THE COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR IN FOOTBALL: PROFILES AND TRENDS IN MAJOR PORTUGUESE CLUBS

Objective: The objective is to outline the profile of the Communication Director (DirCom) in the major Portuguese football clubs and to analyze his activity, not only as pivot of the communicative process, but also as a protagonist of a process of communication, influence and power. In this way, the article intends to analyze the necessary skills for this job. Methodology/approach: Upon a review of the most significant literature, the study questioned the centrality of the DirCom of Portuguese football in the media, having as methodological strategy the complete participant observation in Sporting Clube de Portugal. The documental analysis, descriptive and comparative, focused on the sports press, curricula and professional trajectories of the DirCom of the three major Portuguese football clubs (Benfica, Porto and Sporting). Originality/relevance: The centrality of the DirCom function in Sports Societies (SADs) in Portugal still does not find correspondence with academic and scientific studies developed. This exploratory study gains relevance by contributing to a deeper knowledge of the subject. Main results: The profile identified is characterized by the DirCom's seniority, political and business experience, to the detriment of a sports background. Unidirectional (more propagandistic) communication models are privileged in a communicational ecosystem that gives clubs greater control over their messages, with their own communication platforms and without the need for journalistic intermediation. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The article promotes the discussion of the interconnection between business, politics and football around the figure of the DirCom and its current role, an object to be explored. Social/management contributions: The role of DirCom in the governance of SADs and in the relationship with stakeholders, in an increasingly digitalized world, opening the way for new investigations.