Management of Football Academies in Turkey: The Manager Perspective

Abstract

A central question in management research is how to enhance organizational performance, and football managers play a pivotal role in shaping and contributing to the overall success of clubs. In light of the evident challenges and difficulties encountered by elite football development in Turkey, this study aimed to understand the factors influencing the overall efficiency of Turkish football academies, specifically from the viewpoint of football academy managers. Guided by the systems approach to management, the study specifically aimed to outline the essential prerequisites and services within the input, process, feedback, output, and environmental dimensions of the football academy system. The participants were the official managing directors of 15 professional football academies affiliated with clubs competing in Turkey's top two leagues. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data collected through semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that the effectiveness of football academies in Turkey was significantly influenced by the quality of operation management and corporate governance within the clubs, alongside key environmental factors. The article concludes by underlining the importance of adopting a systems approach in the management process of football academies to ensure long-term success. Furthermore, practical recommendations from the managers’ perspective are proposed to achieve sustainable football academy management in Turkey.

Keywords

• Football academy
• Football management
• Systems approach
• Talent development

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