ABSTRACT
Sports managers aiming to venture into the international market need to be innovative in order to create a competitive advantage. Some research has focused on sport business changes, which yields insight into how sport combines a business perspective, but it is challenging to understand the role of sports innovation. This chapter discusses the role of leaders in sport innovation and how they help with motivation, knowledge sharing and integration. It provides an overview of the main leadership styles in sport and how they contribute to innovation. Sport practitioners, scholars and policy makers need to pay more attention to innovation as it controls, regulates and governs sport. The role leadership plays in sport innovation is important. The chapter helps to establish the importance of human and social capital that is evident in sports leaders who focus on innovation.
