A New Approach to Understanding and Assessing Sports Clubs
The Journal of Anthropology of Sport and Physical Education (JASPE) has published an original scientific paper by Prof. Dr. Velibor Spalevic entitled “Development of the Sports General Assessment Model (SGAM): A Proposed Multidimensional Framework for Sports Club Assessment.”
The publication represents the first phase in the development of the Sports General Assessment Model (SGAM), a new multi-criteria framework designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of sports clubs.
Unlike conventional approaches that tend to focus primarily on competitive performance or financial value, SGAM takes a broader perspective. It views a sports club not only as a sporting organisation, but also as an organisational, educational, social and developmental institution.
A Multidimensional Assessment of Sports Clubs
The SGAM framework consists of 20 indicators, organised into two interconnected categories.
The first category, Main Sports Values (MSV), covers areas directly related to the sporting and organisational foundations of a club. These include sporting achievement, international competitiveness, tradition, youth development, training systems, professional staff, infrastructure, athlete safety, governance and innovation.
The second category, Additional Sports Values (ASV), expands the assessment to the wider role and impact of a sports club. It includes contribution to the community, education, accessibility, communication, digital presence, reputation, sports tourism, environmental protection, international cooperation and contribution to local development.
The results are presented on a scale from 0 to 100 and positioned within a two-dimensional SGAM matrix. However, the purpose of the model goes beyond simply producing a ranking. Its primary aim is to help sports clubs identify their strengths, recognise developmental weaknesses and establish priorities for future action.
From Ranking to Development
According to Prof. Dr. Velibor Spalevic, SGAM was not designed to become another ranking system for sports clubs.
“SGAM was not conceived as just another ranking of sports clubs, but as a development tool designed to help them identify their strengths, recognise their weaknesses and systematically improve their sporting, organisational and social capacities.”
This developmental orientation is at the heart of the model. Rather than reducing a club’s value to its competitive results, SGAM seeks to provide a broader picture of its overall capacities and potential for sustainable development.
The Next Phase: Collaborative Development of SGAM 1.0
The published scientific paper establishes the theoretical and methodological foundations of SGAM. The next phase will focus on transforming this conceptual framework into an operational model through international and multidisciplinary collaboration.
The second phase is expected to be initiated through cooperation with researchers and sports science experts participating in the MontenegroSport Scientific Conference 2026.
As part of this process, a multidisciplinary working group could be established to:
- conduct a Delphi-based expert evaluation of the indicators;
- prepare a detailed assessment manual;
- test the model on selected sports clubs;
- examine its reliability and sensitivity; and
- assess its applicability across different sports and countries.
The shared objective is to develop an operational version of SGAM 1.0, carry out its pilot implementation, prepare a joint scientific publication and ultimately present the model internationally.
MontenegroSport Scientific Conference 2026 as a Platform for Cooperation
The MontenegroSport Scientific Conference 2026, scheduled to take place in Podgorica from 24 to 27 September 2026, will provide an important opportunity to present the first phase of SGAM and begin building the network of researchers and experts who could contribute to its further development.
The conference is therefore envisioned not only as a venue for presenting the work already completed, but also as an initial platform for bringing together future partners and contributing to the joint development and launch of the SGAM model.
The publication of the research in JASPE, together with its presentation at MontenegroSport Scientific Conference 2026, provides a strong foundation for bringing together researchers and sports professionals from the region, Europe and beyond around the common goal of validating, improving and eventually applying SGAM across different sporting environments.
Building the Future of Sports Club Assessment
The development of SGAM represents an effort to broaden the way sports clubs are understood and evaluated. By bringing sporting performance together with organisational capacity, education, social responsibility, innovation and development, the model seeks to offer a more comprehensive perspective on what makes a sports club strong and sustainable.
The first phase has established the conceptual and methodological foundations. The next step is collaboration: bringing together experts from different disciplines, sports and countries to test, refine and develop the model into SGAM 1.0.
The ultimate ambition is not simply to assess sports clubs, but to provide them with a practical framework for understanding where they stand, where they can improve and how they can strengthen their sporting, organisational and social capacities.
The full scientific paper is available in the Journal of Anthropology of Sport and Physical Education (JASPE).
