This research proposal focuses on the brand positioning of women’s football teams within the brand portfolios of their respective clubs in Europe. The research addresses how clubs strategize the positioning and resource allocation for their women’s football teams, the sharing of resources and knowledge between men’s and women’s teams, the influence of external stakeholders on these strategies, and the role of women’s teams in the international expansion strategies of football clubs.

The research builds on a recent project led by the research team that demonstrated the negative impact of branding women’s teams as secondary products, particularly in terms of athletes’ social media engagement and follower count and underscores the importance of strategic brand management and positioning within a corporate brand portfolio, suggesting that women’s sports brands require further study for effective scaling, management, and commercialization. The theoretical foundation for the study is drawn from the Resource-Based View and the Knowledge-Based View, which explain how clubs allocate resources within their portfolio brands and the importance of knowledge in brand positioning and resource allocation.

Our proposed research will follow a constructivist grounded theory research design, with data collection primarily through semi-structured interviews with European football executives involved in the strategic positioning of women’s teams. The study plans to interview 20-30 decision-makers from clubs and associations across Europe, analyzing the data using the Gioia methodology to develop a grounded model of the decision-making process.

Expected outcomes include providing comprehensive insights and actionable recommendations for optimizing the management and promotion of women’s football teams. The research will identify key factors influencing the positioning of women’s teams, uncover the dynamics of knowledge and resource sharing, assess the impact of external stakeholders, and shed light on the role of women’s teams in the international expansion strategies of football clubs. The research will generate managerial guidelines for optimizing brand positioning strategies and resource allocation to support the continued growth of women’s football. Theoretically, it will contribute to sports management literature by providing empirical evidence on effective strategies for managing and promoting women’s football teams, thereby enhancing understanding of brand management and resource allocation in women’s sports. This research will support the sustainable growth of women’s football, improve gender equity in sports, and maximize the commercial and social impact of women’s football teams across Europe.