Abstract:  Elite soccer in combination with education is a unique and demanding task. The path towards a glory career in sports takes hard mental and physical training. The objectives in this study are 6 elite focused high school students studying high school education programs in combination with football profile. They are 3 of each gender. The purpose of the study was to find out more about their perspective of motivation and what makes them keep going towards a career in football in beside their education. The study is of empiric hermeneutic survey used qualitative method and interviewing to collect data. The results have shown several patterns and similarities, also differences. They all see motivation as a mental force. They appreciate the social factors from parents through support and commitment in their football. Several of them found their interests in football through their parent’s interest in football. They are motivated by development and promotion in divisions. They are all experiencing a need of having fun towards their elite focused career.

Bakgrund: Elitfotbollsklubbar befinner sig i en speciell situation. Man verkar i en bransch där det råder svårigheter att generera tillräckligt med intäkter samtidigt som kostnader drivs upp med tanke på att man vill nå sportslig framgång. Det blir därför väldigt viktigt hur man hanterar sin ekonomi och styr den i rätt riktning.   Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva och förklara vilken roll ekonomistyrningen har i svenska elitfotbollsklubbar. Vidare är syftet även att identifiera situationsfaktorer inom elitfotbollen och analysera hur dessa påverkar elitfotbollklubbars ekonomistyrning. Detta för att utveckla kunskaper om hur elitfotbollklubbars situation påverkar ekonomistyrningen och dess roll.   Metod: Uppsatsen är en kvalitativ intervjustudie. Den empiriska undersökningen har skett genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna har gjorts med antingen klubbchef, ekonomichef eller sportchef i sju olika klubbar.   Resultat och slutsatser: Elitfotbollsklubbar befinner sig i en osäker miljö där en väl implementerad ekonomistyrning är i det närmaste nödvändigt. Budgeten är det viktigaste styrmedlet för klubbarna men det används även en rad andra styrmedel som belöningssystem, prestationsmätning, kalkylering och benchmark. Situationsfaktorer som omgivning, kultur och storlek har bidragit till att klubbarna idag har en stor ekonomisk medvetenhet där ekonomiska resultat ska leda till det sportsliga. Vi har med denna studie kommit fram till att ekonomistyrningen har en avgörande roll för klubbarnas långsiktiga målsättningar. / Background: Elite football clubs exist in a special situation. They operates in a industry where its difficult to generate enough revenue, meantime costs are driven up due to their need of generate sucess in the sport. It therefore becomes very important how to manage their finances and steering it in the right direction.   Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to describe and explain the financials role in a number of Swedish elite football clubs.   Method: Our essay is a qualitative study where we mixed convenience- and quota sampling. The empirical gathering was conducted through interviews using a semi-structured approach. Interviews have been made with either a Club Manager, CFO or sports director in seven diffrent clubs.   Conclusions: Elite football club sexists in an uncertain enciroment in which a well-implementated managament control system is necessary. The budget is the most important instrument for the clubs, but there are also a number of other instruments such as compensations, performance measurement, calculation and benchmark. Situational factors such as enviroment, culure and size has contributed wich has led to that the clubs have a great economic awareness today where economic results will lead to the sport result. We have with this study concluded that financial management has played a critical role in the club´s long-term objectives.

The aim of this study was to explore the career development of Swedish female elite football coaches, how they have experienced their journey as a coach, what have been perceived as prosperities and adversities, how that has affected and been handled by the participants. Collecting the data by low-structured interviews, thus the participants got to describe their journey, in chronological order, following a couple of key questions. The participants consisted of 12 Swedish elite female women football coaches. The analyzing method used was a reflexive thematic analysis. The data analysis resulted in three main themes: Beginning - From player-to-coach transition, Continuation - Searching for sustainability and, Today - Making decisions for the future. These in turn have sub-themes that explain the participants' different experiences from their journey, for example challenges and strategies. The primary conclusion made was that sustainability among the participants was of great importance for their journeys. Implications that the study can contributed to are new knowledge for future female coaches, sports organizations and how they can work to facilitate and create a more sustainable journey, to, eventually, making the profession more attractive.

