incomes from member contributions. This last solution has been the motive for the increasing interest in the use of marketing techniques as a solution for the growing uncertainties. Many NNSFs have participated in a special marketing program in order to enlarge their marketing awareness and create a marketing strategy. This paper deals with possible impediments resulting from the implementation of the marketing strategies. It is primarily based on a literature review, however, the first results from a qualitative research to the increasing use of marketing techniques among NNSFs provides insights in the experienced impediments of NNSFs .
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Main goal of the Sport Physical Education And Coaching in Health (SPEACH) Project is to increase awareness and behavioural change in sport professionals and European citizens towards an active and healthy lifestyle.Sedentariness and physical inactivity are a cross-national problem. Therefore, the Project builds upon a strong collaborative-partnership to contribute in solving this problem on the European level and to increase sport and physical activity participation. To achieve this, the project will develop HEPA related educational modules, which will be included into existing education structures in the areas of sport coaching and physical education (PE), in order to stimulate pupils, young athletes and adults towards an active and healthy lifestyle.An innovative aspect of the project is the diversity of partners involved. The consortium consists of ten organizations and actors from seven EU countries in the field of sport, PE and health. The partners involved are national and international sports committees, sport federations and higher educational institutes in the field of sport, PE teacher education and health. Finally, the project is strongly supported by the European Network of Sport Science, Education & Employment (ENSSEE).
