In sports management, commercialization, professionalization and digitalization are considered three megatrends that have a significant impact on our social and technological development. In contrast to short-term product or fashion trends, megatrends are characterized by a half-life of around 25-30 years, i.e. they not only shape the present, but also the next generation (see Fontius, 2013). Digitalization in particular is contributing to the fact that sport and our sporting activities will change in terms of organization, content and technology (VSD, 2017).

As a result of this rapid change, the impression sometimes arises that social participation is hardly possible without digital technology. Observations of people's everyday lives show the diverse effects of digitalization, ranging from digital transformation and new representations to information technology innovations that have a direct impact on social interaction. Digitalization and social structure are closely linked, they are in permanent interaction with each other (Nassehi, 2019, p. 18).

As digitalization is more than the mere transfer of analogue information to a digital medium, this phenomenon should not simply be equated with mechanization. For the sake of conceptual precision, digitalization is conceptualized below as a continuous process whose end is not foreseeable and whose goals are often not yet sufficiently defined. For a comprehensive understanding of the term, the adaptation of organizations to environmental changes that are influenced by digitalization processes must be taken into account. This is because a strategic realignment inevitably leads to changes at a structural and cultural level. Following Nassehi (2019, p. 11 - 66), the question arises in this context as to which problem digitalization represents a solution for?

It can be assumed that the future viability of organized sport depends on the extent to which digital technologies are recognized and strategically used both for optimization and for the development of new business areas (SPOAC, 2017). In addition to the frequently cited technologies within the digital transformation (e.g. cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things or virtual and augmented reality), the increasing use of intelligent wearables, interactive sports equipment and virtual trainers can also be observed. In principle, it can be said that digital technologies offer a wide range of potential for organizational development, for example in the areas of internal and external communication, administration, education and qualification of coaches, member retention, training management and performance optimization. However, the high speed of change and the ability to innovate on the one hand and the existing structures and generally slow decision-making on the other collide in the work of clubs.

Based on the Sport Development Report for Germany (Breuer & Feiler, 2019) and the member surveys conducted by the state sports federations and state sports associations, the following five fields of action can be identified that sports clubs should address:

1. Positioning the sports club as a service-oriented community of solidarity, as club members increasingly expect flexibility, diversity and professionalism.
2. Development of an open and future-oriented attitude among officials (growth mindset).
3. Targeted, purpose-oriented optimization of existing structures and sports offerings, i.e. a sensible and synergetic combination of analogue and digital aspects.
4. Promoting knowledge management, creating spaces for exchanging experiences and collaborative working - considering online opportunities in all three aspects.
5. Set up digital project teams so that anyone who wants to make a difference can get involved.

Bibliography (APA):

Breuer, C. & Feiler, S. (2019). Sports clubs in Germany: Organizations and people. Sport Development Report for Germany 2017/2018 - Part 1. Bonn: Federal Institute for Sport Science.

Fontius, J. (2013). Megatrends and their implications for logistics. Derivation of interdependencies. Berlin: Univ. publisher of the TU Berlin.

Nassehi, A. (2019). Patterns. Theory of the digital society (pp. 11 - 66). Munich: C. H. Beck.

Sports Business Academy (SPOAC) (2017). SPOAC Sports Business Study 2017. cdn.whu.edu/fileadmin/Faculty/Centers/Center_for_Sports_and_Management/SPOAC_Sportbusinessstudie_2017.pdf, accessed on 10.06.2020

Association for Sports Economics and Sports Management e.V. (VSD) (2017). VSD interview: Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Schulke on digitalization in sports (management), vsd-online.de/news/aktuelles/News/detail/vsd-interview-prof-dr-hans-juergen-schulke-zur-digitalisierung-im-sport-management-146/, accessed on 10.06.2020