This study will examine how globalization has affected German football and if it has caused the 50+1 rule to lose its value. Background to this study is the ongoing debate within German elite football to abolish the 50+1 rule and fully commercialize the league and associations. The rule was added in the early 2000s so that the associations would more easily have the opportunity to control their finances. The method used is a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews. The informants who participate in this study are selected according to a strategic sampling. The theory that will be used is Nixon's "The Golden Triangle", which is used to analyze different ways that the DFL has been affected by globalization and how it has created more power for itself. The analysis method used is a thematic analysis, where patterns and themes are to be found in the interviews. What could be discerned in the result is that German elite football has come to a crossroads, they need to make a change to the 50+1 rule that is adapted to today's football society. The analysis of the material we have acquired ended in two fairly clear answers. The impact of globalization on German elite football is noticeable, but it has not affected to the extent that the values and traditions within it have been lost.

Under de senaste åren har psykisk ohälsa fått ökad uppmärksamhet i samhället, men också inom elitidrottens värld. I svensk media pågår det en växande trend av att fler elitfotbollsspelare offentligt talar ut om sin psykiska ohälsa. Detta trots att elitfotbollen är stigmatiserat från ämnet och elitfotbollsspelare har haft svårt att söka hjälp för sin psykiska ohälsa. Till anledning av det finns det ett ökat behov av att undersöka hur miljön ser ut hos elitföreningar, samt vilka stödinsatser elitföreningar arbetar med för att främja den psykiska hälsan hos elitfotbollsspelare. Studien har baserats på en kvalitativ metod till de sex intervjuer som genomfördes med elitfotbollsspelare som tidigare offentligt har berättat om sin psykiska ohälsa. Via våra intervjuer har vi fått ta del av elitfotbollsspelares upplevelser och erfarenheter kring elitföreningarnas arbete gällande detta område. Med hjälp av teoretiska perspektiv har vi bundit detta till det resultat vi kom fram till. / In recent years, mental illness has received increased attention in society, but also in the world of elite sports. In the Swedish media, there is a growing trend of more elite football players publicly speaking out about their mental illness. This is despite the fact that elite football is stigmatized from the subject and elite football players have had difficulty seeking help for their mental illness. Due to this, there is an increased need to investigate what the environment looks like at elite clubs, and especially what kind of support elite clubs work with to promote the mental health of elite footballers. This study has been based on a qualitative method for the six interviews that were conducted with elite football players who have previously publicly told about their mental illness in the media. Through our interviews, we have been able to take part of the experiences of elite footballers regarding the elite clubs' work in this area. With help from theoretical perspectives, we have tied the theories to the result of our study.

Abstract Background: The increasing professionalization of sports clubs has led to a shift in their objectives to include social responsibility in addition to sporting success. The change is due to the demand from society for organizations to contribute back to society and the need for clubs to maintain authentic relationships within their communities. Swedish elite football clubs are no exception, as they engage in socially responsible activities contributing to Swedish society. The clubs' shared practices can be explained by institutional isomorphism, a core concept within institutional theory. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to explore how stakeholders' expectations concerning CSR are managed within Swedish elite football clubs and what incentivizes the clubs to conduct CSR. The thesis will provide an understanding of how CSR is conducted and illuminate current management practices between organizations and stakeholders. Method: A qualitative interview study has been conducted with the support of secondary sources such as websites and documents. Purposive and snowball sampling has been applied to acquire relevant interview participants. The thesis utilized thematic analysis to arrive at meaningful and rich conclusions. Conclusion: The conclusion states that managing stakeholder expectations in CSR requires involving them in the process and considering their feedback and demands. The incentives for CSR include stakeholder pressures and a desire to contribute to society. Communication, information sharing, and collaboration are crucial in managing relationships between organizations and stakeholders.

The purpose of the study was to investigate cultural transition experience in elite football. More specifically, to explore three Swedish football players experience of their first transition abroad when relocating to play professional football in Europe. A narrative inquiry approach was used, with help of the cultural transition model (Ryba, Stambulova, & Ronkainen, 2016) a semi-structured interview guide was created. The cultural transition model was also used as a lens for analyzing the data. The participants were non-randomly sampled and recruited with help from the Swedish Football Federation. Four players responded positively and initiated the interview, three was fully conducted while one dropped out. The data were analyzed with holistic-content and categorical-content analysis to show three unique pathways but also common themes of their cultural transitions. The first result showed the uniqueness of the players pathways; preparing for the worst and saved by the football bubble, taking responsibility and a key role as a foreign player to gain respect in the team, and a big step for personal development: from homesickness to being hungry for more. Secondly, the result showed that the participant shared experience in the cultural transition process which are presented in 12 themes (e.g. Pre-transition phase: satisfaction in Swedish club before leaving, Acute cultural adaptation phase: adjustment in football as first priority in host culture, and Sociocultural adaptation: perceived ability and efficacy to adjust to new cultural settings). In conclusion, adaptation in football was prioritized during the first period of relocation, that means that they fully invested to show that they were good. However, after this first phase, having a meaningful life besides football became one of the most important things to feel satisfied. Although there are still questions unanswered regarding cultural transition in elite football, implications to Swedish Football Federation were given in further working with professional players who go abroad.

