Research Areas
Sport-for-all through COLLABORATIONS
Inter-organizational relationships are a necessity for sport organizations to obtain resources, maintain efficiency, and be effective.
More than 50% of the inter-organizational collaborations fail due to inadequate governance of the collaboration. We study collaboration types, decision-making mechanisms, and processes in place on practitioners, organizational, and policy level.
Research on collaborations is in partnership with the N-lab of Ghent University.
ETHICS
The sport world has a complex relationship with ethics and values. On the one hand, a lot of benefits come with the practice and organization of sport, such as health, social cohesion, social capital,…
On the other hand, sport is suffering from a moral crisis: matchfixing, bad governance, doping, .. are featured in the media every day. This paradox has to be managed and guided in the right direction.
We study how sport can be good (sport ethics) and do good (corporate social responsibility). Research on sport ethics and Olympic values is embedded in the Olympic Chair Henri de Baillet Latour-Jacques Rogge.
EPOSM
Prevention of Sport-related Match Fixing
An Erasmus + Sport partnership between academic and non-academic organizations that explores sport-related match fixing in different sport disciplines at European level. In addition, this project will also organize tailor-made training sessions.
Mission:
"Increase knowledge, awareness and moral judgment about sport-related match fixing among people involved in sport, through a science-based approach that can inspire others."
Vision:
"Ensuring fair play in sports by striving for a competition without match fixing."
Goals:
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Raise awareness about the prevalence of sport-related match fixing.
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Encourage the moral judgment that sport-related match-fixing is wrong. After all, sport-related match fixing threatens the credibility and attractiveness of sport.
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Sharing and transferring knowledge about sport-related match fixing through the organization of tailor-made training sessions.
Clubgrade
Sport clubs are growing and evolving enormously. In addition to day-to-day operations, board members also want to grow their sport club and evolve in the right direction. But what is the best way to do that?
Clubgrade helps sport clubs at the administrative level and strengthens their management where necessary. Sport clubs get to work together with the Clubgrade team. They receive the necessary support and tools to take their club to the next level. In short, this is a project for clubs with a desire to grow and professionalize.
Publications:
De Clerck, T., Willem, A., Aelterman, N., & Haerens, L. (2019). 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, 1-14.
De Clerck, T., Aelterman, N., Haerens, L., & Willem, A. (2020). 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.
OPS
Onderzoeksplatform Sport 2017-2022 is the scientific research program of the Flemish government in the policy domain Sport. Researchers from KU Leuven, UGent and VUB will conduct scientific research in three lines of research for 5 years.
Thomas De Bock of the UGent Sport Management team works on the low-threshold sport research line within the OPS.
PrOFS
Fraud in sport needs to be tackled in an integrated way through cooperation between sport organizations and public and private organizations, so that sport can fully exploit its positive role.
The PrOFS project offers an ambitious, state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary scientific approach. The project aims for a systemic change implied by the close collaboration between a wide range of researchers and key stakeholders in the fight against fraud in sport. Read all about it on the PrOFS page.
Sport Good Governance Game
Onderzoeksplatform Sport 2017-2022 is the scientific research program of the Flemish government in the policy domain Sport. Researchers from KU Leuven, UGent and VUB will conduct scientific research in three lines of research for 5 years.
Thomas De Bock of the UGent Sport Management team works on the low-threshold sport research line within the OPS.
Ongoing research
PhDs & post-doctoral research
interested in a specific research topic?
Feel free to contact one of our researchers
Ethics management - match fixing - gambling
dr. Cleo Schyvinck
Corporate social responsibility in professional sport organizations
Stef Van Der Hoeven
Match fixing
dr. Tom De Clerck
Measurement of effectiveness of an intervention to increase the policy-making capacity of sports clubs
Thomas De Bock
The role of federations in delivering Sport-for-all
Gema Souvenir
Prevention of Fraud in Sports - meso level analysis
Thibault Fouquaert
Perception, adoption diffusion and strategic integration of Sport-for-All focused technology and innovations within sports clubs
Tassilo Tissot
Prevention of Fraud in Sports - micro level analysis
Discipline
dr. Anne-Line Balduc
Effectiveness in Sport on Micro and Meso Management Level.
dr. Mathieu Marlier
The value of intersectoral partnerships in sport - Promoting sport participation, physical activity, social capital and mental health through a sport development program in disadvantaged communities
dr. Steffie Lucidarme
Governance of Sport and Physical Activity Policy Implementation Networks: key determinants, configurations and processes
dr. Geraldine Zeimers
Corporate Social Responsibility institutionalization and implementation in sport organizations
dr. Els De Waegeneer
Fair play in sports organizations: effectiveness of ethical codes
dr. Bram Constantt
Ethics management in football clubs
dr. Cleo Schyvinck
Corporate social responsibility in professional sport organizations
dr. Tom De Clerck
Measurement of effectiveness of an intervention to increase the policy-making capacity of sports clubs
Publications
Sport-for-all
De Clerck, T., Aelterman, N., Haerens, L., & Willem, A. (2020). 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, 1– 23. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21444. (SSCI impact factor 2019: 1.672, Q3).
Marlier, M., Constandt, B., Schyvinck, C., De Bock, T., Winand, M., & Willem, A. (2020). Bridge over troubled water: Linking
capacities of sport and non-sport organizations. Social Inclusion, 8(3), 139-151. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i3.2465. (impact
factor SSCI 2019: 1.297, Q2).
Constandt, B., Thibaut, E., De Bosscher, V., Scheerder, J., Ricour, M., & Willem, A. (2020). Exercising in Times of Lockdown: An
Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 on Levels and Patterns of Exercise among Adults in Belgium. International Journal of
Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(11), 4144. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17114144. (impact factor SSCI 2019:
2.849, Q1).
