Onderzoek | sportmanagement24

EXPERTISE

Professionalization:

Within this line of research we study types of collaboration, motivational and good governance, innovation and decision-making processes at the level of the sports organization in order to realize a more professional framework.

Integrity:

Within this line we investigate corporate social responsibility in sports, as well as problems that the sector faces today; gambling and gambling advertising, transgressive behavior, and sports-related fraud such as match fixing.

PROJECTS

Prevention Of Fraud In Sports

The PrOFS project is a 4-year multidisciplinary research project, funded by the Flemish government (FWO). Various disciplines (law, criminology, economics, psychology, sports management, and sports pedagogy) approach the complex phenomenon of fraud in sports from a macro (system and legislation), meso (organization) and micro (individual) level. The project aims to achieve systemic change, made possible by close collaboration between research and practice in the fight against fraud in sports. Both theoretical insights and useful tools are developed.

Prof. Dr. Annick Willem

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences UGent

Prof. Dr. Leen Haerens

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University

Prof. Dr. Alain van Heel

Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University

Prof. Dr. Dries Goossens

Department of Policy Informatics and Operational Management UGent

Prof. Dr. Wim Hardyns

Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law Ghent University

Prof. Dr. Tom Vander Beken

Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law Ghent University

Prof. dr. An Vermeersch

Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law Ghent University

Prof. dr. Letizia Paoli

Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC) KULeuven

Prof. Dr. Bram Constandt

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University

Dr. Cleo Schyvinck

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University

Gema Souvenir

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University

Tassilo Tissot

Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology and Movement

Lucie Vanwersch

Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law Ghent University

Sofie Gotelaere

Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC) KULeuven

Louis Vandercruysse

Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law Ghent University

Karel Devriesere

Department of Policy Informatics and Operational Management UGent

Rein Struyve

Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law UGent

Gotelaere, S., & Paoli, L. (2022). Prevention and Control of Financial Fraud: A Scoping Review. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-022-09532-8 Gotelaere, S., & Paoli, L. (2024). An Exploratory Study of Fraud in Sports. Panopticon, 45(3), 266-285. Hardyns, W., Vanwersch, L., & Constandt, B. (2022). Should football care about its fans' trust? A study into the consequences of a large-scale fraud scandal on sports fans' integrity perceptions. Managing Sport and Leisure, 1-16. Kr¨amer, D., & Schyvinck, C., (2024). Challenging the Binary: Gender, Fraud, and the Complexities of Categorization in Elite Sports" Souvenir, G., Schyvinck, C., Kihl, L. A., Hardyns, W., Vermeersch, A., & Willem, A. (2023). Fraud vulnerabilities in sport federations: the role of culture, leadership, and control. European Sport Management Quarterly, 1-24. Struyve, R., Vanwersch, L. & Hardyns, W. (2024). Unraveling the Zheyun Ye football scandal: A crime script analysis of the modus operandi to commit money laundering and tax fraud. Trends Organ Crim. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-024-09545-1 Tissot, T. T., Van Hiel, A., Haerens, L., & Constandt, B. (2023). The Moral Identity Questionnaire predicts prosocial behavior better than the Moral Identity Scale. Current Psychology, 42(26), 22738–22744. Vandercruysse, L., Vermeersch, A., & Vander Beken, T. (2022). Macolin and beyond: legal and regulatory initiatives against match manipulation. The International Sports Law Journal, 22(3), 241-258. Vandercruysse & Baert, Private bribery & match fixing: not a perfect match, Nullum Crimen no. 5, 2022. Vanwersch, L*., Vandercruysse, L.*, Vermeersch, A., Vander Beken, T., Willem, A., Constandt, B., Hardyns, W. (2024). The Grayness of Match-Fixing: A Study of the Prevalence and Sanctionability of Non-Betting-Related Match-Fixing in Football and Tennis. Deviant Behavior, 1-22. Vanwersch, L. & Hardyns, W. (2024). “Mundus fill decipi”: The (lack of) consequences of a large-scale match-fixing scandal on Belgian football. Sports in Society. Vanwersch, L., Willem, A., Constandt, B., & Hardyns, W. (2022). A Scoping Review of the Causes and Consequences of Fraud in Sport. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 1–39. Vanwersch, L., Willem, A., Constandt, B., & Hardyns, W. (in press). The Methodological Outline of the Use of a Factorial Survey Design to Study Sport-Related Match-Fixing. In GERN Research Paper Series 8. (editors and book title still unknown) Vanwersch, L., Willem, A., Constandt, B., & Hardyns, W. (forthcoming). Beyond Risk Factors of Sports-Related Match-Fixing: Testing the Applicability of Situational Action Theory. European Journal of Criminology. Vanwersch, L. & Hardyns, W. (in press). The consequences of the 'Ye system': A scientific analysis of the damage caused by one of the biggest cheating scandals in football history. Judicial Explorations.

