Understanding financial management in the world of sports
September 22, 2025
Sports teams, professional leagues, federations and other sports organizations often approach their finances and accounting with far less passion than they devote to the sport itself. This is what Julien Le Maux, accounting professor at HEC Montréal, has observed. He wanted to provide current and aspiring managers in this field with simple tools that would help them master this aspect of management. That’s what he has proposed in his manual Sport et finance : fondements de la gestion financière et comptable dans le secteur sportif, recently published by Éditions JFD.
“In the world of sports, accounting is not always portrayed in a very attractive light. And it is unfortunate to sometimes see sports organizations disappear due to a series of small mistakes that were not monitored. My goal was to make financial and accounting management simple and accessible, to show that everyone can handle it.”
Julien Le Maux, professor in the Department of Accounting Sciences at HEC Montréal
This book presents an introduction to the fundamentals of financial management as applied to the world of sports. It is primarily intended for use in the course entitled Comptabilité financière et outils de gestion pour les organisations sportives. It is also aimed at a wider audience that includes people working in this sector or those already very familiar with the organization and practice of sports activities.
This is the first French-language book on this subject. Julien Le Maux had identified a need in recent years for a manual providing a knowledge base and methods adapted to the specificities of the sports sector. It covers key concepts such as financial statement analyses, investment choices, financial assessments, budget management, performance indicators and the development of dashboards.
Several of the topics covered in the book are highlighted with real-life examples drawn from recent situations in the world of sports, both locally and internationally. The manual also contains several exercises for the practical application of the concepts presented therein.
About Julien Le Maux
Julien Le Maux is a professor in the Department of Accounting Sciences at HEC Montréal, where he specializes in financial management and corporate governance. He is an associate member of the Sport Management Hub and teaches in sports management programs. He also lends his expertise to Executive Education HEC Montréal, where he is the academic director of several certifications in governance, ESG and corporate finance.