the rise of ‘light communities’ in sport
TRANSCRIPT
INTRODUCTION
• Focus
– Popularity of running as a sport
– Marketing & position strategy of traditional
organisations
– Make profit of running success
INTRODUCTION
• Research questions
1. Expansion in the market of running?
2. Developments responsible for running boom
3. New providers on the running market?
4. Implications and consequences for traditional
athletic associations
Changes in policy-making
1. Changes in public profit sector
2. Changes in economic profit sector
• Sport has become commercial player
3. Changes in social profit sector
• Voluntary sector
• Informal sector
(MIXED FORMS)
private
STATE
CIVIL SOCIETY MARKET
non-organized citizens
voluntary
non-commercial
commercial
public profit
economic profit social profit
common profit
private profit
public-private profit
fitness centers
DG Education & Culture (EC)
…
… …
ENGSO European Sports
Federations
jogging group
EOC
FC Barcelona
dance schools
EYOS2004
subtropical swimming pool
Directorate Youth & Sport (CoE)
public
non-voluntary
basket club
(MIXED FORMS)
(MIXED FORMS)
public swimming pool
light communities in sport
Changes in public sector
• General: emergence of transnational policy and structures
• Cfr. Globalisation, European integration process, EU sport policy, ...
• New public management, competitive tendering, ... efficiency of public services
• Specific: growing interest of public authority in sport success as a growing tool of international promotion
• Examples• White Paper on Sport
• Article on sport in EU Treaty
Article I – 17: “The Union shall have competence to carry out supporting, coordinating or complementary action in the field of sport.”
Changes in commercial sector
• Rise of neo-liberalism limited role and power for the state
• Emergence of commercial entities in sport (sport products as well as sport services)
• Examples• Professional sport: sponsorship, mediatisation,
sport events, ...
• Sport for All: development of commercial fitness markets, tennis clubs, squash centers, ...
Changes in voluntary sector
• Demographic shifts sport preferences!
• Growing need for lack of volunteers
• Growing need for qualified trainers
• Sport clubs = greedy institutions?
• Greedy institutions = organisations that ask for loyalty and almost undivided commitment from their members (Coser, 1974)
• What else?
Changes in informal sector
• Rise of light communities in sport vs greedy institutions
• Light communities = demand-oriented, flexible and loose communities, with a minimum of rules of conduct, focusing on the achievements their participants seem to demand (Duyvendak & Hurenkamp, 2004)
• Example?
• Light running communities = small group of running mates featured by a non club-organised structure based on rather ‘weak ties’ between the members
Evolution of Active Sports Participation among 12 to 75 Year Old Subjects in Flanders1969-2007, percentages i.f.o. total population
New market drivers: light communities
66,7%
56,8%
48,5%47,6%
21,8%
55,4%
45,0%
34,7%34,8%
13,6%
26,5%27,6%
22,6%
17,4%
8,2%8,2%
12,8%13,8%
11,8%11,3%
0
500.000
1.000.000
1.500.000
2.000.000
2.500.000
3.000.000
3.500.000
1969 1979 1989 1999 2007
Nu
mb
er
/ P
erc
en
tag
e o
f S
po
rt P
art
icip
an
ts
general sports
recreational sports
club sports
competitive sports
Source: Scheerder et al. (2008)
21,8%
47,6%48,5%
56,8%
66,7%
13,6%
34,8% 34,7%
45,0%
55,4%
8,2%
17,4%
22,6%
27,6%26,5%
11,3%11,8%
13,8%12,8%
8,2%
36,9%
19,0%
11,3%11,7%
2,7%3,0% 3,4%
9,9%
0,3%1,8%
0
500.000
1.000.000
1.500.000
2.000.000
2.500.000
3.000.000
3.500.000
1969 1979 1989 1999 2007
Nu
mb
er
/ P
erc
en
tag
e o
f S
po
rt P
art
icip
an
ts
general sports
