Modern Forms of Business in Professional Football

This study is a continuation of my previous article (Nagy, 2012). You will find an analysis of legal forms eligible for football clubs, as well as the method of management by the owner determined primarily by such forms there. We primarily keep in mind how these forms influence the possibilities of financing and acquisition of capital. In the case of a professional football club, fundamental sports objectives can conflict with the investor intent, which might be, in many cases, to primarily take care of the increase of profits instead of serving the aims of football and the most important designation of a football club. Entrepreneurship and management, which takes into account the possibilities of a football club, allows the implementation of the most important objectives of sports, even if it is necessary to involve a considerable amount of capital. Through transportation into an incorporated firm, the appropriate shaping and operation of a group of companies, the aims of capitalisation will also be pursued, while the sports objectives remain the primary ones. (Such forms are limited liability companies, limited partnerships, share companies, registered associations, etc.). On the basis of foreign experience, our study intends to make findings and proposals in order to serve the establishing and operating of such forms of enterprises, which will also create – in addition to the priority of sports objectives – broad possibilities for capitalisation in professional football.