Bakgrund: Hamstringsskada är den vanligaste skadan inom elitfotboll och har hög återfallsrisk. I samband med hamstringsskador är arbetet intensivt då spelaren helst ska vara tillbaka snabbt för att bidra till lagets prestation. Rehabiliteringen behöver trots sin intensitet vara av långsiktig karaktär och förhindra att skadan återkommer i framtiden. Syfte: Att undersöka fysioterapeuters upplevelser av faktorer som påverkar rehabilitering av hamstringsskador hos herrfotbollsspelare i svenska elitfotbollsklubbar. Metod: Kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervjustudie med deskriptiv design. Ett ändamålsenligt urval gjordes och fem fysioterapeuter inom svensk elitfotboll intervjuades. Data analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys med en induktiv ansats. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i fem kategorier och 19 underkategorier. Kategorierna var fysioterapeutens förutsättningar, spelarens förutsättningar, yttre press, bemötande av spelare och återgångens omständigheter. Med utgångspunkt i fysioterapeuters upplevelser framhålls spelaren, tränaren och den egna kunskapen som de mest betydande faktorerna av rehabiliteringen av hamstringsskador. Slutsats: Upplevelserna kunde kopplas till fysioterapeuten som individ, dess omgivning och beteende. Fysioterapeuterna upplevde att det krävdes anpassning av sitt beteende efter omständigheter i omgivningen för att åstadkomma en lyckosam rehabilitering. Studiens resultat är svårt att generalisera då antalet fysioterapeuter som medverkade i studien var få. / Bakground: Hamstring injury is the most common injury in elite football and has a high re- injury rate. The rehabilitation of hamstring injuries are intense since the player should preferably be back quickly to contribute to the team performance. Despite the intensity of the rehabilitation, it needs to be of a long-term perspective and prevent future re-injury. Aim: To explore physiotherapists’ experiences of factors that affect rehabilitation of hamstring injuries in male football players in Swedish elite football clubs. Method: Qualitative semistructured interview study with descriptive design. A purposive sample of five physiotherapists, working with Swedish elite football were interviewed. The data collection was analyzed with qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Result: The analysis resulted in five categories and 19 subcategories. The categories were the physiotherapist’s conditions, the player’s condition, external pressure, approach with the player and the circumstances of the return to play. The physiotherapists’ experienced that the player, the coach and the knowledge of the physiotherapist are the most important factors in rehabilitation of hamstring injuries. Conclusion: Physiotherapists experienced that adaptation of their behavior was required according to the circumstances of the surrounding environment to achieve successfull rehabilitation. The study’s result is difficult to generalize as the number of physiotherapists involved in the study was few.

