Digitization in amateur soccer

A seminar of the Schöller Endowed Chair of Business Information Systems in cooperation with the Bayerischer Fußball-Verband e.V. and EY

Digitization does not stop at organized amateur sports. The use of digital innovations also offers various opportunities in sports. They can be used in various areas, such as sports organization in terms of management, sponsorship and organization. They have a significant impact on sport itself, where data is central and they can lead to increased efficiency in training and better injury prevention. However, they can also be used in education and training (Xiao et al. 2017).
For years, the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) has pursued the goal of supporting organized amateur soccer through digital offerings. For example, the BFV app offers the possibility to retrieve match results from anywhere, the SpielPlus system offers possibilities for league organization and referee appointments, BFV-TV brings moving images of amateur soccer online, or the BFV team app enables teams to organize their training and match operations (for an overview, see https://www.bfv.de/der-bfv/digitalangebote/bfv-digitalangebote).

Learning Objectives

Nevertheless, the question arises in 2022 as to how the further development of digitization will also affect amateur soccer and which digital innovations will move amateur soccer in the coming years, because, among other things, soccer enthusiasts will also make new demands on digitization. The aim of the seminar is therefore to analyze the status quo of digitization in amateur soccer and to develop strategies and ideas for the further digitization of amateur soccer. Methodically, interviews will be conducted with representatives of amateur soccer (players, coaches, managers, fans) and ideas will be developed through design thinking as to what services the Bavarian Football Association can offer in the future to support digitization in amateur soccer. Prof. Laumer presented initial theses on digitization in amateur sports at the 3rd Bavarian Children’s and Youth Sports Conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stUZPqxEqGM, from 13:45).

The seminar is offered in cooperation with the Bayerischer Fußball-Verband e.V. and EY. EY contributes methodological expertise by offering, among other things, a workshop on design thinking and training students in presentation skills in order to be able to present the results of a study to clients in a targeted manner. Our client is the Bavarian Football Association (Bayerischer Fußball-Verband e.V.), which will contribute contextual knowledge about digitalization in amateur soccer and whose representatives (including the president and managing director) will be presented with the results and ideas developed at the end of the seminar. The Schöller Foundation Chair will contribute general knowledge and theories on digitization, provide an introduction by conducting and analyzing interviews as a research method, and supervise the individual groups during the seminar.

Organization

The seminar thesis is performed as a group performance. For this purpose, a written seminar paper is to be submitted at the end and the results and ideas are to be presented in an interim presentation and a final presentation. In addition, there may be a final presentation in the House of Football at the Bavarian Football Association in Munich.

The seminar is organized as a block seminar, but offers several dates and workshops throughout the semester. Please note that attendance is compulsory. In case of non-attendance you will be excluded from the entire seminar and your registration for this seminar will be forfeited. The seminar language is German. However, you have the option to write and present your seminar paper in English. The assessment of the module performance is composed as follows:

• 67%: Written seminar paper
• 33%: Final presentation

In order to pass the seminar, both partial performances must be passed.
The seminar is limited to 20 participants.

Scheduling

The dates for the upcoming winter semester 2022/23 are as follows: