Developing a model for the professional development of Iranian Premier League clubs with a sports marketing approach

The purpose of this study was to design a paradigm model of professional development of Iranian Premier League clubs based on the use of sports marketing. The research method is exploratory and has a qualitative nature that has been used with the strategy of data-based theory. The research population included professors of sports management, CEOs and marketers of Iranian Premier League football clubs, members of the marketing committee of the Football Federation. Purposeful method was used for sampling. Open-ended interviews were used to collect data. Data from 17 interviews (theoretically saturated from 15 onwards) were analyzed. Data were analyzed in three stages of open, axial and selective coding. To confirm the reliability, the method of retesting and re-coding was used by other researchers. Three interviews were coded as a sample and finally the reliability of 85% was obtained. The results showed that in the open coding process, a total of 233 non-duplicate initial codes were generated. These codes were divided into 20 concepts based on thematic similarity. Then, these concepts were placed in the form of a paradigm model of the category. These concepts include: causal conditions (basic requirements, professional requirements, and organizational requirements); Background conditions (football sports capabilities, infrastructure capabilities, strategic capabilities and operational capabilities); Interfering factors (government-managerial barriers, political-economic barriers and socio-cultural barriers); Strategies (customer relationship management, human resource management, brand management, sports marketing mix management, international management and legal management) and consequences (fundamental development, structural development, environmental development and economic development). Using the mentioned strategies, it will be possible to achieve the development of the desired profession of the club. Given the role and importance of football in society and the popularity of this sport, it can be said that clubs can increase their marketing power by taking advantage of the capabilities of this sport. Creating the necessary infrastructure for football and having long-term strategies for the development and improvement of the club and marketing, and finally creating an operation in line with the strategy can be of great help to the management of football professions and clubs.