Between cultural heritage, business and good governance: understanding club structures in German professional football

Titelangaben

Baumeister, Johannes ; Adam, Sandy ; Brandt, Christian:
Between cultural heritage, business and good governance: understanding club structures in German professional football.
In: Managing Sport and Leisure. (2025) .
ISSN 2375-0472
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2025.2595026

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Abstract

Purpose/rationale
This study explores the governance structures of German professional football clubs, aiming to understand how they navigate structural tensions between the institutional logics of cultural heritage, business, and good governance.

Design/methodology/approach
Findings are based on an extensive documentary analysis of 54 clubs competing in Germany’s top three professional football leagues. The analysis covers the organisational framework, board framework, board composition, and the role of the president or chairperson.

Findings
Governance structures among German professional football clubs are highly heterogeneous, reflected in legal forms, ownership models, voting rights, supervisory arrangements, and levels of volunteer involvement. However, the institutional logics underpinning these structures show a notable degree of homogeneity.

Practical implications
As many clubs review and adapt their governance, this study supports decision-makers in identifying relevant institutional logics, understanding their objectives and structural expressions, and integrating them into coherent, context-appropriate frameworks.

Research contribution
The study shows that governance analysis must go beyond legal form to consider the complex legal, operational, cultural, and personal interdependencies between associations and affiliated corporations.

Originality/value
The analysis links club-level empirical characteristics to broader institutional logics, offering a deeper understanding of governance in German professional football.