Coopetition at the sports marketing/entrepreneurship interface

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to help develop the understanding of the nature of coopetition (collaboration as well as competition) and is set in the context of a Taekwondo organisation. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were undertaken with 25 instructors in various clubs within New Zealand’s “International Taekwondo” (ITKD) together with 25 students and supplemented with triangulation against secondary data such as websites and media reports. Findings – The findings suggest that coopetition can be seen from various perspectives in order that the organisation as a whole benefits. Specifically, while the ITKD is a not-for-profit firm, individual clubs may compete for revenue from students joining them as opposed to rival clubs. However, clubs collaborate in various way such as once registered, students can train free at rival clubs and resources are to some extent pooled so the ITKD as a whole benefits, e.g. sending competitors overseas and bringing in senior people to undertake a promotion grading. Originality/value – The contribution is to offer insights into the nature of coopetition at the sports marketing/entrepreneurship interface by suggesting that the potential paradox of collaboration and competition can be explained by considering the benefits to an overall organisation as opposed to individual clubs within it.