'CHALLENGES FACING FOOTBALL IN THE 21 CENTURY'

Venue: 15^th – 17^th May 2008, University of Bern, Switzerland.

Key dates                   

Date by which authors should submit abstracts: 31^st January 2008

Date by which abstracts will be accepted/rejected: 31^st March 2008

Date conference will be held: 15-17^th May 2008

Between 7th and 29th June 2008, the 14^th UEFA European Championships will be co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. To mark the tournament, the University of Berne in Switzerland will be staging a major conference at which the challenges facing football in the 21^st Century will be discussed. The scope of the conference is intended to include fans, players, teams, clubs, leagues, competitions, tournaments, commercial partners, broadcasters and any other relevant organisations. Presenters are expected to include academics, researchers and those working in football.

You are therefore invited to submit abstracts that address issues pertaining to football in the 21^st Century. Submissions falling within one or more of the following themes will be especially welcomed:

• Fans and fan behaviour
• Commercial development of football and football-related properties
• Strategic, tactical and change management in football
• Football marketing, sponsorship and naming rights
• Broadcasting, media and technology in football
• Managing football venues, events and competitions
• Operations, risk and security management in football
• Human resource management in football
• Finance and accounting in football
• Globalisation and international management in football
• Ethics, corporate social responsibility and governance in football
• Football and tourism
• Economic, social and cultural impact of football
• Football and the environment

Abstract submissions from people working in other disciplines will also be considered. This may include work undertaken by sociologists, historians, psychologists, et al.

Abstract submission

Abstracts can be based on research projects, case studies or thought-leadership pieces. An abstract should be no less than 300 words and no more than 500 words. It should indicate the rationale for the study, methods used, key findings, conclusions and highlight where the author(s) think the study adds value to our understanding of 21^st Century football. Footnotes and endnotes may be used but only where appropriate and as sparingly as possible.

The Harvard system of referencing should be used, further details of which can be found at: http://library.curtin.edu.au/referencing/harvard.pdf. The accuracy of references used is the responsibility of the author(s).

All submissions should adopt the following format:

Page 1 -title of the abstract; author(s) name(s), affiliation, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, fax number; up to six keywords.

Page 2 - title of the abstract;

NB Author(s) name(s), affiliation, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number or fax number must not appear on this page.

Page 3 - title of the abstract and beginning of main text

Abstracts should be sent by e-mail to Simon Chadwick (details of whom are given below) as Word documents (ideally version 2000 or later). For administrative purposes, authors should submit their abstract together with a short covering letter. Receipt of abstracts is no guarantee of acceptance.

Conference chairs

Professor Simon Chadwick, University of Coventry and University of London, UK

Professor Frank Go, Erasmus University, Netherlands

Professor Hansruedi Müller, University of Berne, Switzerland

Scientific committee

Professor Michael Bar-Eli, Ben Gurion University, Israel

Dr Carlos Barros, Portugal

Professor Achim Conzelmann, University of Berne, Switzerland

Professor Michel Desbordes, France

Professor Harold Dolles, Heilbronn Business School, Germany        

Sean Hamil, University of London, UK

Professor Robert Kasper, KREMS, Austria

Dr Carlos Marti, IESE, Spain

Dr. Heinz Ruetter, Ruetter+Partners, Switzerland

Dr Andrea Santini, University of Rome, Italy

Professor Sten Soderman, University of Stockholm, Sweden

Professor Juerg Stettler, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

Accommodation

Further information about accommodation will be available in due course. The conference organisers have been able to negotiate special rates at a range of hotels in Bern for the duration of the conference.

Key contacts

General enquiries about the conference should be directed to Professor Go: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Enquiries about the conference venue, location, travel etc. should be directed to Professor Müller: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Abstract submissions should be sent to Professor Chadwick: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Further information

Conference papers that fall within the scope of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship will be considered for publication in this journal. For further information, please contact Professor Simon Chadwick.