The sports sector has been highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amateur sports clubs have suffered the most and have been forced to temporarily cease all their activities due to restrictions on group sport. This situation has highlighted the critical financial situation of amateur sports clubs and the consequent need to innovate their business model. While the pandemic has caused many problems, it has also accelerated the digitization process. Several sports clubs have implemented digital solutions for the first time to guarantee their members the practice of sport, which has become impossible by traditional means due to bans. Digital is thus becoming the main tool for innovation in the business model of an amateur sports club, capable of solving the various problems affecting the sector. This thesis aims to investigate the amateur sports club sector in-depth and understand the impact that digital transformation can have on it. Starting from a detailed literature review, it was possible to identify the main elements that make up the business model of an amateur sports club. All the information acquired was then categorized using the Business Model Canvas tool to ensure greater understanding in the subsequent stages. Literature analysis combined with the study of a financial database containing the balance sheets of 271 Italian amateur sports clubs/associations has allowed to understand the problems affecting the sector and thus determine the main areas where digital should act as a solution. The analysis of the main digital trends related to amateur sports clubs was carried out through the study of a database containing 2370 digital start-ups in the sports sector. Based on this, only start-ups offering products or services for amateur clubs or athletes were selected. The qualitative analysis of these allowed us to identify the main digital solutions that can be implemented by an amateur sports club and to point out the impact on its business model. Finally, to validate the results obtained in the previous research phases, the Thesis work presents 4 case studies of Italian amateur sports clubs containing the study of the business model, the main problems of the current management, and the impact on the activities of the digital solutions adopted.
Il settore dello sport è stato altamente colpito dalla pandemia di COVID-19. Ad aver sofferto di più sono state le società sportive dilettantistiche, che, complice il divieto di praticare sport in gruppo, sono state costrette a cessare temporaneamente tutte le loro attività. Questa situazione ha messo in luce la situazione finanziaria critica in cui versano le società sportive dilettantistiche e la conseguente necessità di innovare il loro modello di business. Se da un lato la pandemia ha causato non pochi problemi, dall’altro ha accelerato il processo di digitalizzazione. Varie società sportive hanno implementato per la prima volta soluzioni digitali per garantire ai propri associati la pratica sportiva divenuta impossibile con i mezzi tradizionali a causa dei divieti. Il digitale diviene dunque lo strumento principale di innovazione del modello di business di una società sportiva dilettantistica. Questo lavoro di Tesi si prefigge di andare ad indagare a fondo il settore delle società sportive dilettantistiche e comprendere l’impatto che la trasformazione digitale può avere su di esso. Partendo da una dettagliata analisi bibliografica è stato possibile individuare i principali elementi che compongono il modello di business di una società sportiva dilettantistica. Tutte le informazioni acquisite sono poi state categorizzate attraverso lo strumento del Business Model Canvas. L’analisi bibliografica unita allo studio di un database finanziario contenente i bilanci di 271 società sportive dilettantistiche italiane ha permesso inoltre di comprendere quali fossero le problematiche che colpiscono il settore e determinare così le principali aree in cui il digitale dovrebbe agire come soluzione. L’analisi dei trend digitali relativi alle società sportive dilettantistiche è avvenuta tramite lo studio di un database contente 2370 startup digitali in ambito sportivo. Partendo da questo sono state selezionate solo le startup che offrono prodotti o servizi destinati a club o atleti dilettanti. L’analisi qualitativa di queste ha permesso di individuare le principali soluzioni digitali implementabili da una società sportiva dilettantistica e di comprendere l’impatto sul modello di business di quest’ultima. Infine, per validare i risultati ottenuti nelle fasi di ricerca precedenti il lavoro di Tesi presenta 4 casi studio di società sportive dilettantistiche italiane contenti lo studio del modello di business, delle principali problematiche e dell’impatto sulle attività delle soluzioni digitali adottate.
Digital transformation of amateur sports clubs
Witsenburg, Michele
2020/2021
Abstract
The sports sector has been highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amateur sports clubs have suffered the most and have been forced to temporarily cease all their activities due to restrictions on group sport. This situation has highlighted the critical financial situation of amateur sports clubs and the consequent need to innovate their business model. While the pandemic has caused many problems, it has also accelerated the digitization process. Several sports clubs have implemented digital solutions for the first time to guarantee their members the practice of sport, which has become impossible by traditional means due to bans. Digital is thus becoming the main tool for innovation in the business model of an amateur sports club, capable of solving the various problems affecting the sector. This thesis aims to investigate the amateur sports club sector in-depth and understand the impact that digital transformation can have on it. Starting from a detailed literature review, it was possible to identify the main elements that make up the business model of an amateur sports club. All the information acquired was then categorized using the Business Model Canvas tool to ensure greater understanding in the subsequent stages. Literature analysis combined with the study of a financial database containing the balance sheets of 271 Italian amateur sports clubs/associations has allowed to understand the problems affecting the sector and thus determine the main areas where digital should act as a solution. The analysis of the main digital trends related to amateur sports clubs was carried out through the study of a database containing 2370 digital start-ups in the sports sector. Based on this, only start-ups offering products or services for amateur clubs or athletes were selected. The qualitative analysis of these allowed us to identify the main digital solutions that can be implemented by an amateur sports club and to point out the impact on its business model. Finally, to validate the results obtained in the previous research phases, the Thesis work presents 4 case studies of Italian amateur sports clubs containing the study of the business model, the main problems of the current management, and the impact on the activities of the digital solutions adopted.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2021_12_Witsenburg_Final.pdf
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Descrizione: Digital Transformation of Amateur Sports Clubs
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5.76 MB
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/182037