Transgressive behavior in sports

The FWO awarded funding for 4 years of research into transgressive behavior (GOG) in sport. This project focuses on psychological GOG by sports coaches towards young athletes. Starting from the Self-Determination Theory, we aim to investigate whether a controlling coaching style increases the risk of psychological GOG. In addition, we take a unique broadening approach by investigating the impact of the broader club climate on the prevention of GOG. Starting from normalization theory, we investigate the extent to which different stakeholders within the club tolerate and maintain controlling coach behavior.

Schyvinck, C., Laureys. F., Lefever, E., Vertommen, T., Haerens, L., Willem, A., & Constandt, B. (2024). Ethical club
climate and coaching style: Unveiling their role in coach-perpetrated psychological abuse of gymnasts. Journal of Sports Management.

Laureys. F., Schyvinck, C., Lefever, E., Vertommen T., Constandt, B., Willem, A., De Cocker, K., Haerens, L., (2024). How does a controlling coaching style interact with interpersonal violence in sports? Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

EPOSM

The EPOSM project ran for two years (2020-2021) and was co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ in Sport programme. During this project, eleven European institutions joined forces to (1) raise awareness about the prevalence of sports-related (i.e. non-gambling) match-fixing, (2) stimulate moral judgement on sports-related match-fixing and (3) share and transfer this knowledge.

Van Der Hoeven, S., Constandt, B., Manoli, A. E., van Bottenburg, M., Caneppele, S., & Willem, A. (2023). Match-fixing in European sports: Attitudes and experiences. Deviant Behavior. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/01639625.2023.2225678. Van Der Hoeven, S., Constandt, B., Manoli, A. E., van Bottenburg, M., Caneppele, S., & Willem, A. (2023). Understanding how individuals engage in match-fixing: The role of moral disengagement. European Sports Management Quarterly. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/16184742.2023.2230221. Constandt, B., & Manoli, A.E., Eds. (2022). Understanding match-fixing in sport: Theory and practice. London/New York: Routledge. ISBN: 9780367754921.

- Utrecht University (NLD – project partner organization)

- The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) (FRA – project partner organization)

- Play Fair Code (AUT – project partner organization)

- Croatian Olympic Committee (HRV – project partner organization)

- Lausanne University (CHE – project partner organization)

- Loughborough University (GBR – project partner organization)

- Panathlon International (ITA – project partner organization)

- Sportieq (BEL – project partner organization)

- Counter Sport Corruption Foundation for Sport Integrity (CSCF) (NLD – project partner organization)

- Council of Europe (associated partner organization)

Sports and Gambling

GAMSPON (The relationship between gambling sponsorship and the normalization and prevalence of gambling)

GAMSPON is an interdisciplinary research project funded by BELSPO that investigates the (social) impact of gambling sponsorship on society. A multi-method approach is used to analyze from different angles how sponsorship by gambling companies influences the Flemish population and contributes to the normalization of gambling.

FWO project (Sports sponsorship as a vehicle for gambling providers: How gambling sports sponsorship persuades consumers and contributes to gambling harms).
The FWO project is a 4-year interdisciplinary doctoral research funded by the Flemish government where we want to investigate how gambling companies use sports sponsorship to contribute to gambling harm by influencing the gambling-related beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of sports fans. We also take into account (perceptions of) moral appropriateness of this sports sponsorship, team loyalty and other influential factors.

GAMSPON

Prof. Dr. Liselot Hudders

Vakgroep Communicatiewetenschappen, Centrum voor Persuasieve Communicatie (CEPEC) UGent

Dr. Steffi De Jans

Department of Communication Sciences, Center for Persuasive Communication (CEPEC) Ghent University

Prof. Dr. Bram Constandt

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Sports Management Ghent University

FWO

Prof. Dr. Bram Constandt

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Sports Management Ghent University

Katho Jacobs

CEPEC & Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Sports Management Ghent University

Constandt, B. (2023). Integrity Matters: Denormalizing Gambling in Belgian and Dutch Sports Clubs. In D. McGee & C. Bunn (Eds.), Gambling and sports in a global age (pp. 75–88). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1476-285420230000018006 Constandt, B., & De Jans, S. (2024). Insights Into the Belgian Gambling Advertising Ban: The Need for a Comprehensive Public Policy Approach. Health Promotion International, 39(4), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae116 Constandt, B., Rosiers, J., Moernaut, J., Van Der Hoeven, S., & Willem, A. (2022). Part of the Game? Exploring the Prevalence and Normalization of Gambling in Belgian Sports Clubs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6527. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116527 De Jans, S., Hudders, L., & Constandt, B. (2024a). Are gambling company sports sponsorships a losing game? Investigating consumer responses on gambling, brand and team outcomes. International Journal of Advertising, 43(6), 933–959. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2024.2350852 De Jans, S., Hudders, L., & Constandt, B. (2024b). #Sponsored: A Systematic Literature Review and Theoretical Framework of Gambling Sponsorship Research. Journal of Advertising, 53(3), 434–453. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2023.2288829

Professionalizing sports clubs

The project 'Professionalization of Sports Clubs' is part of the research line on strengthening sports clubs. The project consists of two parts: the first part took place from 2017 to 2021 and focused on developing pathways to strengthen the management capacities of sports clubs in the areas of volunteering, communication and organizational structure. This part was supported by the Sports Cabinet of the Flemish Government.

