ABSTRACT
This chapter provides examples of different organization structures for the club player side of sporting clubs. Much emphasis will be given to decisions related to total club and individual player payroll and compensation planning. The chapter highlights the importance of taking a portfolio approach to club and individual player payroll planning. Total player payroll decision-making can be viewed as a multi-year portfolio challenge, where a club’s playing squad is viewed as a collection of individual player assets in the same way that an investment portfolio is built up from investments in individual stocks, bonds and other assets. There are often dramatic differences across clubs within a given league as to the number of players on “long-term” contracts and the extent to which they commit a club to large expenditures for many years in advance.
