Sport Tourism as a Means of Reconciliation? The case of India-Pakistan Cricket

Co-authored with Andrew Rigby, Ian Talbot, and Shinder Thandi

Sport provides an opportunity for international contact both at the level of competitors and, in much larger numbers, of spectators.  Where there has been a redrawing of political boundaries, often through war or bloody partition, the peoples involved may find sports matches a medium for reconciliation and redefinition of personal allegiances.  Having reviewed the difficulties faced by the International Olympic Committee over the years and the strange anomalies that have arisen with divided countries, the article offers a systematic review of cross-border sport tourism in the case of cricket matches between India and Pakistan.  The Test series of early 1955 is used to illustrate the reactions and reflections of spectators in a situation where, following a period of severe confrontation which fell just short of war, there was the first mass cross-border contact for a number of years.  The more recent Dil Jeet Lo (Win Hearts) Tour of 2004 is then reviewed, including the political preparations which enabled it to take place and the problematic nature of ‘stage-managing’ this first sustained encounter for fourteen years.  The article then considers whether such sporting contact between spectators can offer the potential to promote a longer-term peace and its concomitant reconciliation process.  With reference to frameworks of reconciliation theories, it concludes that while such contact may be a catalyst for inter-personal reconciliation, the overall level of reconciliation will be dependent on broader issues such as the nations’ political will to achieve reconciliation.

Published in Tourism Recreation Research, 2005, 30, (1).

The Circumstances in which English Football Clubs Become Insolvent

Use and Abuse of Tourism – The Goan Experience

Co-authored with Natasha Brammer

The state of Goa provides an unusual example of tourism development.  While responding with a measure of fatalism to the invasion of hippy tourists in the 1960s, some of whom remain in Goa today, Goans are rather more divided in their responses to the influx of mass tourists, which began over a decade ago.
The onset of tourism on a large scale has produced pressures on both society and the environment.  Reactions to mass tourism have been varied, but include the more organised forms of stakeholder resistance that are common in India.  Major issues that have emerged centre on the community’s reaction to disputes over the use of land and, in particular, the use and abuse of beaches.
This paper first focuses on the history of conflict between two groups of Goan stakeholders - the small-scale entrepreneurs who seek a living from tourism through the running of beach shacks, hawking and rave party organisation, and the large corporate interests who have seen tourism development in terms of beach-front hotels and casinos, who see the market as an unsophisticated extension of sunlust tourism by Europeans.  The conflict between these two groups is then studied in the context of the responses of a third significant stakeholder group, the Goan authorities, both in the form of the state government and the Goan police.  The role of protest movements is also considered.
The issues of land use, planning and community involvement in tourism development emerge from the analysis as significant in critiquing the way that tourism has evolved in recent years.  In a broader view the issue of conflicting views of Goan identity by Goans themselves becomes significant.
The paper concludes that the development of tourism in Goa has started down an inherently unsustainable route for reasons grounded in the broader context of changes in both global and Indian tourism.  It is only very recently that planning by the authorities and producers of tourist products has begun to adopt a resource audit approach.  The major concern for Goan tourism is whether these more recent responses are well-founded and sufficiently timely.

Published in Tourism, Culture and Communication, 2004, 5, (1), pp. 23-35.

The marketing of slavery heritage in the United Kingdom

Published in International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, 2001, 2, (3), pp. 85-105.

This paper considers the promotion of slavery heritage sites in the United Kingdom in the context of an increasing interest in peace and reconciliation studies.  With the exception of Hull, an abolitionist site, the sites have been developed within the last four years at slave trade ports.  An evaluative report considers the strengths and weaknesses of the displays at Liverpool, Bristol and Lancaster, and comments on the absence of a major display in London, a slave trade port as well as capital city.  In the absence of previous research and theoretical frameworks in this area, the phenomenon is related to other heritage visitation sites which are potentially embarrassing to the contemporary majority such as concentration camps.  The weakness of the conventional model of the slave trade is explored, and a new model is presented.

The enigma of holocaust sites as tourist attractions: The case of Buchenwald

Published in Managing Leisure, 2000, 5, (1).

While many would see visitation to a concentration camp as ghoulish in the extreme, the phenomenon of dark tourism is undeniable.  To analyse such sites as tourist attractions presents obvious problems, not the least being the necessity for ethical considerations.  This article considers the case of Buchenwald Concentration Camp, which has a memorial site, some extant buildings and an interpretation centre.  A brief account of the history of the camp from its opening up to the present day is given.  The issue of revisionism in a changing and revolutionary political climate is considered and conclusions are drawn which are relevant to other holocaust sites.  An analysis is provided, covering the perspectives of both tourism in general and visitor attractions in particular.  The implications of this analysis of Buchenwald for other historical sites are highlighted.

Emerging trends in the use of the internet - Lessons from the football sector

Co-authored with Simon Chadwick and Alan Tapp

Literature findings suggest a powerful role for web sites in football club marketing.  The authors used this as a springboard for an exploratory study which combined qualitative interviews with empirical observations of football web sites.  Links were discovered between clubs’ marketing orientation, departmental structure and subsequent web site management.  The size of the club was also found to be important, but more in relation to a lack of marketing presence than to economic factors. 
Club motives for web site development reflected the growing commercial development of football in the UK, with some clubs concentrating on ticketing and merchandising.  Others concentrated on adding value to supporter services with devices such as daily news items.  Relatively few clubs were gathering data on their supporters.  These findings reflect differing awareness and attitudes of club managers towards relationship marketing with their supporters. 
A number of future research opportunities have been identified.

