Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• freyedon ahmadi ¹
• reza shafei ²

¹ , associate professor, management department , payame noor university , Tehran Iran ,

² Associate Professor, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

The proliferation of digital technologies has transformed the marketing practices of professional sports clubs from mere media activities into a strategic organizational issue involving governance and decision-making. This study aimed to design and evaluate a digital marketing policy model for professional clubs in Iran. The research was conducted using a mixed-methods sequential exploratory design. In the qualitative phase, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 experts in sports management, digital marketing, and club administration, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results identified 36 indicators, 9 components, and three main dimensions. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-made questionnaire was developed based on the qualitative findings and distributed using stratified random sampling. Out of 220 distributed questionnaires, 200 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that the model comprises three dimensions: Digital Infrastructure and Governance, Strategic and Operational, and Consequential and Value Creation. Digital Infrastructure (β=0.642) and Digital Governance (β=0.518) had a positive and significant effect on Content Management. Content Management exhibited the strongest effect on Fan Engagement (β=0.735). Furthermore, Fan Engagement positively and significantly influenced Fan Loyalty (β=0.689) and Digital Revenue Generation (β=0.592), while Fan Loyalty had a significant positive impact on Brand Equity (β=0.710). The results indicate that the effectiveness of digital marketing in professional clubs requires integrating technological and governance capacities with purposeful content management and building sustainable fan relationships. Therefore, the proposed model provides a framework for coherent, fan-centric, and value-creating policymaking in Iranian professional sports clubs.

Keywords

• sports policy
• digital marketing
• professional clubs
• digital governance
• fan engagement
• professional sport

Main Subjects

• Sports management, marketing