Identification of the Most Important Stakeholders of Iranian Football Premier League Clubs

The purpose of this study was to identify the most important stakeholders in the Iranian Football Premier League clubs. The research method exploratory and in terms of data collection, it was descriptive and conducted mixe method. In the first stage, the elicitation of different types of stakeholders was done by examining theoretical foundations and key interviewees from football experts and stakeholders of the Iranian Football League were selected and then a questionnaire containing the first stage output was developed. The statistical population of the research was compiled by all the football experts and stakeholders of the Iranian Football League, which according to the size of the uncertain population, 190 persons were randomly selected as statistical sample. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by exploratory factor analysis. Data analysis and stakeholder prioritization were performed using TOPSIS method. The results of the study showed that the main stakeholders of the Iranian Football Premier League clubs are coaches group, players, league organization, club board members, team executives, sponsors, radio and television, organizations and companies owned by the team and the Iranian Football Federation. The priorities of other groups were slight and small. Therefore, the results and findings of this research can be used as an applied model for developing appropriate strategies for stakeholders in order to provide their benefits, and this leads to the creation of a new knowledge for strategic decision makers to improve and excellence of football clubs.