PROFESSIONALIZATION of the VOLUNTARY SPORT SECTOR Case Helsingin Palloseura – from Finnish Champions to Local Youth Development
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PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE VOLUNTARY SPORT SECTOR Case Helsingin Palloseura – from Finnish champions to local youth development Olli Annala University of Jyväskylä Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences Social Sciences of Sport Master´s Thesis Autumn 2019 UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences Social Sciences of Sport ANNALA, OLLI Professionalization of the voluntary sport sector Case Helsingin Palloseura – from Finnish champions to local youth development ABSTRACT Master´s Thesis, 59 pp., 3 appendices Autumn 2019 Professionalization in sport is an increasingly studied topic in the field of sport sciences. The focus of the scholars has been especially on the voluntary sport sector of which several case studies of sport federations have been published. However, there is a need for more case studies, also of the voluntary sport clubs, to better validate the theoretical frameworks in the field. The recent developments in the voluntary sector make it an interesting area for research. The changing role of the voluntary sport clubs only adds to the interest. By better understanding the operational environment of the voluntary sport clubs, it could be possible to make them more efficient and successful in their operations, thus benefitting the vast amounts of members of the clubs, and the society in general. The aim of this study was to add to our understanding of the operational environment of a voluntary sport club in the process of professionalization. The objectives to achieve this aim were to study professionalization in the voluntary sport sector, and specifically to analyse the recent professionalization process of the football club Helsingin Palloseura. The organizational culture and the operations of HPS as well as the changes and challenges regarding them were under the spotlight. The data for this case study was collected in two focus group interviews, one with four current and former chairmen and members of the board of the club and the other with three longest-serving staff members of the club. The interviews were analysed by using qualitative content analysis, and the findings were combined with the theoretical models and frameworks reviewed. Based on the analysis, a model of professionalization for voluntary sport clubs was proposed. The main finding of the study was the importance of the commitment of the chairman and the board members in the professionalization process of a voluntary sport club, especially in the initiation of the process. Likewise, it became evident that shared leadership becomes increasingly important as the voluntary sport club begins to hire paid employees. The importance of quality orientation cannot be overstated, either. In an operational environment where resources are scarce, efficient cooperation and quality operations are all important. Key words: Professionalization, voluntary sport sector, football club, HPS Table of contents ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Outline of the thesis ................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Personal interest ....................................................................................................... 3 2 SPORT IN FINLAND – FROM CIVIC ACTIVITIES TOWARDS PROFESSIONALISM ...................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Sport sectors in Finland ........................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 The voluntary sport sector in Finland – historical background ........................ 7 2.1.2 Football in Finland – historical background ..................................................... 9 2.1.3 Towards professionalization and hybrid organizations .................................. 11 2.2 Professionalization in sport ................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Sport management and the unique features of sport ....................................... 13 2.2.2 Value creation in sport .................................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Professionalization in the voluntary sport sector ............................................ 18 2.2.4 Hybrid organizations....................................................................................... 22 2.2.5 A framework to analyze professionalization .................................................. 23 3 HELSINGIN PALLOSEURA – FROM FINNISH CHAMPIONS TO LOCAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................ 27 3.1 Historical background of the club ......................................................................... 27 3.2 The professionalization process of Helsingin Palloseura ...................................... 28 3.3 Helsingin Palloseura today .................................................................................... 30 3.3.1 Organizational structure .................................................................................. 30 3.3.2 Club management ........................................................................................... 31 3.3.3 People and their positions ............................................................................... 32 3.3.4 Important stakeholders .................................................................................... 33 3.3.5 Operational environment ................................................................................ 34 3.3.6 Strategies and activities .................................................................................. 35 4 RESEARCH TASK AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 36 4.1 Aim and objectives of the study ............................................................................ 36 4.2 Research methods of the study .............................................................................. 37 4.2.1 Data collection and analysis ........................................................................... 38 4.2.2 Reliability and validity of the study ................................................................ 40 5 FINDINGS ................................................................................................................... 42 5.1 Professionalism in the club .................................................................................... 42 5.2 Main findings of the study ..................................................................................... 45 5.2.1 Attitude and commitment ............................................................................... 46 5.2.2 Shared leadership ............................................................................................ 48 5.2.3 Quality orientation .......................................................................................... 49 5.3 Challenges during the professionalization process ................................................ 51 5.4 The future of Helsingin Palloseura ........................................................................ 52 6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS........................................................................ 53 6.1 Analysis of the professionalization process of Helsingin Palloseura .................... 53 6.2 A model of professionalization for voluntary sport clubs ..................................... 55 6.3 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 57 6.3.1 Limitations of the study .................................................................................. 58 6.3.2 Suggestions for future research....................................................................... 59 REFERENCES APPENDICES 1 1 INTRODUCTION Currently, there is a trend of professionalization in sport organizations. Professionalization in general has received plenty of attention in the academic world with several studies on the professionalization of voluntary and non-profit organizations being published lately (e.g. Dowling, Edwards & Washington 2014; Nagel, Schlesinger, Bayle & Giauque 2015; Ruoranen et al. 2016). Indeed, the recent developments in the voluntary sector, such as hybridization and increasing demands towards voluntary organizations, make professionalization an interesting area for research. Recent studies in the field of sport and organizational sciences have focused on the forms and causes of professionalization as well as on the consequences of the professionalization process (Nagel et al. 2015). Subsequently, several frameworks to analyse professionalization have been presented (e.g. Nagel et al. 2015; Ruoranen et al. 2016). Ruoranen and others (2016) suggest that further qualitative case studies would be a good method to validate their framework for analysing professionalization. Furthermore, the perceptions of practitioners in the field offer necessary support for the theoretical concepts of professionalization (Slack 2014; Van der Roest, Spaaij & van Bottenburg 2015). Ruoranen and others (2016) continue by arguing that by integrating the perspectives of the practitioners into a framework, it would also be possible to increase the reliability and applicability in the analysis of a sport federation, or a sport association. The voluntary, or third, sector has undergone major changes in recent decades. The boundaries