Reconsidering the multi-sports club business model: designing effective new strategies in the face of environmental changes

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the importance of reconsidering the business model in the organizations, to ensure success over time. The paper lies on the analysis and development of the strategies of ten “Societa` ” Canottieri’ – multi-sports clubs in Northern Italy. Design/methodology/approach – The strategies of these clubs have been studied via detailed interviews, as well as data and document analysis. Subsequently, two workshops with the management of the clubs were carried out, to collect evidence of the challenges to their sustainability and to identify possible strategies to overcome these challenges. Findings – Drawing on Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas framework and Demil et Lecocq’s approach to business model (a Penrosian approach about the on-going dimension of change as a permanent state of organization), the paper describes how recently emerging issues (external and internal changes) have challenged the traditional business model of these clubs. Finally, authors identify specific actions necessary to (re)create a new value proposition and to modify the sports clubs’ organization in the future, to assure sustainability and success. Originality/value – Currently, business model analysis within contexts of (apparent) no economic value creation still remains a relatively unexplored field. The paper describes an effective methodology to implement the business model analysis into a group of independent non-profit organizations. To implement this analysis, the authors adopted the model of Business Model Canvas, but using a transformational and dynamic approach.