The Composition of Sport Event Tourism Management of Thailand Football Club

Abstract

The rising popularity of Thai football in 2016 could generate a great deal of money flows into the economy. A lot of Thai football clubs have succeeded in organizing sports events and built a good reputation in attracting tourists. However, some clubs have not been successful yet. As a result, this study aimed to investigate the elements of sports event management of Thai Premier League. The findings could be used to construct an effective model for sports event management of Thai football clubs, resulting in a good economic drive. This study was a qualitative case study with the association football clubs competing in Thai Premier League and the unit of analysis was sport event management. Interactive interviews were conducted with 18 interviewees from three different groups; namely, external academicians, operational staff, and authorities who were involved with organizing sports events of Thai football clubs. The conceptual framework included sports management, tourism management, and event management. The findings revealed the five elements of sports event management: administration, design, marketing, operations, and risk management which should be further managed efficiently by Thai football clubs.