Adnan Ouedraogo​

In this section I am going to reflect on Werder Bremen, as my ideal sport organisation, because it is a positive brand in football, although it is not necessarily the most commercial or successful one.

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Werder Bremen is my ideal sports organisation, because the club is really close to the fans and the fan groups actually get to take share in certain points of decision-making. Further, the club does not sell shares on the stock market and is able to maintain itself through a big pool of sponsors and suppliers, making it a comparably stable organisation. The downside of this is obviously that the club cannot always compete at the highest level in European football anymore but will never have to face the consequences of being left alone by a rich investor (as it is currently happening to Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia). Moreover, Werder Bremen maintains the status of autonomy and is able to make decisions, which have the best outcome for the club and not necessarily for the investors.

 

With Thomas Eichin (former manager at "Koelner Haie" Ice Hockey club) as sports manager and Klaus Filbry (former Adidas manager) as marketing and finances manager, Werder Bremen has two really experienced managers to develop their long-term strategies. Corporate social responsibility campaigns and a sustainable energy system including solar panels as a stadium facade contribute to the positive image of the club. Through opening a new multi-football hall and a gym the club opened a new revenue stream, while introducing itself to a new audience.

Remarkable about Werder Bremen is also that there are rarely any scandals about the club in the media and integrity plays a really big role.

 

From a sportive perspective Werder Bremen has been dropping from being participant in the Champions League on the regular to the midfield of the “Bundesliga” in recent years. Therefore, the club also dropped out of the top 30 of the most valuable clubs in Europe in 2012. However, due to the case that Werder Bremen traditionally has a strong youth, scouts a lot of young talents and has an excellent infrastructure, chances are that the club is going to make it to the international stage again in the future.

 

Picture: http://www.focus.de/fotos/werder-bremen_mid_977495.html