Sports and City Marketing in European Cities (EURICUR Series

by Leo van den Berg, Erik Braun

In our increasingly global and commercial world, where once sport would only have been seen by a few thousand on the terraces it is now watched by many millions via satellite. This mass global audience is invited not only to watch the sporting event, but also to visit the city where it takes place. Such events may help promote the host city as a tourist destination and business location. City governors are becoming increasingly aware of the possibilities of using sport as an instrument of reaching objectives of urban management. This engaging book investigates the state of the art of sports and city marketing in five European Rotterdam, Barcelona, Helsinki, Manchester and Turin. In each of these cities, the book examines how sports (accommodations, clubs and events) have been made an instrument of city marketing and how the cities have attempted to maximize their potential through sports and city marketing policies. A comparison of the findings highlights the merits or disadvantages of sports clusters and strategic co-operation in sports and city marketing.

Hardcover

Published June 18, 2002

About the author

Professor Dr Leo van den Berg is director of EURICUR. Since EURICUR's foundation he has been involved in many research projects, dealing with topics such as the governance of metropolitan regions, organising capacity, urban tourism and private-sector involvement in city development. He got his Master degree in spatial economics in 1972 and his doctoral degree in 1985, both at Erasmus University. Leo van den Berg is also director of the Unit Regional, Port and Transport Economics within the Department for Applied Economis at the Erasmus School of Economics and he is scientific director of various master courses.