Topic > The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility Programs for Football Clubs

There are many different clubs that engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, such as Manchester City, Chelsea and FC Barcelona. This is because football clubs are now seen as important businesses that have a direct impact on key stakeholders such as shareholders, government, the local community and fans (customers). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay By having a strong CSR program, football clubs can help differentiate themselves from other clubs and help create a better brand image. This is important as the brand image will reflect how fans perceive a club. As the club remains committed to its CSR programme(s), this will help build a positive brand which will be reflected in fan perceptions. This will lead to significant benefits in the long term, whereas if the club decides not to engage in CSR, fans will start to realize and have a negative image of the club. This has substantial consequences, as fans may move away from the club, leading to a decline in ticket and merchandise sales, which will lead to a decline in turnover. As a result, fans may also start to boycott and protest against the club, permanently jeopardizing the club's brand image. This will have serious implications for stakeholders such as the government and shareholders as a decrease in revenue will lead to a likely reduction in corporate taxes and dividends. An example is Chelsea FC, who raised £1 million to support charities and helped develop the 'KICKZ' program which helps target young children in deprived areas to stop racism and knife crime and offers them the opportunity to play football and participate in educational workshops. This event received very positive publicity and helped Chelsea become the number one team in the world in 2008 to have the most CSR programs in England. Another example is FC Barcelona which donates 1.5 million euros every year to the UNICEF charity which helps fight HIV and AIDS around the world. In addition to receiving a positive brand image, FC Barcelona has also increased its global fan base around the world to 349 million fans. This extra fan base can help lead to increased revenue and sales from ticket prices and merchandise sales. Therefore, significant incentives have led clubs to engage more in CSR programs. There are many benefits that Manchester City (MC) can gain from their CRS programmes. One example is their Regeneration project, which involves the creation of a wind turbine to help produce renewable energy. This will be used to power the stadium and help MC become more energy efficient. This is a significant benefit, as the long-term benefits from cost savings, such as electricity, will outweigh the short-term investment costs. Another advantage of the wind turbine project is that it will also allow MC to export 25% of the energy generated; this can help MC gain additional revenue from selling this surplus energy. Since this will lead them to be environmentally friendly, there may be an opportunity to receive tax incentives. This will be a significant advantage as they will have the opportunity to use this additional funding to invest more in club resources or further enhance their CSR brand image. Also, another advantage that MC.