Can you plan fan love? This project wanted to find out

How does a sports club gain new fans? What role do identification, brand management, and sponsorship play? And how do you develop a coherent marketing strategy from this? Students in the Bachelor's program in Sports, Culture & Event Management at HOK grappled with precisely these questions. In the course "Sports Management II," they didn't work with theoretical case studies, but instead developed marketing concepts for real clubs from European professional leagues.

Under the guidance of Prof. (FH) Dr. Claudia Stura, Deputy Head of the Program and course instructor, the students first selected one of four leagues. The individual project groups then chose a club, which they analyzed throughout the semester. The goal was to apply the theoretical foundations of sports marketing to real-world challenges and derive concrete recommendations for action.

The projects ranged from women’s soccer to professional ice hockey: Students worked with teams such as FC Carl Zeiss Jena and SC Freiburg from the German Women’s Bundesliga, as well as Pioneers Vorarlberg and EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV from Austrian ice hockey.

From target group analysis and sponsorship to the development of a communication concept, the students went through the entire marketing process. Where possible, they also sought direct contact with representatives from the clubs and supplemented their analyses with interviews and research.

From the lecture hall directly to practice

The project group led by student Jakob Bilgeri focused particularly intensively on Pioneers Vorarlberg. For the Vorarlberg native, the project was far more than a typical seminar paper. He already brings extensive practical experience to the table: at his home club FC Hittisau, he is jointly responsible for marketing, social media, events, and sponsorship. This is precisely why he was drawn to tackling the challenges of a professional club.

"From the outside, people mainly think about sporting success," says Bilgeri. "But the project has shown how important identification and fan engagement are for a club – regardless of whether it's a small or large organization."

Together with his team, he analyzed the Pioneers' existing brand communication, engaged intensively with the target groups, and developed concrete ideas on how the bond between the club and its fans could be further strengthened. These included considerations for a stronger community around the club, new digital offerings, and measures to further develop the fans' emotional connection.

The comparison between amateur and professional sports was particularly fascinating for Bilgeri. While he is familiar with and implements many marketing measures from his own club's day-to-day operations, the project showed him just how multifaceted the strategic work in a professional club truly is. “Project work like this makes the course particularly practical. It brings together diverse experiences and collaboratively develops solutions for real-world challenges.”

Learning with real added value

Claudia Stura also sees this as the special value of the course. Instead of addressing theoretical models in isolation from practice, students grapple with real-world issues and develop solutions for specific use cases. At the same time, they learn to combine scientific methods with practical requirements and incorporate different perspectives into their concepts.

This results not only in well-founded marketing strategies but also in experiences that benefit students far beyond their studies.

Links:

• Sports, Culture & Event Management | ft
• New Brand Identity: UAS Kufstein Tirol becomes HOK | News