Seventeenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

This paper demonstrates how sports organizations can evolve into high-tech companies to meet the demands of professional sports management. It analyzes the strategic decisions, planning, and implementation of key projects in various areas of a sports organization, both on and off the field. The focus is always on the core product of football, which, as the sporting heart, underpins all further developments and business models. It uses the case study of VfB Stuttgart, a German Bundesliga club that was nearly relegated in 2023, finished second the following season, played in the Champions League the following year, and won the DFB Cup in 2025. Despite profound transformation, the club preserved its tradition and used its stable foundation to unleash the power of innovation. On this basis, it successfully transformed itself into a high-tech company, unlocking new performance and marketing potential through projects in the areas of digitalization and artificial intelligence. The paper also identifies the key variables necessary for such a transformation.