Back in 2017, Prof. Dr. Alfons Madeja - founder of the Bundesliga Barometer and Managing Director of SLC Management (SLC) - was the initiator of the Bundesliga Future Summit together with partners TÜV Rheinland (host partner) and Sport Bild (media partner) - Europe's highest-circulation sports magazine. The invitation was taken up by big names from the world of sport such as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Dr. Reinhard Rauball (see picture), as well as representatives from business, politics and media, to discuss forward-looking topics relating to the Bundesliga. While Professor Madeja and the SLC positioned themselves early on as trendsetters with a far-sighted view, the scenario of a global virus paralyzing the Bundesliga and the world of sports was not part of the discussion at the time.

The Bundesliga is now in the second season strongly affected by the corona pandemic. But there is also an opportunity in the crisis. The corona pandemic can be seen as an accelerator for the German Football League (DFL) and the clubs to deal even more intensively and collectively with future challenges, developments and sustainability in professional football. In October 2020, the DFL launched the "Taskforce Future Professional Football" project. As an interim result of the task force´s work, 17 recommendations for action were recently presented with focus was on sustainability and economic stability.

The published recommendations for action were evaluated in a representative survey conducted by the Bundesliga Barometer to obtain the opinion of fans, who are, after all, the subject or target group of a number of these recommendations. In principle, almost all of the 5.028 respondents support the introduction of the task force (95.3%). Fans also rated the taskforce's individual recommendations for action on a scale of one to five (1 = very important, 5 = not important).

From the fans' point of view, “measures for long-term youth development" were in first place (1.41). The “introduction of a working group to strengthen the clubs' economic stability” was rated at 1.75. At many clubs, economic success still depends heavily on sporting performance. However, the aim of every club should be to ensure solid economic stability independent of sporting success. With SLC Management's Club Information System CIS, the necessary adjusting screws to achieve this stability are determined and adjusted in the best possible way for the club.

The unique representative panels from SLC Management also offer the perfect tool to support the “introduction of a DFL commission to intensify the dialogue with a wide variety of fan groups (1.80)” and for the “development of criteria for a constructive club fan dialogue (1.85)”. Through target group-specific market research on the wishes, needs and concerns of the fans of each club, a clear, data-based and always adaptable strategy can be developed that has a lasting effect on the satisfaction of the supporters and thus the profitability of the club.

The taskforce's 17 recommendations for action and their evaluation from the fans' point of view in chronological order of importance at a glance (rating scale 1 = very important to 5 = not important):

Click on the corresponding links to get to publications or services / products of SLC that support the corresponding recommendations for action.

1. Measures for long-term youth development: 1,41

2. Regulation of the player agent sector: 1,42

3. Working group to strengthen economic stability of clubs: 1,75
This could be of interest to you in this context:

• SLC publication >> Decoding the #popularitydna - 2020 Bundesliga popularity study
• SLC Service >> Business Consulting
• SLC Service >> Sponsoring & Sponsoring-Controlling

4. Provision of agent services for (young) players and their families: 1,76

5. Fundamental commitment to sustainability for German professional football: 1,79
This could be of interest to you in this context:

• SLC publication >> Sustainable further developments in soccer business through corona?
• SLC publication >> Climate protection and sustainability in the Bundesliga
• SLC Service >> Studies & Analysis

6. DFL commission to intensify dialogue with a wide range of fan groups: 1,80
This could be of interest to you in this context: SLC Service >> Management-Information-System

7. Development of criteria for constructive club-fan dialogue: 1,85
This could be of interest to you in this context: SLC publication >> Information procurement of the fans. new or classic channels? which channel is favored by the fans?

8. Development of a values framework, code of conduct and human rights concept: 1,88

9. Partnerships with a focus on sustainable and responsible action and economic management: 2,02

10. Promotion of women’s football: 2,04

11. Creation of a body to regularly review the implementation of the Task Force's recommendations for action: 2,15
This could be of interest to you in this context: SLC publication >> Stadium-experience 2020 #futureofstadiumexperience

12. Campaigns to increase visibility and to reward social and community engagement: 2,16
This could be of interest to you in this context: SLC Service >> Studies & Analysis

13. International reforms to strengthen economic stability in cooperation with politics: 2,17

14. Promoting women in football: 2,19

15. Strengthening of a cross-thematic knowledge exchange between leagues and clubs: 2,20
This could be of interest to you in this context:

• SLC publication >> SLC Management & TÜV Rheinland @ WSCE 2019: Paving the way for “Next Generation Club Management" in China
• SLC Service >> Internationalization

16. Establishment of a sustainability and responsibility commission: 2,21

17. Evaluation of structures for controlled strategic investments within the framework of 50+1: 2,23
This could be of interest to you in this context: SLC Service >> InSoring

Media publication in World Today, February, 7th 2021: https://www.world-today-news.com/fans-rate-the-fut...

For years, SLC Management successfully accompanies and consults associations, leagues and clubs in various areas related to the sporting core and always puts the opinion of the fans as the most important target group of the clubs in the center of customer-specific and future-oriented consulting services and concepts.

For more information please contact at any time

Jens Jaschinski

Director Consultancy

E-Mail: jaschinski@slc-ag.com

Fon: +49 (0) 911 - 54 81 830

Tags: Bundesliga, Bundesliga-Barometer, Bundesliga-Zukunftsgipfel, Deutsche Fußball Liga, DFL, Madeja, SLC Management, Taskforce