South African football’s dilemma: Balancing profit, utility and social entrepreneurship for sustainability

Background: This empirical study explores how football club sale decisions, made under financial duress, reflect tensions between profitability, utility maximisation and principles of social entrepreneurship, among fans. Aim: This study investigates whether football managers, acting as social entrepreneurs, prioritise social utility and community impact over narrow profit and how such decisions affect fan behaviour and psychological health. Setting: The setting is in Durban and focuses on a professional football club with a fan base of 100,000 individuals. Methods: This study uses a mixed-methods approach that combines surveys from 384 quantitative fans with qualitative interviews from 12 managers and four sponsors to analyse emotional, behavioural and managerial dimensions was used. Results: The study reveals a significant disconnect between managers and fans, leading to psychological ramifications for supporters. The emotional distress experienced can be attributed to the lack of understanding and empathy exhibited by managers who prioritise financial gain. The findings suggest that fans subjected to such treatment become vagabonds, (i.e.) without a true football home, which limits their ability to experience and express joy. Unfortunately, these critical aspects are overlooked, adversely affecting fans’ overall well-being, domestic life and psychological health. Conclusion: The research underscores the importance of collective and inclusive management, providing a framework that enhances sustainability. It highlights the impact of poorly managed social entrepreneurship initiatives, which can uproot communities if not carefully considered. Contribution: The study contributes to literature of the under-researched professional football league. This context has received limited attention, presenting an opportunity that addresses knowledge gap between football and entrepreneurship.