Scoring Goals With Data: A Case Study of How Brøndby IF Builds Dynamic Capabilities for Sports Analytics

Abstract

The application of sports analytics has revolutionized the world of sports, and sports teams are now leveraging data to gain a competitive edge. Despite sports analytics being an emerging area, there remains a significant gap in understanding how sports analytics capabilities are built and continuously developed in sports organizations. To enlighten this gap, this study adopts the perspective of dynamic capability theory to explore how small football clubs build sports analytics capabilities. Using the theoretical lens of dynamic capabilities, the study examines the underlying processes, skills, and procedures that drive the development of sports analytics capabilities. The study bases its findings on a qualitative case study of the Danish football club Brøndby IF. It primarily utilizes data collected through 15 interviews with key actors related to their sports analytics efforts. The study identifies nine microfoundations that small football clubs leverage to build sensing, seizing, and transforming capabilities for sports analytics. These microfoundations encompass specific activities, processes, skills, and procedures essential to effectively develop, utilize, and transform their sports analytics capabilities. The study also identifies catalysts that enhance and barriers that impede building dynamic capabilities for sports analytics. The study introduces a circular process model based on the identified microfoundations, catalysts, and barriers. This process model portrays the interrelated dynamics of sensing, seizing, and transforming activities in relation to the development of sports analytics capabilities. The findings provide novel insights into essential dynamics for developing sports analytics capabilities and extend the application of dynamic capability theory. The study contributes to both academics and practitioners, offering a comprehensive approach for small football clubs aiming to enhance their sports analytics capabilities.