Case Study - OUTSOURCING 1. FC KAISERSLAUTERN
CHALLENGE:Money scores goals!?
1. FC Kaiserslautern is a club that for many people is more than just a football club. Above all for the members who have accompanied the association for decades. And one thing all FCK fans wish for: a long-term successful future in professional football for the Red Devils of Betzenberg.
If loyalty, passion and emotion were decisive, FCK would have been in the Bundesliga long ago thanks to its fans. But sporting success in professional football has more to do with money today than ever before. In the long term, the financial strength of a club has a decisive influence on its sporting success and thus on its position in the league. For this reason, after a long and intensive examination of all possibilities, the FCK management is firmly convinced that the only way to maintain the competitiveness of FCK in the long term is to outsource the licensed player division.
This means that FCK's licensed player division, consisting of the professional team, the U23 and the U19 and U17 teams, will be outsourced to a separate corporation. 1. FC Kaiserslautern has chosen the legal form of a GmbH & Co KGaA (partnership limited by shares) for this purpose.
The outsourcing to a corporation enables FCK to grant strategic partners shares in the newly founded GmbH & Co KGaA after thorough examination. In return, FCK receives a considerable amount of equity capital which does not have to be repaid and which can be invested strategically and sustainably in the future of the club.
A three-quarters majority in a general meeting is required to decide on an outsourcing of the licensed players division. The vote is to be held in an extraordinary general meeting on 3. June 2018.
SOLUTION
For the organization and planning of the communication around the campaign the 1. FC Kaiserslautern hired us as a project manager. At the beginning of the outsourcing there was a meeting with the responsible persons and project decision makers.
Our work on organizing a communication campaign began with the implementation of a project management system for all project participants. In addition to identifying all key stakeholders, we set communication objectives designed to provide all voters with objective information as a basis for deciding whether to approve (or reject) their vote. Depending on the individual interests of fans, inactive or active members as well as numerous other stakeholders, we have developed individual ways of providing target groups with the information they need. By the way, it was never a matter of "persuading" the members, but rather of giving them the tools for a personal decision.
In addition to a variety of communication measures especially for members, such as mailings, newsletters or members' meetings at fan clubs, we have developed and used Owned Media for a broader communication - e.g. B. for fans or interested people. In addition to a special microsite (zukunft.fck.de), which served as a contact point for all interested parties on the Internet, we have also produced a special explanatory video (see video), which shows the legally complex process of an outsourcing for everyone, if possible.
In addition to this, a media debate on the topic took place in the regional and national media, which addressed the question of the necessity of investors in today's professional football. Responsible people from the association made themselves available for interviews in the press and on TV in order to inform the publicity as unemotionally and factually as possible.
The extraordinary general meeting on 03. 06. 2018 finally brought an overwhelming result. With over 92% of the votes cast, the necessary majority was clearly surpassed.
Microsite on the outsourcing
https://zukunft.fck.de/
PLATFORMS
Website, Facebook, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Twitter, Print and TV
OUTCOME
Outsourcing of the professional department from the club 1. FC Kaiserslautern e. V.