De Clerck, T., Willem, A., Aelterman, N., & Haerens, L. (2019). 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, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-019-00177-6. (impact factor SSCI
2019: 1.538, Q3).
Willem, A., Girginov, V., & Toohey, K. (2018). Governing bodies of sport as knowledge brokers in Sport-for-All communities of
practice. Sport Management Review, 22(5), 584-599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2018.08.005. (impact factor SSCI
2019: 3.337, Q2).
Dobbels, L., Voets, J., Marlier, M., De Waegeneer, E., & Willem, A. (2018). Why network structure and coordination matter: A
social network analysis of sport for disadvantaged people. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(5), 572–593.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690216666273. (impact factor SSCI 2018: 1.771, Q1).
Babiak, K.; Thibault, L., & Willem, A. (2018) Mapping Research on Interorganizational Relationships in Sport 2018
Management: Current Landscape and Future Research Prospects; Journal of Sport Management, 32(3),
272-294. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2017-0099. (impact factor SSCI 2018: 2.167, Q2).
Lucidarme, Steffie; Babiak, Kathy; and Willem, Annick (2017) Governmental power in elite sport networks: a resource-
dependency perspective. European Sport Management Quarterly, 18(3), 348-372.
https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2017.1405998. (impact factor SSCI 2018: 2.27, Q2).
Van Dyck, D., Cardon, G., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., de Ridder, L., & Willem, A. (2017). Who Participates in Running 2018 Events?
Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Psychosocial Factors and Barriers as Correlates of Non-Participation—A Pilot Study in
Belgium. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(11), 1315.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14111315. (impact factor: 2.145, Q2).
Willem, A., De Rycke, J., & Theeboom, M. (2017). The role of autonomous and controlled motivation in exercise intentions of
participants in a mass cycling event. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 354. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00354. (impact
factor: 2.089, Q2).
ETHICS-CSR
Schyvinck, C., Babiak, K., Constandt, B., & Willem, A. (in press). What does entrepreneurship add to the understanding
or corporate social responsibility management in sports? Journal of Sports Management.
https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2020-0356 . (SSCI impact factor 2019: 2.359, Q2).
Constandt, B., Heres, L., Marlier, M., & Willem, A. (2020). A Stakeholder Perspective on Ethical Leadership in Sports:
Bridging the Gap Between the Normative and Descriptive Lines of Inquiry. Psychologica Belgica, 60(1), 381–395.
https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.543 . (SSCI impact factor 2019: 0.610, Q4).
Constandt, B., & Willem, A. (2020). Hosting the Olympics in Times of a Pandemic: Historical Insights from Antwerp 1920.
Leisure Sciences, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2020.1773982 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 1,952, Q2).
Zeimers, G., Lefebvre, A., Winand, M., Anagnostopoulos, C., Zintz, T., & Willem, A. (2020). Organizational factors for
corporate social responsibility implementation in sport federations: A qualitative comparative analysis. European
Sports Management Quarterly, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2020.1731838 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 1,889,
Q3).
De Waegeneer, E., Constandt, B., Van Der Hoeven, S., & Willem, A. (2019). Badminton players' moral intentions: A
factorial survey study into personal and contextual determinants. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(2272), 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02272 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 2.067, Q2).
Van Der Hoeven, S., De Waegeneer, E., Constandt, B., & Willem, A. (2020). Match fixing: Moral challenges for those
involved. Ethics & Behavior, 30(6), 425-443. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2019.1667238 . (impact factor SSCI 2019:
1.120, Q3).
Constandt, B., Parent, MM, & Willem, A. (2020). Does it really matter? A study on soccer fans' perceptions of ethical
leadership and their role as “stake owners.” Sports Management Review, 23(3), 374-386.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2019.04.003 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 3,337, Q2).
Zeimers, G., Anagnostopoulos, C., Zintz, T., & Willem, A. (2019). Examining collaboration among nonprofit organizations
for socially responsible programs. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 48(5), 953-974.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0899764019837616 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 1,764, Q2).
Zeimers, G., Anagnostopoulos, C., Zintz, T., & Willem, A. (2019). Organizational learning for corporate social
responsibility in sports organisations. European Sports Management Quarterly, 19(1), 80-101.
https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2018.1546752 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 1,889, Q3).
Schyvinck, C., & Willem, A. (2019). From cause-related marketing strategy to implementation in professional basketball
organizations: A matter of alignment. European Sports Management Quarterly, 19(1), 58-79.
https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2018.1563625 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 1,889, Q3).
Constandt, B., & Willem, A. (2019). The trickle-down effect of ethical leadership in nonprofit soccer clubs. non-profit
Management & Leadership, 29(3), 401-417. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21333 . (impact factor SSCI 2019: 1,672, Q3).
Constandt, B., De Waegeneer, E., & Willem, A. (2019). Ethical code effectiveness in football clubs: A longitudinal 2018
analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(3), 621-634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3552-0 . (impact factor SSC
2019: 4.141, Q1).
Constandt, B., De Waegeneer, E., & Willem, A. (2018). Coach ethical leadership in soccer clubs: An analysis of its
influence on ethical behavior. Journal of Sports Management, 32(3), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2017-0182 .
(impact factor SSCI 2018: 2,167, Q2)
Schyvinck, C., & Willem, A. (2018). A typology of cause-related marketing approaches in European professional
basketball. Sports Management Review, 21(4), 347-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.08.006 . (impact factor SSC
2018: 2,138, Q2)
De Waegeneer, E., Devisch, I., and Willem, A. (2017). Ethical Codes in Sports Organizations: An Empirical Study on 2017
Determinants of Effectiveness. Ethics & Behavior, 27(4), 261-282. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2016.1172011
(impact factor: 0.942, Q3)