Customer Relationship Management Strategy in Swedish Football Clubs

Aim of the Thesis: To investigate the practice of using a CRM strategy in football clubs by comparing earlier successful and unsuccessful CRM implementations by football clubs and study fan relationship theories in a large Swedish football club, thereby presenting guidelines on how to further develop a CRM strategy in a Swedish football club. Methodology: A quantitative approach and a qualitative approach have been used, first collecting empirical data on supporter views through a questionnaire further strengthened by gathering empirical data through an interview. The quantitative data has been presented with descriptive statistics and the qualitative data has been analyzed using a realist approach. Theoretical Perspectives: A literature review has been conducted and resulted in a theoretical framework illustrating the concepts of benefits and risks with CRM, fan relationship marketing, CRM implementation process, CRM systems in football clubs, and supporter loyalty. A research model, “FRM implementation process” has been developed from the theoretical findings. Empirical Data: The quantitative empirical data has been collected by distributing a questionnaire to supporters of AIK Fotboll. The qualitative empirical data has been collected through interviews with the head of sales and marketing within AIK Fotboll AB. Conclusion: A CRM strategy can benefit Swedish football clubs in areas such as to better capture customer data, better communication between the club and its supporters and provide customized offers as long as the supporters are informed about the changes in strategy. In order for Swedish football clubs to successfully implement a CRM strategy they need to ensure adequate financing and management commitment since an unsuccessful implementation can be devastating to a Swedish football club’s finances