Corporate Social Responsibility has experienced an increase in attention within the academic literature in recent decades. CSR can be more specifically described as organizations' responsibility in regard to their societal impact. In 2017, Sweden introduced a new legal requirement in ÅRL based on EU directives that entailed stricter guidelines for sustainability reporting. The organizations' responsibility towards stakeholders has become an increasingly vital topic of discussion and the stakeholders' actions can consequently affect the successfulness of organizations. It is therefore necessary to tailor the communication of the CSR initiatives to the specific needs of stakeholder groups. An organization's transparency can pave the way for a favourable impact on the brand and improve the organizations' reputation and legitimacy. In order to gain a deeper insight into the motives behind organizations' CSR work, this study has examined three Scandinavian elite football clubs to clarify why they work with and communicate their CSR initiatives, as these organizations are not covered by the above-mentioned legal requirement. There is a need to apply the latest research at an international level to identify any restrictions or differences that may be beneficial for further research. The study has been carried out with the help of a theoretical framework, consisting of theories such as; Triple Bottom Line, The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, Legitimacy Theory and Stakeholder Theory. The study was conducted using a qualitative research format with an abductive research approach wherein empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews and content analysis of digital platforms and reports. The study shows that CSR work within elite football clubs originally emerged as a trend. Genuine intentions to give back to society have developed, but CSR work has also been identified as an effective tool for creating legitimacy. The maintenance of the 'social contract' is in the spotlight and following societal expectations is especially important for elite football clubs. Satisfying stakeholders thus becomes vital and the study has clarified that there is a balance between genuine intentions and legitimacy. / Corporate Social Responsibility har under de senaste decennierna uppmärksammats allt mer inom den akademiska litteraturen. CSR kan mer specifikt beskrivas som organisationers ansvar för deras samhällspåverkan. I Sverige, år 2017, infördes ett nytt lagkrav i ÅRL baserat på EU-direktiv som medförde striktare riktlinjer för hållbarhetsrapportering. Organisationernas ansvar gentemot intressenter har blivit en allt viktigare diskussionsfråga och intressenternas handlingar kan i följd påverka organisationernas framgång. Att skräddarsy kommunikationen av sina CSR-initiativ till intressentgruppers specifika behov blir därav nödvändigt. En organisations transparens kan ge väg för en gynnsam påverkan på varumärket och förbättra organisationers rykte och legitimitet. Med syfte att få en djupare insikt kring motiven bakom organisationers CSR-arbete har denna studie undersökt tre skandinaviska elitfotfollsföreningar för att klargöra varför de arbetar med och kommunicerar ut sina CSR-initiativ, då dessa inte omfattas av ovannämnt lagkrav. Det finns ett behov att applicera den senaste forskningen på en internationell nivå för att fastställa eventuella inskränkningar eller skillnader som kan vara gynnsamma för vidare forskning. Undersökningen har genomförts med hjälp av ett teoretiskt ramverk, bestående av teorier som; Triple Bottom Line, The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, Legitimitetsteori och Intressentteori. Studien är kvalitativt inriktad med en abduktiv forskningsansats där empiri samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och innehållsanalys av digitala plattformar och rapporter. Studien visar på att CSR-arbete inom elitfotbollsföreningar grundläggande växt fram som en trend. Genuina intentioner om att ge tillbaka till samhället har utvecklats men CSR-arbetet har även identifierats som ett effektivt verktyg för legitimitetsskapande. Upprätthållandet av det ’sociala kontraktet’ ligger i fokus och att följa samhällsförväntningar blir särskilt viktigt för elitfotbollsföreningar. Att tillfredsställa intressenter blir därmed vitalt och studien har klargjort att det finns en balans mellan genuina intentioner och legitimitetsskapande.

Sports clubs face numerous challenges, including economic fluctuations, shifting supporter preferences, and changes in regulations and policies. However, the unpredictable nature of athletic performance makes it difficult to forecast future financial outcomes, which can negatively impact planning and operations. Effective risk management is crucial for clubs to navigate these uncertainties and maintain long-term sustainability. The limited ability of Swedish clubs to access external funding sources, due to regulations on ownership and governance, poses challenges in managing risks effectively, as it restricts investment in new projects and response to unexpected and volatile events. Swedish clubs' managers face distinctive obstacles compared to their international counterparts due to the unique context they operate in.  The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what risks Swedish elite football clubs face due to the uncertain and volatile environment of sports, and to explore how these risks are managed. By identifying the various risks these clubs encounter, this study aims to shed light on how they maintain their competitive edge through proactive risk management strategies.  This thesis’ methodology is structured as a qualitative interview study consisting of eight semi-structured interviews with eight Swedish elite football clubs. The study uses a purposive sampling method, in order to focus on the unique regulations of Swedish sports clubs, as well the largest sport in Sweden, football. Moreover, the thesis employed a thematic analysis approach to analyse the data and draw conclusions.   The results of the study show that managers in Swedish elite football clubs adopt a hybrid approach to risk management, leveraging an experience-based approach and complementing it with a long-term strategic approach. This allows them to align decisions and risk management practices with their objectives and stakeholder expectations, and through balancing competitiveness and risk-taking, they establish attainable objectives that gradually lead to sustainable success. Moreover, the results show that larger clubs with a substantial number of members prioritise the opinions and interests of their members, who serve as a crucial source of income and primary stakeholders. In contrast, smaller clubs with fewer members rely more on sponsors and partners for income.