The management of professional football academies in Turkey: The managers, coaches and players' perspectives

Abstract

A central concern of management research is the enhancement of organizational performance (Covell et al., 2019). Effective management is widely recognized as a crucial factor in achieving success within organizations (Cruickshank, 2019). In the context of football, where the quality of players is the greatest determinant of success (Kuper & Szymanski, 2009), football academies become a critical determinant for the future of the clubs' and country's football development. These premises were the fundamental motivation for conducting the present investigation as there is a notable deficit in the development of elite-level football players with international standards in Turkey (Sunay & Kaya, 2018). More specifically, this study examined the perspectives of three essential internal stakeholders in the Turkish elite football system, namely academy managers, coaches, and academy-raised elite football players, to gather valuable insights from their personal experiences in football academies, reaching a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the management of Turkish football academy system. Ultimately, our goal was to propose effective managerial strategies to enhance the management practices of professional football academies within the club system in Turkey. The data were collected utilizing semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings highlighted that success in football academy management extends beyond the academy itself. A more comprehensive and systematic approach is required among the academy, the club, the league or federation that is governing the country's football, and the ministry responsible for sports policy. Based on these findings, the study puts forth a comprehensive set of practical recommendations aimed at achieving this goal.