Club identity in sports clubs: What defines it and how to strengthen it strategically

Many clubs first associate their identity with sporting success. For Marco Kehrenberg, however, that does not go far enough. “You can get a good sense of a club’s identity simply by asking people what makes their club special,” Kehrenberg says in an interview with the spized Club Academy. In his experience, the answers rarely focus on sporting results or successes from recent years. Instead, they are about “other topics and stories.” They might be about the end-of-season celebration, special events or the atmosphere in the sports hall. According to the 35-year-old, who supports sports organizations through his company SPORT IQ in turning good ideas into clear strategies, people who shape a club over many years also play an important role in its identity.

A club’s identity is therefore not created solely through goals and concepts, but through what is actually lived out in everyday club life. The tricky part is that club identity is usually unconscious. It is always there in the background, but is rarely shaped deliberately. Anyone who wants to strengthen it must therefore first make it visible.

The first step is to find out what the club actually stands for. What makes it special? What do members, parents and volunteers value about it? And which values are truly reflected in everyday club life? “Clubs spend a lot of time thinking about what they can become and where they actually want to go. But they often overlook what may already be there,” says Kehrenberg. His advice: Talk to members, volunteers and even opposing clubs to find out how they perceive the club. In other words: Listen and understand.

This can reveal a wide range of things. “When you get similar answers, you already understand that there is a shared understanding of what we actually want to achieve,” says Kehrenberg, using his own club, TuS Aumühle-Wohltorf, as an example. There, he says, this includes a major summer tournament, the club’s hospitality and its own kiosk, which on match days even attracts people to the sports hall who have little to do with handball. These strengths can then be used as a foundation to build on, rather than spreading resources across numerous individual challenges: hospitality and organizational skills when hosting events.

If the answers differ significantly, however, the marketing and strategy expert believes this indicates a lack of clarity about what the club stands for and where it wants to go: “That’s usually a sign that there’s still room to sharpen the club’s identity.”

This leads to a second key point: “I’m a big advocate of strengthening your own strengths even further, rather than always trying to reduce your weaknesses,” says Kehrenberg. Otherwise, he believes, you will “never become outstandingly good” in certain areas. “In my view, the only way to do that is to identify your own strengths and then deliberately ask yourself: What can we actually do even better?”

For example, if a club is already known for a great tournament or a popular kiosk, it should continue to develop precisely those strengths. A good kiosk could become the best kiosk in the region. A popular youth tournament could become the tournament everyone is talking about.

Kehrenberg is convinced that this can create new opportunities and points of connection for a club – for example, in sponsorship. The key is not to copy as much as possible, but to find out what makes the club special and how to use exactly that as the foundation for developing something of its own.

Anyone looking to strengthen their club’s identity should therefore not simply copy the path taken by other clubs and, in the worst-case scenario, undermine their own identity. Kehrenberg sees this as a common mistake.

Inspiration is certainly important, but every club needs to find its own path. Particularly when it comes to sponsorship or club initiatives, clubs often adopt concepts from other organizations even though their circumstances are different. “You have to find your own way and come up with measures and initiatives that fit your club’s identity. Simply copying something is usually not the right approach.” This guide explains what a sponsorship concept that fits your own identity rather than following a template can look like.

That does not mean clubs should not look at what others are doing or adapt successful ideas. The key is not to copy them blindly, but to ask: Does this really fit our club?

So where does this sense of what fits your own club come from? One important starting point can be the club’s history. Over the years and decades, many clubs have developed values, rituals and experiences that continue to shape their identity to this day.

The club’s own history can be an important part of its identity and a “wonderful element that brings people together.” “If there are elements from the club’s history that you can build on even more and carry forward, then you should definitely do that,” says Kehrenberg, pointing to FC Schalke 04 as a prime example. With its mining-inspired players’ tunnel and the traditional miners’ song, the club keeps its mining heritage alive – important elements that evoke strong emotions.

The same approach can work at an amateur club:

• Display old club photos
• Introduce club legends
• Tell the story of the club’s founding
• Highlight local characteristics
• Give traditions a modern twist

At the same time, Kehrenberg warns that tradition can also become a “brake.” It becomes problematic when it turns into an end in itself and prevents change. Rather than following the motto “That’s how we’ve always done it,” clubs should preserve their values while adapting them to today’s circumstances.

Club identity is not only reflected in traditions, but also in how a club presents itself every day. For Kehrenberg, this can include having consistent jerseys across all teams. “Similar to a uniform, it creates this feeling: We really belong together. We are one club,” says Kehrenberg. Even if initially only colors or design elements are consistent across teams, this creates recognition and a sense of identification. Clubs looking to implement this approach can design custom jerseys for all their teams to create a consistent look. The same principle can also be applied to staff and volunteers: When they are visibly recognizable as part of the club, they too become a visible part of the community.

According to Kehrenberg, the topic is becoming increasingly important for three reasons.

The first reason: Clubs are no longer competing only with one another, but with the entire leisure market. “We’re no longer in a situation where we only have to compare ourselves with the club next door or with other sports. Instead, we’re competing with all kinds of leisure activities out there – whether that’s streaming, gaming or whatever else is available,” says Kehrenberg.

The second reason: Younger people are actively looking for communities they can identify with. “And for that to be possible, you have to create points of connection” – both for younger people and for volunteers “who get involved in the club.” Find out how this can work in youth development: Good Youth Development in Sports Clubs.

The third reason, according to Kehrenberg, lies in content creation itself. New digital tools and AI tools have significantly lowered the barrier for clubs to maintain a regular presence on social media. But this also comes with a risk: “The barrier for a club to do much more on social media, for example, has become lower. But if you use all of this incorrectly, you’re still just operating at the average level. Then you’re simply portraying the average sports club,” says Kehrenberg. Clubs that know exactly what they stand for, on the other hand, can use the same tools more effectively: “Then, of course, you can do much more with them and present yourself in a way that sets you apart from other clubs.”

More tools and more content do not automatically lead to greater recognition. Without a clear identity behind them, they often simply result in more interchangeable content. Our guide shows how to develop a social media strategy that fits your club: Social Media for Sports Clubs: Strategies and Practical Tips.

Clubs that can clearly communicate what they stand for therefore have several advantages:

• New members can quickly see whether the club is a good fit for them
• Volunteers feel a stronger connection to the club
• Sponsors have a better understanding of what the club stands for
• Existing members remain engaged for the long term

Clubs can put these insights into practice by breaking them down into five concrete steps. 

1. Start the conversation. Ask members, volunteers and, if in doubt, even your opponents what makes your club special.
2. Identify existing strengths. Make these strengths visible and consider which ones you can specifically build on. 
3. Focus. Don’t try to tackle everything at once. Instead, identify one or two strengths and develop them consistently. 
4. Stay consistent. Align your actions with your club’s identity instead of simply copying what other clubs are doing.
5. Use and develop traditions. Your club’s history can be a powerful element that brings people together. The key is to adapt traditions to current circumstances. If they become an end in themselves or are used as an excuse to resist change, they can become a roadblock.