Since summer 2022, FC St. Pauli and the University of Bayreuth have been working together to unlock the potential of the FC St. Pauli brand without alienating the club’s loyal fanbase. To achieve this, the club enlisted the support of the Marketing & Sport Management research group at the University of Bayreuth. The project focuses on the scientific guidance of FC St. Pauli’s brand management. By utilizing qualitative studies and workshops, the club’s brand management processes were systematized, validated, and further developed. The research has resulted in two publications in leading journals in sport and brand management—an achievement that earned recognition from EASM.
The EASM Sport Organisation Award is presented by one of Europe’s most prominent professional associations in sport management. It highlights organizations, clubs, and projects that make measurable contributions to the advancement of sport—whether in areas such as social responsibility, digital transformation, inclusion, sustainability, or innovative organizational leadership.
“This award is a great recognition of our work and a motivation to continue on this unconventional path,” said Prof. Dr. Tim Ströbel, Chair of Marketing & Sport Management at the University of Bayreuth and project lead on the university’s side. Lars Brand, a research associate working in the group, also incorporated insights from the collaboration into his doctoral dissertation: “This partnership shows how essential diverse stakeholders are for brand management in professional football. FC St. Pauli demonstrates that a brand reaches its full potential only through the interaction of the club, fans, sponsors, and other stakeholders.” Martin Drust, Head of Brand and Marketing at FC St. Pauli, added: “This proves that our ideas are not only making an impact locally but are also setting standards at the European level.”
The award ceremony took place on 4 September during the annual EASM Conference in Budapest, where experts from across Europe gathered to discuss current developments and best practices in sport management.