recreational sports
club sports
competitive sports
cycling
running
Source: Scheerder et al. (2008)
Evolution of Active Sports Participation among 12 to 75 Year Old Subjects in Flanders1969-2007, percentages i.f.o. total population
New market drivers: light communities
Evolution of Participation in different forms of cycling among 12 to 75 Year Old Subjects in Flanders 1969-2007, percentages i.f.o. total population
New market drivers: light communities
28,2%
13,6%
8,6%8,8%
6,3%
3,2%2,2%2,1%
1,3% 1,2%
0,9%0,5%0,8% 1,1%
0
250.000
500.000
750.000
1.000.000
1.250.000
1.500.000
1979 1989 1999 2007
recreatief fietsen
wielertoerisme
mountainbike
wielrennen
Source: Scheerder et al. (2008)
The rise of light communities:THE CASE OF RUNNING
• Second wave of running
• Traditional services vs actual needs
Popularity of running
• First running boom originated in USA
• End of 1960s: from mere competition
massive participation in road races
• During 1970s: trend spread over USA
• During 1980s: imitated in Europe
Popularity of running
Evolution of the Number of Participants in some Major City Marathons, 1960-2006
0
5.000
10.000
15.000
20.000
25.000
30.000
35.000
40.000
45.000
19601963
19661969
19721975
19781981
19841987
19901993
19961999
20022005
Nu
mb
er o
f Pa
rtic
ipa
nts
Boston
(entrants)
NY (starters)
Honolulu
(entrants)
Berlin (entrants)
Paris (finishers)
Chicago
(starters)
Stockholm
(entrants)
London
(finishers)
Source: various internet sites
• Exceptional growth end of 1970s (1st wave) and end of 1990s
second wave of running
• Berlin and Chicago Marathon
Popularity of running
• Second wave of running also noticeable in sale of running
footwear
• Manufacture of running shoes = multi-billion dollar industry
worldwide
Number of Pairs Purchased of Running Footwear in the
US, 1992-2002 (in millions)
x 1.000.000Source: www.sgma.com
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Popularity of running• Research at University of Leuven / Unit of Social Kinesiology & Sport Management
• Same trend in Flanders/Belgium
• Secondary analysis of 4 cross-sectional large-scale surveys among adults 1979-2006
• End of 1970s first boom; second boom betw 1999-2006
• Running in top 5 most popular sports activities
7,0
3,8
5,9
14,3
0
5
10
15
20
25
1979 1989 1999 2006
Number of Adult Runners in Flanders, 1979-2006
Percentage of Sports Participants Population
Source: Scheerder et al. (2006)
Demographics
• Along with growing N of runners
demographics changed as well
• Once elite runners, (upper) middle-
class, male now democratised
• Many participants likely to be
female
• Cfr. 1970s in US only handful of
female marathon finishers vs. 40%
at present
• Socio-demographic shifts in
Flanders as well
Demographics
• Socio-demographic shifts in Flanders as
well
• 1979: 27% females vs. 39% in 2006
• Males x3
• Females x6
• Older adults
• Different
social layers
Number of Adult Runners in Flanders, 1979-2006
Percentage of Sports Participants Population
6,1
11,2
17,5
6,9
5,1
7,8
1,9
4,6
0
5
10
15
20
25
1979 1989 1999 2006
Males Females
Source: Scheerder et al. (2006)
DevelopmentsSecond wave of running supported by:
1. Success of HEPA
– 60% of sports participants
– Lose weight, keep fit & healthy
– Health maintenance = most important reason for
runners
2. Commercialisation + professionalisation in
sport (Van Bottenburg, 2006)
– For profit providers meet needs of runners
– Cfr. High level of care wrt running events:
– On-line registration
– Well-equipped refreshment stations
– Accurate timing (microchips)
– After race services: massage, comfortable changing
rooms, ...
– Training advice (internet, fitnesscentres, personal
trainers, ...)
