[ Clubs de football et développement socio-économique territorial: Une revue critique systématique francophone et internationale ]
Ismaïl Mazib Faty1, Assane Diakhate2, and Souleymane Diallo3
1 Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Senegal
2 Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Senegal
3 Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Institut National Supérieur de l’Education Populaire et du Sport (INSEPS), Senegal
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This study provides a critical synthesis of academic and institutional research on how football clubs contribute to local socio-economic development. It aims to clarify the mechanisms and limits of these contributions by combining economic, social, and urban perspectives within a territorial governance framework. Using a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA protocol, 28 peer-reviewed and institutional sources published between 2000 and 2025 were analyzed. The evaluation grid was adapted from CASP and AMSTAR-2 to assess theoretical clarity, methodological rigor, and territorial transferability. The studies were then compared through thematic content analysis focusing on economic, social, and urban outcomes. Three key dimensions emerge: (1) Economic: football clubs stimulate local employment, investment, and urban attractiveness, but these effects remain localized and sometimes overestimated; (2) Social: clubs act as community hubs that foster cohesion, identity, and informal education, particularly in African and European contexts; (3) Urban: stadium projects and related infrastructures contribute to urban regeneration but can also reinforce spatial inequalities and gentrification when not supported by inclusive policies. The results highlight that clubs function less as autonomous economic engines than as catalysts embedded in multi-level governance systems. Effective cooperation between clubs, local authorities, and private stakeholders is essential for sustainable territorial outcomes. The article proposes an integrated conceptual model linking economic, social, and urban dynamics through territorial governance, thus advancing the theoretical understanding of sport as a lever for place-based development.
Author Keywords: football clubs, territorial development, territorial governance, multi-level governance, social inclusion, urban regeneration, sports economics.
Ismaïl Mazib Faty1, Assane Diakhate2, and Souleymane Diallo3
1 Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Senegal
2 Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Senegal
3 Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Institut National Supérieur de l’Education Populaire et du Sport (INSEPS), Senegal
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This study provides a critical synthesis of academic and institutional research on how football clubs contribute to local socio-economic development. It aims to clarify the mechanisms and limits of these contributions by combining economic, social, and urban perspectives within a territorial governance framework. Using a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA protocol, 28 peer-reviewed and institutional sources published between 2000 and 2025 were analyzed. The evaluation grid was adapted from CASP and AMSTAR-2 to assess theoretical clarity, methodological rigor, and territorial transferability. The studies were then compared through thematic content analysis focusing on economic, social, and urban outcomes. Three key dimensions emerge: (1) Economic: football clubs stimulate local employment, investment, and urban attractiveness, but these effects remain localized and sometimes overestimated; (2) Social: clubs act as community hubs that foster cohesion, identity, and informal education, particularly in African and European contexts; (3) Urban: stadium projects and related infrastructures contribute to urban regeneration but can also reinforce spatial inequalities and gentrification when not supported by inclusive policies. The results highlight that clubs function less as autonomous economic engines than as catalysts embedded in multi-level governance systems. Effective cooperation between clubs, local authorities, and private stakeholders is essential for sustainable territorial outcomes. The article proposes an integrated conceptual model linking economic, social, and urban dynamics through territorial governance, thus advancing the theoretical understanding of sport as a lever for place-based development.
Author Keywords: football clubs, territorial development, territorial governance, multi-level governance, social inclusion, urban regeneration, sports economics.
Abstract: (french)
Cette étude propose une synthèse critique de la littérature académique et institutionnelle portant sur la contribution des clubs de football au développement socio-économique local. Elle vise à identifier les mécanismes explicatifs, les apports et les limites de ces contributions, en intégrant les dimensions économiques, sociales et urbaines dans une approche de gouvernance territoriale. La recherche s’appuie sur une revue systématique conduite selon le protocole PRISMA, incluant 28 sources académiques et institutionnelles publiées entre 2000 et 2025. L’évaluation des études retenues s’est fondée sur une grille inspirée du CASP et de l’outil AMSTAR-2, permettant d’apprécier la rigueur méthodologique, la clarté conceptuelle et la transférabilité territoriale. Les données ont été analysées selon une approche thématique croisant les résultats économiques, sociaux et urbains. Trois dimensions principales se dégagent: (1) Économique (les clubs favorisent la création d’emplois, l’investissement et l’attractivité locale, bien que ces effets demeurent souvent localisés et surestimés); (2) Sociale (ils jouent un rôle d’intégration, de cohésion et d’éducation non formelle, particulièrement marqué dans les contextes africains et européens); (3) Urbaine (les projets de stades et de régénération participent à la transformation des territoires, tout en soulevant des risques de gentrification et d’inégalités spatiales). Les résultats montrent que les clubs fonctionnent moins comme des moteurs économiques autonomes que comme des catalyseurs insérés dans des systèmes de gouvernance multi-niveaux. La coopération entre clubs, autorités locales et acteurs privés constitue une condition essentielle de durabilité territoriale. L’article propose un modèle conceptuel intégré articulant dynamiques économiques, sociales et urbaines à travers la gouvernance territoriale, contribuant ainsi à une compréhension renouvelée du sport comme levier de développement local durable.
Author Keywords: clubs de football, développement territorial, gouvernance territoriale, gouvernance multi-niveau, cohésion sociale, régénération urbaine, économie du sport.
