Empirical Evidence of Stakeholder Management in Sports Clubs: The Impact of the Board of Directors

Abstract

A major challenge for non-profit sports organizations is how to raise resources from their stakeholders. The present article empirically assesses how the management of stakeholders can affect the resources raised by non-profit sports organizations. The moderating effect of particular characteristics of the Board of Directors is also considered. Evidence is obtained by surveying a large sample of sports clubs from Catalonia, Spain. Results indicate how the quality of relations between sports clubs and their external stakeholders relate positively to the financial and non-financial contributions of stakeholders. A club's financial resources are also positively linked to the amount of time its Board of Directors is willing to invest. Our results represent a major contribution to the management of sports clubs, demonstrating that sports organizations should prioritize the management of their external stakeholders.