The image formation process of the professional sport club

The unique and exclusive organizational image for any kind of organizations gives competitive advantage and additional value. In the professional world of sports the image of professional sports club is a key factor for a survival in the fierce field of competitors and various uncontrollable risks. So it has be developed and maintained. Sport Marketing specialists emphasize that a sports organization with a positive image boosts its fans' loyalty and attracts the new ones also keeps media and sponsors attention as well. The creation and maintance of unique, strong and positive image is surely the best way to achieve the sport organization's strategic objectives. Lithuanian basketball clubs have already taken over sports marketing ideas from the United States but the most popular sport in the world football has long been trying to compete with basketball. It‘s affected by the lack of results and week image. Football is a social phenomenon and unlike other types of sports is able to unite individual talent and team spirit (Chanavat, Desbordes, Lorgnier, 2017). The unique nature of sport that includes business and also a social phenomenon features gives opportunity to create a unique image. The specificity of the sports business and the unique service give rise to exceptional image creation and management. The main aim of the thesis is to reveal the image creating process of the professional sport organization. This was done by choosing a case analysis strategy. The target was FC Jonava which plays in the Lithuanian National football championship for a second year in a row. In the first part of the work the aim was to show the concept of image in the field of science. It was done by scientific literature analysis. In the second part the semi-structured qualitative interview with the club's representative was taken in order to know how the club is developing and managing its own image. The obtained data has shown that the club devotes attention to image management. In order to develop strong and positive image FK Jonava is using two main tools: product development and public relations. Public relations and community relations are one of the key strategy in the field in professional world of sport.maintance of unique, strong and positive image is surely the best way to achieve the sport organization's strategic objectives