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Unveiling the score: a comprehensive examination of CSR practices in Sweden's Allsvenskan football clubs
Malmö University, Faculty of Education and Society (LS), Department of Sports Sciences (IDV).
2024 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a well-discussed research topic, upon which there is still an ongoing debate. This concept can apply to any sector of society, even sports. In the first decade of the 2000s, research on CSR in football commenced, but there still seems to be a huge gap, especially when it comes to the Swedish elite professional context. This study aims to understand the strategies, motivations, impacts, challenges and the way CSR is communicated in Allsvenskan. In this dissertation, the topic was investigated thoroughly through a content analysis of social media and websites of the clubs participating in Allsvenskan in 2024 and fourteen semi-structured interviews with the CSR managers of the clubs. The results revealed that the main focus of CSR activities is tackling integration, unemployment and criminality, and fostering physical activities among Swedish youth. Some clubs have integrated CSR into their club's mentality and stakeholders, while others execute CSR activities mostly as a way to build their brand image, without including it in the main activities of the club, thereby only being externally motivated. It is however not always easy to conduct these activities, as problems such as lack of funds, difficulty in finding volunteers and unsuccessful dialogue with partners such as the municipality may arise. The main impacts reported are a lower criminality rate, improved brand image, better health, and more integration on a social and professional level, but these are not always communicated well on social media. LinkedIn has proven to be the favorite one to share CSR-related content, but the potential of Instagram still seems to be unexplored by many clubs, a potentially powerful tool to legitimize the clubs' efforts. This research adds value to the scientific field by expanding the current knowledge regarding Allsvenskan clubs and their work within CSR. Finally, a call to action is proposed to Svensk Elitfotboll to create a framework and guidelines to guide the clubs' CSR work, similar to what they did for the academy certification established in 2022.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. , p. 73
Keywords [en]
CSR, Allsvenskan, football, sustainability, communication, stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory
National Category
Economics and Business
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-68832OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-68832DiVA, id: diva2:1870273
Educational program
LS Sport Sciences: Sport in Society, Master's Programme
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2024-08-30 Created: 2024-06-14 Last updated: 2024-08-30Bibliographically approved

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Citation style
  • apa
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