New market drivers
Beside traditional athletic clubs
new suppliers entered the market:
1. Rise of (commercial) running events
2. Rise of ‘light communities’ in sport (Duyvendak & Hurenkamp, 2004)
New market drivers: running events
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1985 1990 1995 2000 2006
Number of Running Events in Flanders (Belgium), 1985-2006
Source: Joggings & Marathons (various editions)
New market drivers: light communities
• Number of ‘non-cluborganised’ sports participants
increases
8,5
36,8
22,9
40,8
12,0
51,6
40,6
59,4
31,627,7
31,9
4,0
22,7
14,0
18,4
0
20
40
60
80
100
1969 1979 1989 1999 2005
% s
po
rts
par
tici
pan
ts
general
outside club
(non-organized)
in club
(organized)
Evolution of Active Sports Involvement among Adults in Flanders
1969-2005, percentages i.f.o. total population
Source: Scheerder et al. (2006)
New market drivers: light communities
• Thus ‘non-cluborganised’ sports participation is popular
• Also in running: only 9% of runners is member of a CLUB
• Running = typically non-cluborganised sport
• Most runners INDIVIDUALLY (80%)
• But: growing number participates in ‘LIGHT RUNNING COMMUNITIES’ (24%)
0
25.000
50.000
75.000
100.000
125.000
150.000
1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2006
Nu
mb
er o
f R
un
ner
s
club organised
runners
light community
runners
Number of Adult Runners in Light Communities vs. Club-organised Runners
in Flanders, 1979-2006
Source: Scheerder et al. (2006)
New market drivers: light communities
• LIGHT COMMUNITIES = demand-oriented, flexible and loose communities, with a minimum of rules of conduct, focusing on the achievements their participants seem to demand (Duyvendak & Hurenkamp, 2004)
• LIGHT RUNNING COMMUNITIES =small group of running mates featured by a non club-organised structure based on rather ‘weak ties’ between the members (Van Bottenburg, 2006)
New market drivers: light communities
• LIGHT COMMUNITIES vs GREEDY INSTITUTIONS
• Greedy institutions =organisations that ask for loyalty and almost undivided commitment from their members (Coser, 1974)
• Traditional athletic clubs and associations also try to make total claims on their members
• Problem: loyalty and commitment = scarce resources not only do human beings possess only finite energies for investing in organisations, but their resources of time are also limited!
Marketing implications
• Flemish Athletic Association (VAL) = important player in field of running in Flanders
• Second wave of running should be opportunity
• Yet FAA market share dwindled: 13% (1979) 9% (2006)
0
50.000
100.000
150.000
200.000
250.000
300.000
350.000
400.000
450.000
500.000
550.000
1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2006
Nu
mb
er o
f R
un
ners
total number of
runners
FAA members
Evolution of the Market Share of the Flemish Athletic Association (FAA)
1979-2006
Source: Scheerder et al. (2006)
Marketing implications
• Decline of FAA market share hardly surprising wrt aforementioned developments
– Growing impact of HEPA
– Commercialisation and professionalisation
– Rise of running events
– Rise of light communities
FAA lost its monopoly by only partially corresponding to changing needs of today’s runners
Also challenging policy issue for other sports federations in Europe
Marketing implications
• Sport participants’ profile (motives, attitudes, needs) has changed
no longer interested in ‘traditional’ services of sport clubs
SERVICES OF TRADITIONAL SPORT ORGANISATIONS
– ...
– ...
– ...
– ...
NEW INTERESTS OF SPORT PARTICIPANTS
– ...
– ...
– ...
– ...
Marketing implications
SERVICES OF TRADITIONAL SPORT ORGANISATIONS
– System of competition, tournaments, championships, ...
– (Technical) training & instruction
– Traditional accommodation and facilities (track&field court, ...)
– Conviviality and group bounding
NEW INTERESTS OF SPORT PARTICIPANTS
– Recreational sport activities, health-related PA, ...
– Personal training & advice
– Alternative sport infrastructure (parks, woods, Finnish ring, ...)
– Fit & fun with more than one actor, no intensive affiliation
CONCLUSION
1. Running market has increased second wave of running
2. New providers have entered the running scene commercial events, light running communities
3. Traditional providers have lost their monopoly
4. Yet, traditional organisations can make profit:
to attract new segments (females, youngsters, non-participants, ...):
– Transform from greedy institutions into light communities
– Development of more differentiated package of services
– From product-related to consumer-related marketing
SPORT PARTICIPATION AND SPORT POLICY: SOME CHALLENGES FOR THE EU
Given these evolutions and facts&figures, what would you suggest wrt the following question?
1. Is there still a role left for the state wrt sport policy making?
2. How can the EU – or other governmental bodies – cope with the growing impact of informal sport participation?
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!