The business of stadia: Maximizing the use of Spanish Football venues

Abstract

In 2014, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid presented a project for the remodelling of their stadia. The new stadia of both clubs will be, not only a place to attend live sports events, but also somewhere fans will be able to consume both football brands permanently, every moment of the day. Currently, stadia have become commodities themselves. At a time when TV rights in Spain were thrown into crisis, sports organizations understand that sports venues allow them to create other significant income sources that could help them to increase their season’s turnover. Hospitality and events packages, for example, are part of this leisure product that professional football clubs offer in their venues. The aim of this article is to analyse how Spanish professional football clubs attempt to maximize the use of their stadiums, and how these venues are also part of a wider city branding strategy for the host cities. Data for this qualitative research are taken from the Spanish football clubs that have UEFA Category 4 stadia: FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Atletic Club de Bilbao, Málaga CF, Real Sociedad, RCD Espanyol and València CF.

Efficiency Determinants in Brazilian Football Clubs

“…The maximization of stadium use is one of the main changes that has taken place in the 21st century. However, another matter of importance is the fact that stadiums have also become a popular tourist attraction in many cities, especially in Europe (GINESTA, 2016). Consequently, making Brazilian stadiums into tourism mainstays should factor into managers' strategies.…”

“…Integrating other products to football also stands to bolster club finances, as was the case of Real Madrid, which built a hotel beside its stadium, and Barcelona FC, which recently erected a sports complex on more than 20 hectares (GINESTA, 2016). Further, Barcelona FC uses its website to promote its stadium, offering, among other things, its stadium as a set for filming movies (GINESTA, 2016). Can all this be a faraway reality for Brazilian clubs?…”

Towards a comprehensive understanding of football stadium tourism

“…Sports stadia have been referred to as the 'sleeping giants' of the tourism industry (Ramshaw & Gammon, 2010;Stevens & Wootton, 1997), yet there remains limited research focusing on stadium tourism experiences (though see Gammon, 2010;Ginesta, 2017). Indeed, Ramshaw and Gammon (2010, p. 88) observe how 'few research studies have explicitly addressed stadia sites as either tourism or heritage locations'.…”

“…Indeed, Ramshaw and Gammon (2010, p. 88) observe how 'few research studies have explicitly addressed stadia sites as either tourism or heritage locations'. This lacuna is surprising given how many cities across the world have developed sports stadia, not only to attract visitors to sporting events, but also to sustain all-year activity through integration with conventions, hotels, evening economy (Ginesta, 2017) and other tourist offerings (Stevens, 2005). While a bourgeoning literature investigates heritage experiences of museum and stadium tours, such studies typically explore one or two case study sites, often privileging more spectacular venues and activities (Frost, 2005;Ramshaw, 2010).…”

The City of Sport: London’s Stadiums as Visitor Attractions

“…In most cases tourists engage with sports facilities primarily developed to serve a local market but some sports facilities have developed -and promoted -touristic elements to enhance their commercial appeal. Accordingly, sports locations can become sites of tourist consumption (Ginesta 2017) and sporting venues that actively seek tourists may manipulate both the design of the venue and its promotion to maximise tourist revenues.…”