Corporate Social Responsibility through Charitable Foundations: The Case of English Football

Professional teams are now modifying their organisational structure by establishing foundations tasked with delivering their corporate social responsibility (CSR) content. These structural changes inevitably bring in new organisational actors who influence the actual implementation of CSR in this business context. Organisational complexity is therefore increasing regarding CSR, as is the need to capture its elements at both cross-organisational and individual levels. This is especially important given that, unlike mainstream (corporate) foundations that deal directly with a ‘parent’ company, professional sport leagues often mandate the implementation of CSR through central funding mechanisms. This in turn emphasises the intricacy of the process and the dynamics amongst organisational actors at various levels. This book attempted to address this complexity by examining the managerial decision-making process in the organisational context of charitable foundations established by English professional football clubs.