Integrated Marketing Communication in Small–Medium Football Clubs: The Case of Venezia FC

Professional football has evolved into a complex organizational and cultural system in which clubs operate simultaneously as sporting institutions, media actors, and commercial brands. In this context, ensuring coherence across multiple communication touchpoints has become a strategic priority. Integrated Marketing Communication represents a key approach to managing this complexity, yet existing literature has predominantly focused on large and resource-rich organizations, overlooking structurally constrained contexts. This thesis addresses this gap by exploring how Integrated Marketing Communication takes shape within a small–medium professional football club, with specific reference to Venezia FC. Adopting a qualitative single case study, the research interprets IMC not as a fully formalized model but as an organizational capability that develops through coordination mechanisms, shared meanings, and everyday practices. By situating the analysis within the broader transformation of the football industry and within the relational nature of fandom, the study provides an interpretative understanding of how communication integration is pursued in environments characterized by limited resources, performance volatility, and multiple stakeholder pressures. In doing so, it contributes to the advancement of IMC and sport management research and offers insights into the strategic role of communication for small and medium football clubs.