The professional and commercial globalization of football has progressed gradually over the past century, but a real shift in pace began at the end of the 20^th and the beginning of the 21^st century – not only on the pitch, but also in the underlying structures. Within the realm of sports, football made a significant leap and became one of the most influential elements of the sports economy. In fact, the true global business emerged almost exclusively around this sport.

While the major leagues of the United Sates (American football, baseball, ice hockey, basketball) are concentrated within their own region, football has become widespread across the globe and the most popular game worldwide. At the same time, it has also become fragmented. High-value clubs that function as business enterprises possess real economic value and may even play a global role. Others are important for their economic relevance, some serve as tools for urban policy and may receive support from political or local government budgets, and there are also clubs that serve small communities. Each has its own role to play in the broader ecosystem.

Traditional operating models focus on individual clubs, attempting to generate the necessary maintenance costs while striving for success — a task made increasingly difficult due to the globalization of the player market. Meanwhile, in most places, it is the local communities who yearn for victories, despite the presence of global opportunities and giant clubs.

Still, a local community can triumph; the local can indeed meet the global in a particular competition. This hope carries great potential — the kind that can define the experience and memory of a smaller team for years to come.

“There is no doubt that our micro- and macroenvironment is constantly evolving, and naturally, football is also in a state of continuous transformation. The only constant thing is the passion for sports that has burned like fire in Homo sapiens since the Paleolithic era – an eternal drive that pushes us to conquer new heights. Also, to seek adventure, to explore paths yet undiscovered, to sail across uncharted waters. In this spirit, following the era of total football, the age of global football arrived in our beloved sport, and eventually, its virtual counterpart emerged as well. Progress cannot – and should not – be halted. (See in The Complete Globalization of Football, Volume 4 of the book series presenting the game.)

Just as modernization efforts did not (and could not) leave European club competitions untouched—the continent’s football federation transformed the European Cup into the Champions League, merged the Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup into the Europa League, created the Conference League and introduced the Nations League for national teams. The operating model of football clubs also evolved and continues to evolve.”

Alongside individual management models, recent decades have seen the rise of groups that may play an increasingly significant role in the near future. These entities carry out long-term strategic projects, with different clubs playing different roles within their overarching strategies. These groups aim to support and develop themselves at the group level while never losing sight of the importance of football’s local roots, as community and emotion are indispensable. Within the group, a community leader may achieve success here or there, making the ‘winning factor’ a constant part of their daily operations—serving a goal that is of the utmost importance, as success is both the result of a journey and a temporary state, after which the path must be continued.

Every role must have a designated member, yet each can be successful in its own right on a local level and in its own context. This enhances the self-esteem of individual clubs, and the sense of local involvement becomes a shared group-level experience. This can be beneficial in several ways—not only professionally but also economically: for instance, television broadcasters from other countries may purchase broadcasting rights and more and more foreign fans are buying tickets to matches.

The first truly global football group is the City Football Group (CFG), which owns and operates leading clubs around the world. It includes 13 clubs across five continents—five in Europe (Manchester City, Girona FC, Lommel SK, ESTAC Troyes, Palermo FC), four in America (New York City FC, Montevideo City Torque, Bahia, Club Bolívar) and four in Australia and Asia (Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos, Sichuan Jiuniu FC, Mumbai City FC).

Founded in May 2013, CFG’s core principle is that each club should remain authentic to its supporters and community, play entertaining football and benefit from being part of a global organization that provides world-class expertise both on and off the pitch. CFG is a pioneer in talent development, fan engagement, entertainment, commercial opportunities and community impact. Its clubs are supported by more than a billion supporters worldwide.

Evangelos Marinaki’s group is following a similar path, overseeing not only the Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus FC, but also managing the day-to-day operations of England’s Nottingham Forest and Portugal’s Rio Ave FC. Other emerging organizations could also be mentioned. Currently, there are 131 multi-club structures operating worldwide, encompassing over 350 teams globally, out of which 258 are based in Europe.

What’s particularly noteworthy is that more than a hundred clubs from elite leagues—that is, 13 percent of teams participating in UEFA competitions—are already part of some form of multi-club structure. These football groups are organized under various legal frameworks, since certain regulations prohibit, for example, teams with the same owner from participating in the same competitions (leagues or international cups). However, geographic and tier-based diversification of member clubs, along with legal structuring, enables these organizations to operate smoothly.

Even if clubs are owned by the same group, they do not form a true multi-club network unless there is shared infrastructure, youth development systems, knowledge exchange, and staff rotation among them.

Through holding-style or other legal arrangements, such groups are able to hire experts, acquire specialized knowledge, and offer service packages that individual clubs—or even most members—would not be able to afford on their own. As a result, emerging teams gain access to higher-quality opportunities.

In Hungary, no club is currently part of an international group. Entry into such a network depends on factors like the country’s size, the club’s success, youth development, and consumer purchasing power.

That said, Hungary has some strong advantages: excellent infrastructure, football academies, historical traditions, and strong local community support behind certain clubs. In some cases, access to external knowledge and expertise may also position a Hungarian club to become part of an international network as part of a long-term project.

On the international stage, clubs are increasingly integrating community-building, education, innovation, and science into their operations. For example, the Barça Innovation Hub or the Madrid-based Universidad Europea’s joint programs with Real Madrid, which offer both online and in-person education and even hold graduation ceremonies at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Today, football is no longer just about players and coaches. It is a complex system in which professionals from various fields work together to ensure a club’s success—both in sporting and economic terms—drawing on multiple branches of knowledge.

The author is Chancellor and Professor at the University of Debrecen and Head of the Sports Economics Program.

Source: nso.hu