Sports Marketing & Sponsorship - FIFA/CIES International University ...

EditorialGlobal reach to reflect developments in sportThese are interesting times for the sports industry andits partners, as the economic downturn and thereducing availability of credit usher in a sea change inthe commercial confidence in sport. The importance ofsports marketing and sponsorship to the production andconsumption of sport cannot be overstated. Not sincethe start of the new millennium have these practicescome under such scrutiny for their value anddependability. However, this is where marketing andsponsorship can reinforce their value to sport’s myriadstakeholders. This should happen not just at theinternational and elite levels of sport but also in localcommunities, to prove that the transactional approachto sponsorship no longer has relevance and thatauthenticity and substance have become the hallmarksof the relationship approach that will hopefully dominatefuture practices.I am pleased to be taking over the stewardship of theJournal from Professor Simon Chadwick, who over thepast four years has continued the successfuldevelopment of this publication. Central to this has beenthe establishment of a double blind peer-review system,which has increased the Journal’s quality andreputation with each passing volume and seen itbecome one of the premier sports marketingpublications in an industry that is dynamic andinnovative.There are still challenges facing the Journal for itscontinued growth, and I am very happy to havePaul Kitchin alongside as a deputy editor to help me inthis work. His contribution has already been significantfor this issue and I am sure we will make a great team.Our first challenge is that despite being an‘international’ journal, our global evidence is stilldominated by work from Western Europe, Australasia,North America and the Far East. While this may wellcorrespond to the majority of sports management andmarketing programmes internationally, there is apressing need to increase submissions from Africa,South and South-East Asia and South America. Thestaging of the 2010 World Cup, the increasingpopularity of European football in Indonesia, Malaysiaand Thailand and, until recent developments, thepromising beginnings of the Indian Premier Leaguehighlight the development of sport in these regions. Ourpublication should begin to address the issues theyface. One of our aims, therefore, is to appoint regionaleditors to work with our European base to increase thequality and relevance of submissions.The second challenge is to enhance our contributionto sports marketing and sponsorship practice while alsoincreasing the Journal’s use as a resource for teaching.Becoming all things to all audiences is not ourintention, but by maintaining the quality of researchpublished we can provide the platform for thesecomplementary goals. We also aim to develop morecase studies to demonstrate good marketing andsponsorship practice to industry and to benefitacademics and students in the classroom. In 2009 weplan to host a conference in London to emphasise thevalue of such a platform for both practitioners andacademics, to build new bridges and encourage newresearch programmes.Professor Michel Desbordes, EditorEmail: michel.desbordes1@wanadoo.frPaul Kitchin, Deputy EditorEmail: p.kitchin@londonmet.ac.ukEDITORIAL● APRIL 2009 ●International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship197