STUDYING THE PROMOTION OF FUTSAL CLUB COMPETITIONS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE OF IRAQ

Abstract

Recently, prestigious leagues and the promotion of sports competitions are being studied as an indicator of development in sports in countries. Therefore, the overall aim of this research is to design a model for the promotion of futsal club competitions in the Iraqi Premier League. The method of this research was qualitative; the grounded theory method based on the Strauss and Corbin method was used to build the conceptual model of the research. The participants of this research were university professors in the field of sports management, sports marketers, heads and vice heads of sports organizations, managers, coaches, veterans and experts in Iraqi sports, and line and staff managers of sports federations. The sampling method was purposeful and accessible. In the present study, theoretical saturation was achieved after conducting 18 interviews. The tool of this research was in-depth interviews. The interview questions were open-ended in order to clarify the issue from the interviewees' language. Based on the results of the qualitative data analysis from the interviews, the paradigmatic model was presented, including: causal conditions (cooperation and transfer of performance experiences, planning and structural reform, and standard design of sports venues), background conditions (sports motivation and examination of the technical-functional status), pivotal phenomenon (indicators of the promotion of futsal competitions), intervening conditions (technical factors, financial factors, media factors), strategies (sustainable development, evaluation and formulation of rules, improvement of education and talent acquisition, and promotion of sports marketing), and consequences (improvement of service delivery, improvement of performance, and economic and environmental improvement). According to the results of the research, it is suggested to the managers of the organizations in charge of Iraqi sports, especially the Football Federation, to establish a system of brainstorming sessions with the presence of past and current officials and organizers of the Premier League competitions, to lead to the transfer and sharing of knowledge of holding competitions. In addition, by focusing on the construction of sports halls and venues with methods compatible with the environment and the country's culture and tradition, they lead to the display of values ​​and encouragement of sports lovers.