Sport Management Studies

Presenting a Model for Developing an Environment for the Growth of Iranian Grassroots Football Talent

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

, Hasan Abbasi 1
Rasool Nazari 1
Rokhsareh Badami 2

1 Department of Sport Management , Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Department of Motor Behaviour, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22089/smrj.2025.17915.4148
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
Consequently, facilitating direct participation of players in Europe emerges as an effective football development strategy for East Asian nations. However, echoing Arsène Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, who noted that "Many talented youngsters waste their time on the benches of top teams instead of gathering experience on the pitch" (1). In fact, the development of players' technical and tactical skills occurs during childhood and adolescence and becomes a support for the adult age group (2). Crowley (2021) stated in her research that English clubs pay attention to the development of technical football skills at a young age and spend millions of pounds annually on identifying talent and developing grassroots football. The present study seeks to examine the dimensions of developing the talent development environment for grassroots football in Iran in order to help grassroots football experts consider this issue from various managerial aspects.
Materials and Methods
The present study is of a mixed type (qualitative-quantitative). Since we are seeking to discover new concepts, from the perspective of nature, it is exploratory-fundamental; from the perspective of approach, it is inductive; from the perspective of paradigm, it is interpretive-constructive paradigm; from the perspective of strategy, it is grounded theory with a constructivist approach; from the perspective of the scope of data collection, it is field and library; from the perspective of purpose, it is explanation and modeling; and from the perspective of information collection tools, it is in-depth interviews and theoretical studies. The statistical population in the qualitative phase was the experts in the field of football in the country, specifically, the instructors of the Football Federation, the managers of the country's prominent academies, and the national coaches of the grassroots levels, all of whom were proficient in the field of grassroots football, which led to the extraction and identification of variables. Finally, we reached theoretical saturation from the sampling method, so that 16 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with the experts to the theoretical saturation level. In the quantitative phase, the statistical population was all instructors, coaches, managers, and physical education teachers across the country. Hair et al. have suggested an approximate number of 5 to 15 people for each variable in the structural equation approach to estimate the research sample [4]; therefore, 15 people were considered for each component, and considering the possibility of dropout or non-response, 461 questionnaires were distributed and 271 of them were returned. Finally, 271 complete questionnaires were analyzed. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with 63 questions with a five-value Likert scale, which was prepared and used to collect data. In the quantitative part, the analyses were performed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method in SPSS.27 and Smart PLS.4 software.
Findings
Table (1) shows the values of Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, convergent validity and the results of the overall fit index of the model. The values of Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability of the variables are higher than 0.7, which indicates the appropriate reliability of the model. Since the values of the average variance extracted (AVE) criterion are greater than 0.5, the convergent validity is acceptable. According to the values in the table below, the appropriateness of the reliability and convergent validity of the research can be confirmed. According to the Fornell and Larcker method and the proposed matrix of this method, which examines the relationship between a construct and its indicators in comparison with the relationship between that construct and other constructs, and considering that a model has acceptable divergent validity if the numbers in the main diameter are greater than the values below it, the divergent validity of this model is acceptable according to the Fornell and Larker matrix and Table (1). Also, the goodness of fit (GOF) value of 0.635 indicated a strong fit of the overall model because the calculated goodness of fit value was greater than 0.36.


Conclusion
Studying the strategic plan for grassroots football in developed countries by the Iranian Football Development Working Group and localizing these programs based on the vision of Iran's football DNA, preparing a roadmap for the development of grassroots football in Iran and a coordinated system of football training are very important and urgent tasks for the managers of the Football Federation, all of which require transformation and injecting a new perspective into Iranian football. We must accept that in order to develop grassroots football, we need to develop infrastructure. The presence of world-renowned experts, coaches and players and modeling the professional thinking of these capable human resources can, along with standardizing the training topics of coaching courses and supporting provincial football boards with new educational approaches, help develop grassroots football and ultimately professional football in the country.
Article Message
Studying the strategic plans of grassroots football in developed countries, localizing these programs based on the "Football DNA" vision of Iran, and preparing a development roadmap for grassroots football along with a standardized system of football training are among the most critical measures for the development of grassroots football in the country. Furthermore, standardizing the curricula for coaching courses, leveraging professional expertise, and supporting innovative educational approaches can significantly contribute to the development of grassroots football and, ultimately, the country's professional football landscape.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical considerations were strictly observed throughout this study.
Authors’ Contributions
All authors contributed equally to the design, implementation, and writing of this study.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Acknowledgments
The authors express their sincere gratitude to all individuals who assisted in data collection and analysis, particularly the stakeholders and experts who participated in the interviews and consultation processes. We also extend our appreciation to all relevant institutions and organizations that supported this research.

Keywords

Development
Construction-Oriented
Grassroots Football
Talent Development Environment
Structural Equations
Subjects
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Sport Management Studies
Volume 18, Issue 97 - Serial Number 97
July and August 2026
Pages 61-82

  • Receive Date 03 April 2025
  • Revise Date 12 May 2025
  • Accept Date 10 June 2025

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