Identifying the Problems and Challenges of Economic Management in Iranian Professional Football Clubs

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the problems and challenges of economic management in Iranian professional football clubs.Methodology: This research was a qualitative content analysis that sought to provide a comprehensive picture of the categories related to the problems and challenges of economic management of professional football clubs using a thematic approach. For this purpose, open and semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in the field of football management. The research population formed experts familiar with the subject of the research. The participants were selected for interviews using purposive sampling and snowball sampling, and ۱۴ interviews were conducted until the theoretical saturation of the data was reached.Findings: According to the results, seven categories were identified for the problems (lack of club philosophy, weakness in human resource accounting, absence of a transfer strategy, poor fan management, neglect or insufficient attention to youth football, lack of knowledge about the football industry, and poor club brand management) and six categories for the challenges (nature of the football industry, economic challenges, cultural challenges, political challenges, fan fanaticism, and financial governance of the league organization).Originality: Although a considerable amount of research has been conducted in various areas of Iranian football, such as marketing, branding, and privatization, the extent of research addressing economic management and examining the problems and challenges in this area still needs to be improved. This study, by identifying this research gap, seeks to provide a clear picture of the current state of economic management in Iranian professional football clubs, diagnose the weaknesses, issues, and flaws in the current practices of these clubs, and analyze the challenges that professional clubs face within Iran’s unique political and economic environment, to help to address the existing situation.

کلیدواژه ها:

Club Cost Control ، Club Economic Management ، Football Management