Sponsorship of grassroots sport: a scoping review of research

Matthew Hindmarsh, John Hayton

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Grassroots sport is under increasing financial pressure with sponsorship providing a key income stream. This paper offers the first scoping review on the management of grassroots sponsorship, determining the state of research in this area to provide suggestions for further scholarly attention. Searching literature up until 2020 using terms including grassroots sport and sponsorship, 18 articles were returned, with descriptive then thematic analysis being undertaken. The review reports that studies are being conducted in economically leading countries, tending to focus on events, and to lesser extents, sport properties. Eight themes were constructed encompassing the securing, maintaining, and use of sponsorship, and grouped into two categories: 1) pre-sponsorship; 2) during sponsorship activity. Study in this area was stressed as being still in its infancy and largely atheoretical, with this paper serving to facilitate further conversation and investigation into the managerial practices associated with grassroots sport sponsorship.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)452-481
Number of pages30
JournalInternational Journal of Sport Management and Marketing
Volume24
Issue number5/6
Early online date3 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2025

Keywords

  • sport sponsorship
  • grassroots sport
  • scoping review
  • management
  • sponsor
  • sponsee
  • community sport

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