Designing a Grounded Theory Model of Factors Affecting Coach Selection in the Iranian Premier Football League
Keywords:
coach selection; grounded theory; professional competence; football governanceAbstract
Background: Selecting a coach in professional football is a strategic managerial decision that affects technical performance, organizational stability, public legitimacy, and long-term club development. The Iranian Premier Football League requires a context-sensitive model that explains how coach-selection decisions are formed and how they can be professionalized. Objective: This study aimed to design a grounded theory model of factors affecting coach selection in the Iranian Premier Football League. Methods: A qualitative grounded theory design based on the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with football executives, head coaches, coaches, agents, players, and sport-management experts. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Theoretical saturation was reached after 17 interviews, and 20 interviews were completed to enrich the data. Interviews were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding using constant comparison. Coding trustworthiness was supported by expert review and inter-coder reliability assessment. Results: The analysis identified approximately 175 initial codes that were refined into 116 non-repetitive open codes, 28 subcategories, and 15 main categories. These categories were organized into six paradigmatic dimensions: causal conditions, core phenomenon, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. The model shows that professional competence and individual characteristics influence coach selection, while organizational structure, social context, informal influence, and competitive pressure shape the decision environment. The main strategies were structured evaluation, professional decision-making, and interaction management. Conclusion: The model provides a practical framework for clubs and football authorities to make coach selection more evidence-based, transparent, merit-oriented, and development-focused.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Maryam Tavakkoli, Arefeh Jamshidi (Author); Mostafa Soltani (Corresponding Author); Seyed Sajjad Hosseini, Narges Ghelich Afshar (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