Published in Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 2000, 3, (1).

Scoring with the net: The cybermarketing of English football clubs

Co-authored with Simon Chadwick and Alan Tapp

In the past eight years, English Premier League football has become increasingly commercial, and there has been a consequent growth in the importance of club marketing. The Internet and cybermarketing have simultaneously developed as commercial phenomena over the same period. The main aim of this paper is to examine the scope, nature and content of football club websites from a marketing perspective. It also seeks to highlight the competitive advantages that clubs may derive from their sites. The paper is based upon a qualitative survey of club sites, building on earlier work by the authors. It was based on an existing model for analysing sports websites, and involved site surveys, and telephone and face-to-face interviews with club officials. The authors found that, despite improvements compared to their earlier study, most club sites remain underdeveloped and that many clubs have still to seize the opportunities that the Web offers. While some clubs are becoming more sophisticated in their use of cybermarketing, all clubs still need to address a number of issues. The paper thus highlights intermediation, organizational change, and the development of marketing activities and functions as key areas for future research.

Published in Electronic Markets: Journal of Electronic Commerce and Business Media, 2000, 10, 3.

Surfing in the premier league: Key issues for football club marketers using the Internet

Co-authored with Simon Chadwick and Alan Tapp

The recent use of the internet by business and commerce world-wide has proliferated dramatically.  Indeed, many commentators are now claiming that the technology is leading to a new era in marketing.  Sport has not been immune to such rapid developments and is increasingly using the internet as a medium through which clubs and teams can effectively communicate and establish stronger relationships with supporters.  Premier League football clubs in England are a particularly notable example of the scope and sophistication of this net use by sports clubs.  Such an observation is especially pertinent in the context of the more professional approach to marketing activities being adopted by these clubs.
Hence, this paper focuses on establishing the current extent and nature of internet use amongst Premier League clubs and uses this as a basis for identifying key issues which football club marketers should consider when using the internet.  Initially, the paper examines the growing body of literature in the areas of sports marketing and the internet.  This subsequently leads into a detailed analysis of the primary research undertaken as part of this study.  This involved a detailed examination of the web sites of each of the twenty clubs in the Premier League during the 1998/1999 season.  From this, it is established that every club in the league has a web presence but the focus, content and scope of these internet sites differs greatly.  The more sophisticated sites provide an array of facilities to users including opportunities to purchase merchandise on-line, engage in football-related chat and access live audio broadcasts.  However, some clubs offer few services and little information to supporters via their web sites and thus appear to be failing to exploit the medium effectively.  The paper provides some indications of what might be considered best practice within the industry.

Published in Managing Leisure, 2000, 5, (2).

Towards a schema for football clubs: Seeking an effective presence on the Internet

Co-authored with Simon Chadwick and Alan Tapp

A presence on the internet has quickly emerged as an important part of a sports organisation’s strategic mix.  Given the speed of internet developments, practitioners are faced with the headache of ensuring they are not left behind while also coping with a complex new business and communication channel.  This paper develops a schema for web site development for sports managers.  The methodology used involved a number of steps; firstly the combination and synthesis of web site audits already published, (one of which was the authors’ previous work), secondly a repeat audit one year on, and finally a small number of in-depth interviews with football club personnel.  The authors concluded that a football club web site needs to firstly address supporter access in the context of the different communities, in particular young men, corporate clients, and small children, all of whom have different needs from the site.  Secondly, the site needs to adapt in order to  attract a global audience, for example with a multi-lingual delivery.  Thirdly, clubs need to take better advantage of emerging internet technology such as radio broadcasts, on-line discussions, and the use of cookies.  Fourthly, clubs should look for ways to attract and keep supporters visiting the site, perhaps by engaging in fan rituals and culture.  Finally, web sites may help redefine the relationship between club and supporters, allowing fans a more active role in expressing their support.  It is hoped that this audit analysis will provide guidance for sports sector professionals seeking to develop their internet presence. 

Published in European Journal for Sport Management, 2000, Special Issue, pp. 30-50.

The culture of collecting: An opportunity for database marketers in the sport sector

Co-authored with Simon Chadwick and Alan Tapp

In Britain, there is a strong tradition and culture of collecting memorabilia  relating to sport.  This ranges from the purchase of products such as replica strips and magazines through to the mental accumulation of information and statistics.  English football is a particularly notable example of this phenomenon given the lengths and the extremes to which supporters and collectors will go to gather related memorabilia.  Indeed, despite the already strong football heritage in England, the voracity of collectors has increased in recent years with the rise in the popularity of the game.
This presents an opportunity for database marketers.  Practitioners operate very successfully in sectors such as china collectibles and household artefacts, but as yet there is little structure or commercialism in the sports collectibles market.
The paper has sprung from research arising from a relationship between Coventry Business school and Coventry City F.C.  We examine supporters motives and behaviour in collecting football memorabilia.  Our discussion should be of use to practitioners seeking commercial opportunities and pitfalls. 
Individuals and groups seeking to enhance the marketing activities of their organisations, people with an interest in memorabilia and links to the commercial development of sport, and those interested in the motivations of collectors should also find this paper of value.

Published in The Journal of Database Marketing, 1999, 6, (3).

A step forwards or a step sideways? Some personal reflections of how the presentation of slavery has (and hasn't) changed in the last few years

Points deduction as a sanction against English football clubs: a dysfunctional approach?