A Club Can Lose the Season Off the Pitch. Summary of the Webinar with Jakub Szlendak

The eighth webinar of the CSR in Sport Academy focused on responsible financial management in sports clubs and on why sporting decisions almost always become financial decisions at the same time. The guest speaker was Jakub Szlendak – a sales analyst and author specialising in sports finance and management.

The webinar focused primarily on the practical aspects of financial management in football clubs – from contracts and transfers, through financial liquidity, to risks related to sponsorship, matchday operations, and dependence on a single source of funding.

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A Sports Club Is a System of Connected Vessels

One of the key topics discussed during the webinar was the idea of a sports club as an organisation in which all decisions are interconnected. As Jakub Szlendak emphasised, finances in a sports club rarely resemble traditional finance. More often, they take the form of decisions regarding player transfers, new contracts, bonuses, sponsorships, or match organisation.

The speaker pointed out that a player transfer often means a financial commitment spread over several years. He also stressed that performance bonuses can generate additional costs that significantly affect the organisation’s budget. Cooperation with sponsors was another important topic – business partners expect clubs to deliver specific benefits and ensure professional service. As Jakub Szlendak highlighted, sporting decisions almost always directly impact the club’s financial liquidity.

Throughout the webinar, it was repeatedly emphasised that financial responsibility should not belong only to the accounting department or management board. The stability of an organisation depends on the entire club – from the sporting department to marketing and event operations.

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Budget Is Not the Same as Cash Flow

A significant part of the webinar was devoted to one of the biggest traps in sports management – confusing the budget with actual financial liquidity.

Jakub Szlendak explained that:

• the budget answers the question of whether the season is financially balanced,
• cash flow shows whether the club has enough resources for the coming weeks and current obligations.

The speaker underlined that a club may have a well-prepared annual budget while simultaneously facing problems with paying salaries or invoices on time if expected revenues are delayed.

One of the most practical tools discussed during the webinar was the 13-week cash flow forecast, which helps identify potential financial problems in advance. As emphasised during the meeting, the key is to notice the problem before the club reaches payday without sufficient funds in the account.

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A Transfer Is More Than the Headline Fee

Transfers and player contracts were also an important topic of the webinar.

Jakub Szlendak pointed out that the transfer fee reported in the media often does not reflect the real cost of the operation. In addition to the transfer fee itself, clubs must also cover:

• player salaries,
• taxes and social contributions,
• agent commissions,
• performance-related bonuses,
• costs connected to the contract length.

The webinar also covered the risks associated with automatic clauses in contracts, bonuses activated after promotion or after a certain number of minutes played, and the problems resulting from long-term commitments based on uncertain future revenues.

The speaker stressed that fixed costs in a sports club should be built only on stable and predictable income. He also highlighted that organisations should not finance long-term obligations with one-off revenues that may not recur in future seasons. As Jakub Szlendak noted, every major financial decision requires analysing not only the optimistic scenario but also the negative one.

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A Sponsor Is Not an ATM

A large part of the webinar was also devoted to sponsorship and the revenue structure of sports clubs.

As Jakub Szlendak explained, sponsors do not buy only the club’s badge – they buy the value the organisation is able to deliver. This means fulfilling sponsorship obligations, ensuring proper brand exposure, and building long-term business relationships. The speaker also emphasised the importance of professional partner management and treating sponsorship as a genuine collaboration rather than merely a source of funding.

The webinar also addressed the risks of excessive dependence on a single funding source. According to the speaker, a situation in which one source accounts for a very large part of the club’s budget may pose a serious threat to the organisation’s stability.

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Stadium and Matchday Are About More Than Tickets

The meeting also covered matchday operations and stadium economics. Jakub Szlendak stressed that high attendance does not always translate into high revenues. The key factor is the effective monetisation of the sporting event.

The webinar discussed:

• ticket sales,
• hospitality and VIP boxes,
• gastronomy,
• parking,
• matchday sponsors,
• security, cleaning, and operational costs.

The speaker pointed out that some clubs still generate losses on matchdays despite high attendance if they are unable to fully utilise the commercial potential of the stadium.

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Responsibility Begins with Decisions

One of the key messages of the webinar was that responsible financial management does not mean limiting sporting ambitions. As Jakub Szlendak emphasised, the most important elements are anticipating risks, planning different scenarios, and making conscious financial commitments. Building organisational stability is equally important, especially in the face of sporting failures or sudden financial changes.

During the webinar, several practical tools were presented that can be implemented both by professional clubs and smaller sports organisations. Recommended solutions included the 13-week cash flow forecast, a liabilities register, a financial decision card, a revenue source map, and regular financial risk reviews. As the speaker noted, even simple tools can significantly improve the financial security of a sports organisation.

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CSR in Sport Academy

The CSR in Sport Academy is a series of nine online meetings featuring professionals from the sports industry. Each webinar provides practical examples, experiences, and recommendations that participants can implement in their own organisations.

Next week, participants will meet another guest speaker – Marek Plawgo.

There is still one webinar left, and registration is still open. Join us!

If you were unable to attend the webinar, you can catch up by watching the full recording here.