Jürgen Klopp and Red Bull: How Is a Modern Sports Management System Built?

Modern sports management goes beyond managing a first team or making transfer decisions. It involves building an integrated system that connects strategy, data, talent development, leadership, resource management, and organizational continuity.

From Jürgen Klopp’s role at Red Bull to Michael Edwards’ experience at Liverpool and the transition from Txiki Begiristain to Hugo Viana at Manchester City, this article explores how modern sports management has evolved from managing a team to building an integrated system driven by strategy, data, talent development, and organizational continuity.

When Jürgen Klopp took on the role of Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull in January 2025, the move represented more than another step in his career after years on the touchline. It reflected a broader shift in modern football leadership: from managing a single team to contributing to the development of an entire sporting system.

In this role, Klopp operated at a strategic level, supporting sporting directors across the Red Bull network and helping develop its football philosophy rather than managing the day-to-day operations of one club. In July 2026, Red Bull announced his departure from the role after he was appointed head coach of the German national team.

The move raises a broader question: What does it take to manage a modern sports organization as a system rather than as a collection of individual decisions?

When Managing a Club Goes Beyond the First Team

In modern football, sports management is no longer limited to appointing coaches or signing players. A club operates through a connected network of functions that includes sporting strategy, recruitment, data analysis, talent development, resource management, infrastructure, and internal and external communication.

As a result, sporting decisions need to be part of a clear framework that connects the club’s identity with its long-term objectives, rather than treating each season as a separate project.

This is where strong leadership becomes essential: understanding the bigger picture and connecting day-to-day decisions with the organization’s overall sporting strategy.

Jürgen Klopp: From Managing a Team to Developing a System

Throughout his coaching career at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp became known for managing teams and building strong working environments around the first team. His experience with Red Bull, however, placed him in a different area of responsibility.

When his appointment was announced, Red Bull explained that Klopp’s role would be strategic, supporting sporting directors and contributing to the development of the football philosophy across its network without becoming involved in the daily operations of individual clubs.

The experience highlights an important principle of sports management: as an organization grows, its leaders must increasingly think about the system that produces decisions, not just the decisions themselves.

Instead of focusing solely on the result of a match or a single transfer, the focus shifts toward building sustainable processes for identifying talent, developing players, selecting the right people, and connecting sporting operations with the organization’s broader objectives.

Red Bull: When Clubs Operate Within a Shared Vision

Red Bull provides an example of a multi-club model, with several clubs operating within a wider sporting network while maintaining their own local responsibilities.

This is why Klopp’s role differed from that of a traditional head coach. His responsibility was connected to football development across the wider network and to working with sporting leaders rather than directly managing one team.

Such models require clear roles and responsibilities. When an organization operates across multiple clubs, teams, and markets, coordination becomes an essential part of effective management.

The objective is not necessarily to make every club operate in exactly the same way, but to create a framework that allows each organization to respond to its own circumstances while maintaining clear principles around recruitment, player development, and sporting decision-making.

Michael Edwards: Sports Management as an Integrated Process

A similar approach can be seen in Michael Edwards’ experience at Liverpool. In November 2016, Edwards was appointed Sporting Director as part of a restructuring of the club’s football operations. His responsibilities included player identification, acquisitions, sales and retention, as well as contributing to the development of the training environment and infrastructure.

This model demonstrates that sporting management does not operate separately from the technical side of the club. Player recruitment, identifying squad needs, academy development, and improving the working environment are all interconnected elements of the same system.

Liverpool also highlighted the role of its football operations structure in the club’s wider development during Edwards’ time, including its support for Jürgen Klopp’s team and the development of the new training centre in Kirkby.

Data and Scouting: When Information Becomes Part of the Decision

One of the major developments in modern sports management is the growing use of information and data in the decision-making process.

Scouting is no longer limited to watching a player and assessing technical ability. It has become part of a broader process that can include identifying squad needs, building player profiles, evaluating alternatives, and monitoring development pathways.

This does not mean that data replaces human expertise. Instead, it provides decision-makers with another layer of information that can help make the process more structured, particularly when an organization is responsible for a large number of players, teams, and sporting projects.

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When a Leader Leaves: Does the System Stop?

One of the real tests of any sports organization comes when a key executive leaves their position.

At Manchester City, the club announced that Txiki Begiristain would leave his role as Director of Football at the end of the 2024/25 season, with Hugo Viana appointed as his successor. The transition included a period in which the two worked together to ensure a structured handover of responsibilities.

According to Manchester City’s annual report, Viana worked alongside Begiristain during the months leading up to his full assumption of the role in April 2025, as part of a transition described by the club as a smooth process.

This highlights an important principle of sports management: the success of an organization should not depend entirely on one individual, regardless of how influential that person may be.

When processes are documented, responsibilities are clearly defined, and decisions are built around an established system, leadership transitions can become a natural part of organizational development rather than a source of disruption.

The Modern Sporting Director Needs a Broader Perspective

The modern sporting director deals with a wide range of responsibilities at the same time, from understanding the club’s identity and managing resources and budgets to contributing to strategic planning and overseeing legal and contractual matters, while also managing relationships and communication with different stakeholders inside and outside the organization.

As a result, the skills required for the role go far beyond football knowledge. They include leadership, information analysis, negotiation, relationship management, and operational oversight, combined with the ability to connect sporting, commercial, and organizational priorities within a single vision that supports stability and long-term objectives.

From Managing People to Building an Organization

The experiences of Klopp at Red Bull, Edwards at Liverpool, and the transition from Begiristain to Viana at Manchester City differ in their details, but they point toward a common principle: modern sports management is about building systems that can operate and evolve, not simply placing prominent individuals in key positions.

A club needs a clear strategy, a defined organizational structure, effective decision-making processes, a system for identifying and developing talent, and the ability to manage resources, relationships, and information.

When these elements work together, sports management becomes an ongoing process that can be developed, evaluated, and transferred from one leader to another without losing the organization’s overall direction.

Modern Sports Management: A System Before a Position

Jürgen Klopp’s move from coaching into a strategic role with Red Bull, followed by his return to coaching with the German national team, demonstrates how sporting expertise can move between different leadership roles within the sports industry. The experiences of clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester City also highlight the importance of organizational structures that distribute responsibility and maintain continuity.

Ultimately, modern sports management is not measured only by the number of transfers completed or trophies won. It is also about an organization’s ability to establish clear ways of working, make informed decisions, and develop its people and resources over the long term.

This is where professionals who understand both sport and management become increasingly valuable. Decision-making within the modern sports organization requires knowledge that goes beyond the pitch and extends into strategy, operations, data, leadership, negotiation, and the management of the organization as a whole.