{{Short description|Management role in sports clubs}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Use British English|date=June 2024}} {{About|the management role in sports clubs, especially association football|the management role in a cycling team|directeur sportif}}
A '''sporting director''', or '''director of sport''', is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a management role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sporting director is, in many cases, a member of the executive board and therefore an executive director.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parnell |first1=Daniel |title=A note to CEOs and Boards on the recruitment of a Sporting Director. The Football Collective. |url=https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/620294/3/A%20note%20to%20CEOs%20and%20Boards%20on%20recruiting%20a%20Sporting%20Director%20%281%29.pdf |access-date=21 May 2022 |website=e-space.mmu.ac.uk |publisher=Manchester Metropolitan University}}</ref> The sporting director is usually directly subordinate to the chief executive officer or the chairman of the sports organisation. The sporting director is in turn typically the manager of the coaching staff.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Parnell |first1=Daniel |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351262804-13/sporting-director-daniel-parnell-ryan-groom-paul-widdop-sara-ward |title=The sporting director: Exploring current practice and challenges within elite football |last2=Groom |first2=Ryan |last3=Widdop |first3=Paul |last4=Ward |first4=Sara |date=2018 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=9781351262804 |chapter=The sporting director |doi=10.4324/9781351262804-13 |access-date=1 April 2023 |s2cid=188141411}}</ref>
[[File:Leonardo Nascimento de Araújo 2013-01-01.jpg|thumb|Leonardo Araújo, former sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain]]
== Director of football == A '''director of football''' or '''director of soccer''', sometimes also called a sporting director or technical director, is a senior management figure at an association football club, most commonly in Europe. Often, their key task is managing transfers of players to and from the team; however, the nature of the position varies, and their role at a particular club may be more specialised.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Ryan |date=13 September 2019 |title=What is a director of football & how does transfer chief role work? |url=https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/what-is-a-director-of-football--how-does-transfer-chief-role-work/sy0nzby7kl6j1irjue09n4eog |access-date=20 December 2022 |website=Goal}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * {{cite news |last=Carey |first=Mark |date=20 July 2025 |title=Inside the world of sporting directors: What do they do? And what makes a good one? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6445002/2025/07/20/sporting-directors-football-career-role-analysis/ |access-date=27 August 2025 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |ref=none}}
{{Sport-stub}}
Category:Leadership positions in sports Category:Terminology used in multiple sports Category:Association football executives Category:Association football occupations Category:Association football terminology Category:Ice hockey executives Category:Ice hockey occupations