'winning' football academy model in South Africa. Mark McIlroy 296212

151 Pages·2010·3.99 MB·English

Creating a sustainable, competitive advantage within a ‘winning’ football academy
model in South Africa.

Mark McIlroy
29621276

A research project submitted to the Gordon Institute of Business
Science, University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration.

10 November 2010

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Abstract
African football academies are a seriously neglected field of research but are a highly
important step in the evolution of football (Scherrens, 2007). The study is motivated by the
lack of research on football academy structures in particular South Africa. The primary focus
of the research is on football development in South Africa, whilst it also reviews substantial
literature concerning the phenomenon of elite sport development in order to explain the
dynamics surrounding the football academy structure. The study identifies the relevant key
components within the current football models and proposes a ‘winning’ model for South
Africa.

The study unpacks two theoretical frameworks, in understanding the impact of competitive
advantage within a football academy. Through gaining insight into the strategic models
employed within the various researched academy systems, this study outlines the important
resources, competencies and capabilities within a football academy.

The analysis revealed certa in trends and provided the basis for the answering of the

research questions. Hence the broad scope which is critical to understanding the football
development phenomenon.The research aims to empower administrators and management
of football clubs in South Africa with the strategic knowledge to provide a sustainable and
competitive academy through player development, which can aid our national teams.

The dynamic processes involved in football development enabled a winning model for a
football academy in South Africa which could provide a competitive, sustainable advantage
for a football academy.

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Keywords
Football; development; Academy; Sustainable competitive advantage

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Declaration

I declare that his research project is my own work. It is submitted in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business
Administration at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of
Pretoria. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in
any other University. I further declare that I have obtained the necessary
authorisation and consent to carry out this research.

Student name:_______________________

Student signature:____________________

Date: ______________________________

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Acknowledgments

My Sincerest thanks

To my Supervisor, Mr. Michael Goldman, for all his patience, support and guidance. Your
incredible passion for the business of sport, knowledge, experience and valuable time in
providing direction for the research. Additionally your time spent reviewing and the insightful
comments for my research project have kept me motivated during the course of the year.

To each person who contributed their valuable time to my research and provided me with the
knowledge for my data collection.

To my family and friends for the continued motivation and support throughout the duration of
my studies.

To my wife, for your suppor t and love over the past two years.

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Contents

CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Introduction to the research problem .................................................................................................................... 1
1.4 Research scope ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.5 Research motivation .............................................................................................................................................. 7
1.6 Research objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 8
1.7 Research aim .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
CHAPTER 2 .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.1 Introduction to the South African soccer industry ................................................................................................ 11
2.2 The economic reality behind football development ............................................................................................ 12
2.3 Talent development ............................................................................................................................................. 13

2.4 Definition of an ‘elite’ sports system ................................................................................................................... 15

2.5 Sporting success within an academy system ........................................................................................................ 17
2.6 A youth academy.................................................................................................................................................. 18
2.7 The football academy or ‘Centre of Excellence’ .................................................................................................... 20
2.8 Successful football academies .............................................................................................................................. 21
2.9 The four categories of African football academies ................................................................................................ 22
2.9.1 Academies organised and run by the club sides or national federation ............................................................22
2.9.2 Afro-European academies ..................................................................................................................................24
2.9.3 Private or corporate-sponsored academies .......................................................................................................25
2.9.4 Non-affiliated, improvised academies ................................................................................................................26
2.10 Business strategy in sport - a systematic approach .......................................................................................... 26
2.10.1 Talent identification structures ..........................................................................................................................28
2.10.2 Athlete Development Pathways .........................................................................................................................29
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2.10.3 Sport science support .........................................................................................................................................30
2.10.4 Coach education system ....................................................................................................................................31
2.10.5 Access to facilities and equipment .....................................................................................................................32
2.10.6 Athlete lifestyle support .....................................................................................................................................32
2.11 Unpacking the model ....................................................................................................................................... 33
2.12 The resource-based view (RBV) of strategy ...................................................................................................... 34
2.13 Sustainable competitive advantage within an academy .................................................................................. 37
2.14 Achieving a sustainable competitive advantage .............................................................................................. 39
2.15 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 40
CHAPTER 3 .......................................................................................................................... 42
CHAPTER 4 .......................................................................................................................... 44
4.1 Introduction to the research................................................................................................................................. 44
4.2 Research methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 45
4.3 Research design.................................................................................................................................................... 46

