How do Austrian sport clubs sustain organizational capacity: challenges and responses

Abstract

Introduction & Purpose

Sports clubs serve as hubs for physical activity and foster health and social integration (Becker & Häring, 2012; Feiler & Breuer, 2023). Austria, Switzerland, and Germany share comparable club systems (Breuer et al., 2017). While Germany and Switzerland run regular club surveys showing mixed trends and rising at least perceived pressures, Austria lacks comparable evidence (Breuer & Feiler, 2025; Bürgi et al., 2023). We adopt an organizational capacity perspective for sports clubs (Hall et al., 2003; Misener & Doherty, 2009) and incorporate Resource Dependency Theory (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978) to analyze financial and structural capacities, resources, and environmental constraints and facilitators. In addition, prior research suggests that perceived problem severity can diverge from actual magnitude (Cohen, 1972). Initial evidence in the club context documents such discrepancies, particularly in the financial domain (Feiler et al., 2023). This study examines the organizational capacities of sports clubs and against the backdrop of inconsistent Austrian indicators we ask:

RQ1: How do Austrian sports clubs perceive and experience challenges in their organizational capacities?

RQ2: What strategies do clubs report using to address these challenges to ensure organizational survival?

RQ3: Are there discrepancies between the perceived severity of problems and the actual scale of them?

Methods

We conducted 18 semi-structured interviews (November 2025–February 2026) with nine club officials from various sports and nine consultants from the Austrian sport umbrella organization ASVÖ, covering all nine federal states. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in German using qualitative content analysis (Kuckartz & Rädiker, 2022), applying a deductive category system informed by existing literature and extending it inductively. Respondents were invited to reflect on available club figures (e.g., finances, facility access) to qualitatively appraise alignment between perceptions and indicators.

Results

Initial results indicate that finances were mentioned most often and perceived as most severe, followed by facilities. Interviewees reported that public agencies cannot meet all club needs, citing low visibility at the municipal level and regulations such as gym time allocation. Clubs respond with personal outreach and networking. Clubs use digital tools and clarify team-based responsibilities to face increasing documentation requirements. Facility availability is hampered by overuse and capacity limits, prompting cooperation with municipalities and other clubs and coordinated scheduling. Financially, rising costs meet harder-to-secure fees and sponsorships. Clubs seek to stabilize revenues, cover costs, and strengthen financial planning. Several interviewees raised the possibility that perceived severity may diverge from actual conditions to gain more attention and support.

Discussion

Finances, infrastructure (availability and condition), and administrative burden emerge as the most prominent challenges, broadly consistent with patterns in neighboring countries (Breuer & Feiler, 2025; Bürgi et al., 2023), with financial pressures perceived as particularly pronounced in Austria. Reported approaches such as simplifying and digitizing administrative processes and building collaborations to secure resources, align with established dimensions of organizational capacity (Breuer & Feiler, 2017; Post, 2021).

Conclusion

Austria would benefit from representative club surveys to gain a detailed overview and find objective indicators to monitor potential gaps between perceived and actual severity over time.

Literature

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