The method of the present study was a survey that was conducted in the field. The statistical population of the present study included all experts and knowledgeable individuals in the field of economics in sports. Purposeful sampling was used to identify these experts. After sampling; 15 knowledgeable and specialized experts in the field of economics in sports were identified. In order to identify the methods of financing sports clubs, the theoretical foundations as well as the views of research samples were used. Thus, first after conducting theoretical studies; A number of methods of financing sports clubs as well as indicators affecting these methods were identified and then in the form of Delphi method; These methods and indicators were finalized. The Delphi method was performed in three rounds in the present study. The output of this method led to the formation of a questionnaire according to the TOPSIS method to select the most appropriate financing method. The validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by examining the opinions of experts and also the reliability of the questionnaire after calculating Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.88). In order to select the best financing method, TOPSIS method was used and in order to prioritize the identified effective indicators, AHP method was used. The whole process of research data analysis was performed using SuperDecisions and BT TopSis SoLver software. According to the results of the AHP method,

Background and Purpose Today, sports clubs worldwide are entities established and managed primarily for economic purposes. These clubs select specific sports or athletic disciplines to generate financial benefits and become active in these areas. Additionally, clubs invest in building stadiums and work towards achieving top ranks in their chosen sports to maximize their income potential (1). All the activities of organizations and companies aimed at increasing revenue fall under the scope of marketing activities and programs. In fact, marketing is the primary method used by sports clubs to generate income. Consequently, understanding the strategies to improve the marketing efforts of clubs, developing marketing capabilities, and formulating well-structured marketing plans to attract more financial resources and enhance business performance can serve as effective solutions (2). However, the rapid growth of sports marketing has had a significant impact on the development of global sports. It has facilitated the generation of substantial financial flows, provided great potential for job creation, attracted foreign investment, created numerous advertising opportunities, and delivered extensive political, cultural, and social benefits for the stakeholders within the industry (3). Materials and Methods In terms of practical purpose, this research was descriptive-survey in its data collection method and mixed in its research approach. Thematic analysis was employed in the qualitative part, while the fuzzy Delphi method was applied in three rounds to validate the qualitative findings in the first quantitative phase (validation). In the second quantitative phase (model testing), the structural equation modeling method was utilized. The mixed research method was sequential exploratory,That is, first it was qualitative and then quantitative. The tools used in this research included: a) Qualitative phase tool: A semi-structured interview consisting of 4 open-ended questions. The semi-structured interview method allowed for open-ended exploration of the topics. b) Quantitative phase tool for validation: A questionnaire derived from the qualitative findings was utilized to validate the results from the qualitative phase..

The main objective of this study is to explain and present a model for the development of fan culture in sports clubs using the grounded theory approach. The research design is applied in nature and was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population of this study consisted of all managers of sports clubs in Shiraz, Iran. The participants were 20 key informants and experts, including university professors and executive sports managers, who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling methods. The research findings revealed that, in the open coding phase, a total of 200 initial open codes related to the development of fan culture were identified. Data analysis indicated the emergence of 49 concepts and 6 categories representing the challenges facing the development of fan culture in sports clubs. Grounded theory was employed to analyze the data, providing a systematic process for the development of informational categories (open coding), category development (axial coding), and the construction of a narrative to connect the categories (selective coding), concluding with a set of theoretical and interpretive propositions. Overall, based on the research findings, it can be stated that the model obtained in the present study represents a comprehensive and robust framework of strategies for the phenomenon of fan culture development. Progress in the area of assessing the potential for fan culture development requires an understanding of a conceptual model encompassing all influential and relevant factors in the discourse of cultural development. Therefore, the results of this study can enhance the awareness of researchers at macro, meso, and micro levels regarding the development of fan culture.

Introduction: Sports clubs primarily have the task of strengthening sports participation, creating a safe and accessible environment for all members of society, and must ensure that the public is economically and legally responsible and healthy. Also, for sports clubs to be recognized as socially responsible organizations, their focus must be on fulfilling commitments that have a significant impact on their community. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the social responsibility of sports clubs during the outbreak of Covid-19 virus. Method: The present research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive-analytical method, and qualitative-quantitative in terms of the nature of the data. The statistical population of this study included faculty members of sports management, sports managers, sports coaches, and athletes. The sampling method in this study was purposeful and available. Results: The results showed that sports clubs should take 34 social responsibilities in critical situations, especially the crisis of the Covid-19 virus outbreak. Conclusion: Because clubs are competing to attract customers and succeed in the local and national markets, sports clubs must prioritize and fulfill these responsibilities in order to have a competitive advantage and succeed.

Background and aim: Nowadays, moral crime is taking shape in all areas and social environments. Sports clubs also have a high potential for moral offenses due to their different groups of people. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting moral crime in Tehran's sports clubs. Research methodology: The present study is a survey research and its statistical population consists of all university lecturers, sport club managers and law enforcement managers in Tehran who have the essential knowledge in the field of sport and moral crime. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire designed to investigate the theoretical foundations of the research as well as the Delphi method among some research samples after confirming its validity and reliability. To analyze the data, the structural equation method with the PLS method was used. Findings: The findings show that all identified factors have a significant effect on the formation of moral crimes in Tehran's sports clubs. Meanwhile, managerial factors with the influence of 0. 5 are the most effective ones and political factors with the rate of 0. 115 have the least effect in creating moral crimes in Tehran's sports clubs. Conclusion: In order to manage ethical crimes in sports clubs, it is necessary to develop and implement some managerial practices, including the awareness, knowledge and skills of managers in crime management, as well as to improve the social and cultural commitment of club managers to promote club managements in dealing with or preventing moral crimes.

