Strategic planning processes employed by Gauteng South African Football Association (SAFA) Soccer clubs

Abstract

Sport, and particularly soccer, is becoming increasingly professionalised and thus commercialised. Soccer has managed to uphold notable economic growth globally. As affirmation of this growth, both the South African and sport industry experienced tremendous attention and interest during the period 2000 to 2012. Thus, the need for soccer to become formalised, coupled with the increased need for professional management and the implementation of business principles has created an appetite for proper planning and coordination. As a result, strategic planning is becoming indispensable to sport organisations. Organisations that use strategic planning are regarded as being relatively productive, profitable and making better use resources. Large amounts of money are often invested in soccer clubs which renders them prone to huge financial risks if due strategic planning processes and governance structures and processes are not in place. Against this background, this study explored the strategic planning processes of South African Football Association soccer clubs which are at the grassroots level, as these processes inform strategic decision making and growth prospects. A qualitative data collection process in the form of semi-structured interviews was used. A total of 13 club managers (from 12 soccer clubs-two were from one club) participated in the study. Atlas.ti software was used to deductively analyse the data. The findings suggest that the soccer clubs struggle to separate strategic issues from other operational and technical matters, and that soccer clubs generally have low levels of knowledge on strategic planning processes and tools. Recommendations are made to SAFA, government and the private sector to assist grassroots soccer clubs with funding, management training programmes and partnership initiatives. Some of the pressing recommendations are that soccer clubs need to receive education and training in the areas of business management, particularly in the area of strategic management and governance. This can be further accompanied by business coaching and mentoring programmes to ensure that the soccer clubs can be run as professional establishments.