ABSTRACT
The world’s biggest national leagues and their most powerful clubs are now looking to expand their businesses by internationalising their appeal and their markets. As a result, regulation and performance management by major national sport leagues and large clubs, some of which have become global brands, impact the governance of international sport. Professional team sports throughout the world are gradually adopting regulatory and management principles and tools traditionally associated with the American model of sport, even though many countries remain attached to the specificities of the European model. This chapter describes the levers clubs and leagues can use to grow their businesses and presents a case study of how European football clubs are using one of these levers – developing professional women’s football – to grow their businesses.
