1st Edition

Essentials of Sport Leadership Theory and Application

By Majd Megheirkouni, Peter Norrington Copyright 2025
    272 Pages 15 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    272 Pages 15 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This is a complete, step-by-step, reader-friendly introduction to leadership theories and their application in sport organizations. It outlines key concepts and approaches to leadership, clearly explains how they relate to sport, and shows how sport managers can use leadership theory to develop and improve their professional practice.

    The book covers leadership and management across all sectors of sport, including for-profit, non-profit, and public, and adopts an international perspective that reflects the globalised reality of contemporary sport business. It explores key topics including behavioural theories, transformational leadership, culture, self-leadership, ethics, and women in sport leadership, and encourages the reader to develop critical thinking skills that are essential in the modern workplace. Each chapter contains a selection of real-life examples, review questions, case studies, self-assessment exercises, topics for seminars and workshops, and suggested readings.

    This is an essential textbook for any sport leadership course, valuable reading for anybody with an interest in leadership theory or contemporary sport management, and a useful handbook for anybody working in sport or event management who wants to become a better manager.

    Online support material includes quiz-style questions and other resources for tutor use or adaptation.

    1. Introduction
    Part I: Introduction to Sport Leadership
    2. Conceptualising Sport Management and Sport Leadership
    Part II: Sport Leadership in Context
    3. Leadership in Different Settings
    Part III: Leadership Theories and Approaches
    4. Trait Theories
    5. Behavioural Theories
    6. Situational and Contingency Theories
    7. Leader–Member Exchange Theory
    8. Transformational Leadership
    9. Servant Leadership
    10. Authentic Leadership
    11. Distributed Leadership
    12. Women and Leadership
    13. Culture and Leadership
    14. Ethical Leadership
    15. Self-Leadership
    16. Responsible Leadership
    Part IV: Sport Leadership Development
    17. Learning and Development

    Biography

    Majd Megheirkouni is Senior Lecturer in strategy and leadership at Leeds Trinity University, UK. He is a Chartered Association of Business Schools Certified Management, Business Educator (CMBE) and a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Chartered Manager. 

    Peter Norrington is a freelance Editor, working mainly on business management, leadership, and project management topics. While in academia, he was a PRINCE2 Practitioner and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.