Identification of Components of Iran Football National Brand Excellence Model

 The aim of this study was to identify the components of football national brand excellence model in Iran. The study was carried out using exploratory mixed designs in two sections of qualitative method and quantitative method respectively. In the qualitative section, based on the grounded method theory, data were collected by interviews with 25 experts. Microscopic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. In the quantitative section, the population consisted of all football experts and 384 subjects were considered as the sample. A researcher-made questionnaire based on qualitative findings was used to collect data. After the experts verified the face and content validity of the questionnaire, its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha (0.91). All data were analyzed using SPSS/19 and Lisrel/8.54 software packages. With open, axial, and selective coding, 272 initial codes, 55 concepts, 12 categories, and finally 6 classes were organized. The model of components of Iran football national brand excellence model had a good fit. In general, the presidents of the Iran Football Association are recommended to consider the listed characteristics in order to excel the Iran football national brand.