Perceptions of stakeholders regarding National Federation Sport Policy: The case of the French Rugby Union.

Bastien Viollet (1, 2) , Brian Minikin (3) , Nicolas Scelles (4) , Alain Ferrand (1)

1 Université de Poitiers - Faculté des Sciences du sport
2 CEREGE [Poitiers] - Centre de recherche en gestion [EA 1722]
3 University of Stirling
4 Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

The purpose of this article is to develop a framework of how a national association sport policy is operationally formalised in relation with the various perceptions of its internal stakeholders. Considering such a sport policy as a management tool, a case study of the French Rugby Union (FFR) was built using archival material and interviews. We demonstrate that this management tool is the consequence of a conceptual framework, consisting of: a formal substrate, a managing philosophy and a simplified representation of the actors' role (Hatchuel & Weil, 1992). As part of an intervention-research within the FFR, 45 semi-structured interviews were conducted with both federal and regional actors with various statutes. The analysis of these interviews shows both agreements and controversies, categorized through our conceptual framework. In conclusion, the case study emphasises on issues that this conception reveals for the national federation.

Mots clés: management tool; sport policy; national federation; Actor-Network Theory

Domaines: Gestion et management

Bastien Viollet, Brian Minikin, Nicolas Scelles, Alain Ferrand. Perceptions of stakeholders regarding National Federation Sport Policy: The case of the French Rugby Union.. Managing Sport and Leisure, 2016, 21 (5), pp.319-337. ⟨10.1080/23750472.2017.1280837⟩. ⟨hal-02147076v2⟩