ABSTRACT
A considerable body of research exists surrounding coopetition activities (cooperation among rivals) undertaken in various settings, uncovering new insights about the benefits and drawbacks of these strategies. Nevertheless, it is less clear how owner-managers of sports organisations can engage in these networks to achieve their day-to-day and long-term objectives (like survival and growth). Accordingly, guided by the resource-based theory, the objective of this chapter is to explore how owner-managers of sports organisations (focusing on under-resourced and typically amateur football clubs) can manage coopetition activities given the relative nature of their assets in comparison to many of their greater-resourced counterparts. In doing so, stronger insights emerge regarding the advantages and disadvantages of these network relationships. This includes how collaborating with competitors can enhance performance, but if mismanaged, can exhibit certain “dark sides”, such as inter-firm tensions between the respective partners. The chapter concludes with some implications, together with a series of directions for future research.
