The Analysis of Barriers Influencing Sustainable Performance of Iran Football Industry

The aim of this study was to analyze those factors affecting sustainable performance of Iran football industry. Considering the exploratory nature of the research, qualitative research method was used to identify the most important factors related to the research topic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 experts. Using grounded theory, the research sample was selected as a combination of theoretical sampling method and snowball sampling. The results identified 53 barriers in 7 sectors which affected sustainable performance of the Iran football industry: sport and technology, infrastructure and equipment, revenue and business, media broadcasting and fan support, legal and regulatory, policy making and organizational, managerial and human resources. In order to have a sustainable performance in sport and income and business sectors, special attention should be paid to eliminate the above barriers. In addition, the findings showed that a series of actions should be taken by internal and external factors such as managers active in the institutions of Iran football industry and the Ministry of Sport and Youth and Islamic Consultative Assembly and other relevant institutions in order to overcome these obstacles.