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Centre for Sports Business

Research themes

The Centre for Sports Business has four thematic areas where our research expertise is aligned with key business and policy issues facing the sports industry. Our research, policy briefings and events relate to one of these themes and our research is designed to ensure that it has real-world impact.

Finance, governance and regulation

The finance, governance and regulation of sport are key issues facing many different sports organisations from international federations, professional sports teams, and voluntary sport clubs. Colleagues in the Centre have experience and expertise in relation to issues including:

  • Financial and non-financial returns from sports club ownership
  • Distribution models of centralised funds such as broadcasting income
  • Sources of finance
  • Financial regulation 
  • Impact of finance on sporting success
  • Sports club valuation
  • Organisational governance and the role of the board
  • EU Sports Law.

Analytics and data

The use of analytics and data in the sports industry has gathered momentum in recent years and research into the field has evolved rapidly. Colleagues in the Centre have expertise in the application of quantitative methods to tackling a wide variety of problems such as:

  • Rating and ranking players and teams
  • Estimating the impact of recruitment decisions on team performance
  • Informing team strategy and selection
  • The relationship between sport and gambling.

The economics of sports competitions

The Centre has expertise in the application of economics and econometrics to study challenges in the sports sector such as:

  • Modelling of audience size
  • Forecasting results of sporting competitions
  • Tournament design and seeding systems
  • Understanding the role of coaches in sport
  • Issues in sports integrity such as match-fixing
  • Player labour markets.

Marketing, technology and innovation

The increasing digitalisation of sport and the use of emerging technologies has led to new commercial opportunities for sports organisations to engage with fans and to grow revenue. Colleagues in the Centre have expertise in the following areas:

  • The digital transformation of business models
  • Marketer practices in digital environments
  • Disruptive emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence)
  • Sustainability
  • Customer Insight
  • Brand Management
  • Sponsorship and Business-to-Business Marketing.

PhD opportunities

We are happy to consider PhD proposals from any area of sport business including: sports analytics, sports economics, sports finance and sports marketing.

Enquiries should be made to the academic most suited to your area of interest. 

Consultancy work

Specialists from within the CSB undertake research and provide independent advice to private organisations, clubs, governing bodies and federations on a range of issues. Example projects and clients include:

  • Developing the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the official player rating system of the Premier League
  • Assessment of the processes used by UEFA for monitoring betting markets for signs of corruptions
  • Customer Insight and International Market Research in China for Everton Football Club
  • Internationalisation processes and market development in China for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
  • Small business development in overseas markets for Reebok Crossfit.

For further information on benefits of using our consultancy service to assist your organisation please contact Professor Geoff Walters on .