One aspect of sports is ethics, necessary to be paid attention. Clubs as a sports institution can proceed to institutionalize ethics in athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify functions of sports clubs to institutionalize ethics in athletes. The research method was qualitative from the type of exploratory one and from the perspective of aim, it was applicable and in terms of method was field research. The statistical population included insightful and informed experts in the field of ethics and ethics in sports. Samples were chosen through purposive and available sampling and snowball method. In this study, 11 samples were interviewed to reach theoretical saturation point. Instrument to collect data was depth interview, whose validity was examined based on accuracy in topic selection, designing, conduct and typing interviews, accurate transcription of interviews, incorporation of questions in interview in a logical order and accuracy in reports preparation. Its reliability was evaluated through retest method, and the reliability coefficient of the interviews was calculated 0/77. To analyze the data, codification was done through MAXQDA10 software. The results indicates totally 26 functions (12 regulative, 8 normative, 6 cognitive functions) of clubs to institutionalize ethics in athletes; So, by cognition, planning and creating some mechanisms for operating regulative, normative and cognitive functions in the sport clubs, the process of institutionalization of ethics in athletes could be facilitated and the ethics of sports clubs could be seen.

Introduction: The purpose of this research was to present the model of privatization of sports clubs in Iraq.Methods: The present study is of mixed type and its design is sequential exploratory. In the qualitative study, the research method was thematic analysis, and in the quantitative part, it was a survey. The participants of this research were experts in the qualitative part (university professors, managers and owners of Iraqi sports clubs) and in the quantitative part (staff of sports clubs and members of the Iraqi Basketball Federation). In the qualitative part, 17 people were selected purposefully, and in the quantitative part, 240 questionnaires were answered by easy sampling method. In this study, to check the quality and validity of the results of the qualitative part of the research, Lincoln and Gaba's (1985) evaluation indices, which include validity, transferability, reliability and verifiability, and Cronbach's alpha and construct validity were used in the quantitative part. Then, using Brown and Clark (2006) thematic analysis method, the qualitative information was analyzed, and in the quantitative part, the collected data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method.Findings: Through reviewing the interviews conducted with experts, finally 77 final concepts and based on the results of the relationships between the identified concepts, 12 sub-themes and five main themes under the title of context level, interaction level, support level, implementation level and the resulting surface was formed. Also, the results showed that the privatization of sports clubs in Iraq is subject to five levels, the lowest level is the underlying factors and the highest level is the output of the result level system.Conclusion: Based on this, it is necessary to pay the attention of managers and policy makers to the above-mentioned factors according to their roles in the privatization of sports clubs.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify, prioritize, and weight performance evaluation indexes of sports clubs.Methodology: This research was carried out in two steps. In the first step, indexes and sub-indexes of performance evaluation were recognized through consulting literature review and background of research, and 15 sport management experts and professors using Delphi process. In this step 6 indexes and 33 sub indexes were identified. In step two, relative weight and rank of each of indexes and sub indexes which were recognized in pervious step were analyzed in expert choice software with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique taking into consideration the views of 57 professors and club managers in Tehran.Results: Results showed that the most important indexes to evaluate the performance of the clubs in Tehran were human resources, financial resources, physical resources and equipment, environment, planning, organization and evaluation, technical affairs and sports, and the environment respectively. Also, most general sub-indexes were managerial stability, coaching stability, wages paid to players, coaches and staff, and quality of specialized staff club, set standards of performance evaluation respectively.Conclusion: Due to the importance of the most important indexes of the clubs in Tehran, according to sources at the club should be a priorit.

Service innovation is a critical dimension in creating value for sports clubs. This study aimed to explore the role of coaches in facilitating service innovation within sports clubs. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study was applied in nature and exploratory in purpose. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The research population included all coaches of individual and team sports in Kermanshah province. 17 participants were selected as representatives of coaches of sports clubs in Kermanshah province. Interviews were conducted using purposive and snowball sampling methods and continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through a six-phase thematic coding framework. To ensure the reliability of the coding process, intercoder agreement was assessed using Cohen’s Kappa coefficient, which yielded a value of 0. 84. To validate the findings, a peer debriefing strategy was employed, whereby a member of the research team reviewed the coding process and interpretation of interviews to ensure accuracy. The thematic analysis identified 14 sub-themes, which were categorized into three overarching themes: facilitating coinnovation, balancing creativity and constraints, and enhancing club value through creativity. The findings revealed that coaches act as key enablers of innovation by generating and applying ideas to navigate organizational constraints. Additionally, coaches contribute to value creation by advising management on strategies to diversify services and improve performance, ultimately enhancing both the operational efficiency and intrinsic value of the club.