Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Sport Management department, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Tabriz

2 Department of Sport Management Faculty of Physical Education & Sport Sciences,University of Tabriz , Tabriz, IRAN

3 Department of Sport Management Faculty of Physical Education & Sport Sciences,University of Tabriz , Tabriz, IRAN

Abstract

This research aims to explain a Comprehensive model of attracting and retaining sponsors in sports. The present study was applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of the type of data collected, using the constructivist grounded theory method. Participants consisted of faculty members in sports management, economics, management, and managers of sports organizations. The snowball sampling method was used to employ and select participants, with data reaching theoretical saturation after 18 in-depth semi-structured interviews. The obtained data were analyzed using the grounded theory coding method with a constructivist approach. The research findings include factors influencing the attraction and retention of sponsors in sports (organizational-managerial factors, economic factors, sports factors, and media factors), trends affecting the attraction and retention of sponsors in sports (technological-media trends, economic trends, socio-cultural trends, and international trends), barriers affecting the attraction and retention of sponsors in sports (human resource barriers, financial-economic barriers, cultural-social barriers, and infrastructural-technical barriers), and finally, strategies influencing the attraction and retention of sponsors in sports (marketing-economic strategies, attitudinal-supportive strategies, legal-media strategies, human-social strategies, and managerial-executive strategies). The presented framework logically and systematically shows the relationship between factors, trends, barriers, and strategies, and can provide valuable guidance to sports officials for improving the situation of attracting and retaining sponsors.

Keywords