The second part, started in 2021, will be completed in the spring of 2025. This part focuses on developing processes to make sports clubs stronger in the field of motivational management. This part is supported by the Flemish Agency for Innovation through Entrepreneurship

De Clerck, T., Willem, A., Aelterman, N., & Haerens, L. (2021). Volunteers managing volunteers: The role of volunteer board members' motivating and demotivating style in relation to volunteers' motives to stay volunteer. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 32, 1271-1284. De Clerck, T., Aelterman, N., Haerens, L., & Willem, A. (2021). Enhancing volunteers capacity in all‐volunteer nonprofit organizations: The role of volunteer leaders' reliance on effective management processes and (de)motivating leadership. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 31(3), 481-503. De Clerck, T., Willem, A., De Cocker, K., & Haerens, L. (2022). Toward a refined insight into the importance of volunteers' motivations for need-based experiences, job satisfaction, work effort, and turnover intentions in nonprofit sports clubs: A person-centered approach. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33(4), 807-819. De Clerck, T., Willem, A., Morbée, S., Van Dyck, D., & Haerens, L. (2022). The Importance of the Leaders' and Coaches' Motivating Style for Sports Club Members' Motivation to Participate in Organized Sports: Study of Trickle-Down Effects. The Sport Psychologist, 36(3), 153-161. De Clerck, T., Haerens, L., & Willem, A. (2022). Involving athletes and other internal stakeholders in organizational change in sports clubs: The crucial role of autonomy support. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 53(6). De Clerck, T., Haerens, L., Devos, G., & Willem, A. (2024). A self‐determination theory perspective on how autonomy‐supportive and chaotic leadership relate to volunteers' need‐based experiences and turnover intentions: A variable‐centered and person‐centered approach. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 34(4), 777-800. De Clerck, T., Haerens, L., Van Dyck, D., Devos, G., & Willem, A. (2024). Professionalizing all-volunteer nonprofit organizations: an intervention study based on the competing values framework and self-determination theory. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 37(1), 39-57.

Innovation

The interrelationship of sports with technology and interactive sports equipment and
–infrastructure is increasing, from which we see new virtual variants of existing sports emerging, such as the virtual cycling game Zwift or virtual rowing game Exr. We investigate how these new forms influence the management of sports organizations and federations, the organization of competitions and events, and the policy stimulation of sports for all.

Sports Research Platform

Sports Research Platform is the scientific research program of the Flemish government in the Sports policy area. The Sports platform is a collaboration between KU Leuven, Ghent University and VUB. The Sports Management UGent research group focused on the research line of accessible sports in 2017-2022, and on professionalization of the organized sports sector in 2024-2028.

De Bock, T., Scheerder, J., Theeboom, M., Schyvinck, C., De Clerck, T., & Willem, A. (2023). An organizational change perspective on the incorporation of parkour in a gymnastics federation. SPORTS IN SOCIETY, 26(12), 2033–2054. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2023.2228732 De Bock, T., Scheerder, J., Theeboom, M., De Clerck, T., Constandt, B., & Willem, A. (2023). Sport-for-all policies in sport federations : an institutional theory perspective. EUROPEAN SPORT MANAGEMENT QUARTERLY, 23(5), 1328–1350. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2021.2009897 De Bock, T., Scheerder, J., Theeboom, M., Constandt, B., Marlier, M., De Clerck, T., & Willem, A. (2022). Stuck between medals and participation : an institutional theory perspective on why sport federations struggle to achieve Sport-for-All goals. BMC PUBLIC HEALTH, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14230-5

Corporate Social Responsibility

The UN developed 17 sustainable development goals (e.g. good health and well-being, reduced inequality and climate action) for 2030. This research will study the role of sport as an instrument for sustainable development in society, with attention to the role of sports organizations. This project includes an analysis of the creation of added value and the balancing of values (e.g. sporting, social, cultural, moral, economic, geopolitical and ecological values) in and through sport. This will lead to an integrated framework on sustainable value creation in/through sport.

De Cock, M. B., Schyvinck, C., Willem, A., Constandt, B. (forthcoming). A Balancing Act? An Investigation of Tensions Related to Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation in Professional Football

De Cock, M. B., Zeimers, G., Schyvinck, C., Jonas, M., Hlina M., Kihl, L. A., Constandt, B. (forthcoming).

Assessing Professional Sport Organizations' Corporate Social Performance: A Mixed Methods Study

DOCTORATES

Dr. Bram Constandt
Ethics management - match fixing - gambling

Dr. Cleo Schyvinck
Corporate social responsibility in professional sports organizations

Dr. Stef Van Der Hoeven
Match-fixing, a normalized phenomenon? Exploring, mapping, and understanding match-fixing in sports

Dr. Tom De Clerck
Effectiveness measurement of the club grade intervention tool to increase the policy of sports clubs