Corporate governance and gender issues: the case of professional football companies in Italy

This chapter aims to analyze the gender gap topic in the professional football sector, both in the sports and managerial fields. The aim is to analyze the relationship linking the governance of professional football clubs to the sport, financial, and extra economical-financial performance, and to assess whether the presence and experience of the women could affect the performance of the clubs. The research applies a quantitative method with an empirical analysis; the aim is to verify the impact of the presence of women in the governance of professional football clubs on sports, financial, and extra economical-financial performances. The correlation analysis will be carried out on the clubs that played the Serie A in the 2018/2019 season. The findings propose, to the scientific community and professional industry, the importance of women in the governance of the football clubs, highlighting the main differences and filling the cultural and social gap. Furthermore, this research contributes to the expansion of the international literature on gender studies, offering a new perspective to participate in the existing debate. Research results generate important considerations for the policy-makers to develop the role of women in the football sector, in the awareness that sport can be a useful vehicle for promoting gender equality, also at the managerial and executive level.