“Getting the Tactics Right”

Football clubs in England have a relatively long history of engaging in community-based work, especially since the establishment of the national “Football in the Community” (FiTC) program in the mid-1980s. It does not come as a surprise therefore that, amongst the European football leagues, in English football is where the strongest institutionalized forms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have evolved. To this end, this chapter draws on findings from a larger empirical study and provides a descriptive account of some of the key issues associated with the way CSR is being strategically implemented in English football. It does so, by using a tactical “line up” analogy in an endeavor to accentuate 11 points that pertain to strategic CSR in this particular context.¹ The aim and its execution are therefore intended as a response to Godfrey et al. (2010) call for management scholars studying socially responsible business practices to consider specific manifestations of CSR and take into account relevant industry contexts and forces.