ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we discuss the governance of the Swedish football clubs and three logics: democratic, competition, and commercial. These logics affected the activities of clubs – both male and female – resulted in various actions, and promoted different forms of exercising power. We examine a governance model based on the corporate-controlled model and we look forward to what we believe is a growing tendency within the Swedish football family. In the democratic model, different meeting and participant cultures prevailed in football clubs. In the corporate model, the commercial logic governs the business. In the 1980s and 1990s elite football clubs began to use this model of governance and football was linked to the business community. The power relations shifted from the democratic decision-making process in the associations to professionally trained employees. The management emphasised efficiency and a distinct structure of responsibility and decision-making. Parts of the business are spun off into independent limited companies. Sometimes also the football business is conducted in a joint-stock company. When members and supporters experience the consequences of the business model, the supporter-influenced governance model emerges. It is largely a reaction to the commercial logic. Here we distinguish between the act of strengthening democracy and destroying democracy.
