Guidelines for the Development of Professional Football Clubs through a Club Licensing System

Abstract

This research aims to investigate 1) how the club licensing system can develop football clubs into professional clubs, and 2) strategies for advancing football clubs towards excellence in professional football in Thailand. The study involved interviews with 11 experts with experience in managing professional football clubs. The research focuses on exploring the significance of the club licensing system across its five criteria sporting, infrastructure, personal and administrative, legal, and financial. It also examines how clubs can operate to meet these licensing requirements, the satisfaction and benefits of compliance, and recommendations for future improvements to the licensing system.

The findings indicate that the club licensing system plays a crucial role in enhancing the standards of football clubs by promoting comprehensive development in all five criteria. Experts believe that adherence to this system can significantly increase the professionalism of clubs and recommend further verification of compliance in the future to ensure sustainable and effective development of professional football clubs in Thailand. Recommendations for applying the research results Football clubs should focus on creating a concrete youth development system by establishing a football training center with standards and a continuous development plan to create a quality player base for the senior team, which will help the club grow sustainably and have the ability to compete at the professional level.