4.4 Methodology and rationale .................................................................................................................................. 48
4.4.1 Research aid .......................................................................................................................................................49
4.4.2 Interview process ...............................................................................................................................................50
4.4.3 Sampling .............................................................................................................................................................50
4.4.4 Sample size .........................................................................................................................................................51
4.5 Comparative findings and data analysis ............................................................................................................... 52
4.5.1 Reliability ............................................................................................................................................................53
4.5.2 Validity ................................................................................................................................................................54
4.5.3 Sensitivity ...........................................................................................................................................................54
4.6 Potential limitations to the research .................................................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER 5 .......................................................................................................................... 56
5.1 Case study analysis ............................................................................................................................................... 56
5.1.1 Futbol Club Barcelona ........................................................................................................................................60
5.1.2 Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax ....................................................................................................................62
5.1.3 Learning points for South Africa on how football academies outperform their competitors? ..........................63
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5.1.4 What basket of talent/skills enables an academy to be successful, competitive and sustainable? ..................66
5.1.5 What strategic aspects/systems are employed within the academy set-up to outperform the industry rivals?
67
5.2 The South African football academy context ................................................................................................... 68
5.3 Formulating a framework for a ‘winning’ model through research....................................................................... 69
5.3.1 Santos Football Club ...........................................................................................................................................70
5.3.2 Bidvest Wits Football Club ..................................................................................................................................74
5.3.3 Moroka Swallows Football Club .........................................................................................................................77
5.3.4 SuperSport United ..............................................................................................................................................80
5.4 Findings ................................................................................................................................................................ 83
5.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 87
CHAPTER 6 .......................................................................................................................... 88
6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 88
6.2 Unpacking competitive advantage ....................................................................................................................... 89

6.3 The context of a football academy ....................................................................................................................... 89

6.3.1 How do football academies outperform their competitors? .......................................................................... 102
6.3.2 What basket of talent/skills enables an academy to be successful, competitive and sustainable? ............... 103
6.3.3 What strategic aspects/systems are employed within the academy set-up to outperform the industry rivals?
105
6.4 A ‘winning’ model for a South African academy ................................................................................................. 106
CHAPTER 7 ........................................................................................................................ 113
REFERENCE LIST ............................................................................................................. 116
Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................................................................. 129
Appendix 2 - List of figures .......................................................................................................................................... 130
Appendix 3 - List of tables ........................................................................................................................................... 131
Appendix 4 – Research Guide ...................................................................................................................................... 132
Appendix 5 - Research Data ......................................................................................................................................... 137
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Appendix 6 - Key Area’s outlined for an academy in SA ............................................................................................... 140

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Chapter 1

1.1 Definition of the problem
This research attempts to understand the role of the academy within South African football.
Through unpacking the off-field business associated with local football academies in
comparison to those in Europe, the study will attempt to formulate a ‘winning’ model for
achieving a sustainable competitive advantage.
1.2 Introduction to the research problem
African football development is struggling. It is only through strong leagues and
championships that African teams will be able to compete against the world on an equal
footing (The official site of Phil Masinga, 2010) The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de
Football Association) World Cup 2010 tournament represented an enormous opportunity to
improve our administration, organisation and accountability, and to ensure that the game is
developed as never before on African soil. Motivated by a desire to promote football and
capitalise on its growing popularity on the African continent, the FIFA strategy led to the first

ever African World Cup (Bohlmann & van Heerden; 2005).

The 2010 FIFA World Cup posed a unique opportunity for such a large scale event to have a
major impact on our developing country. It offered unprecedented opportunity to explore the
power of sport and build sustainable development programmes and sports organisations
(Solomon, 2008). Well-structured and stable sports organisations are required to drive sport
programmes in the direction that increases the likelihood of producing high calibre players.
These high calibre players would be the end product of the football development programme
and would capitalise on the legacy created by the world cup (Solomon, 2008).

The momentum generated from the international show piece should be diverted into
something that will last for a lengthy period, far beyond 2010. It should also provide a lasting
legacy for the country to develop its football at grass-roots level. It is important to develop
sustainable football development programmes to ensure that the future generations of
footballers are developed to graduate to the senior game.
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