Research in Sports Management and Movement Behavior

Factors Determining The Enhancement Of Brand Equity In Private Sports Clubs: An Analysis Of Causal Relationships Using ISM

Authors

Farhad Farzan moghadam 1
rasool Norouzi Seyed Hossini 2
Mina Mostahfezian 3

1 Ph.D. Student of Sport Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Sport Management ,Tarbaiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Associate Professor of Sport Management, Sport medicine research center, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.

Abstract
Aim: To remain competitive in the sports industry, enhancing brand equity has become a crucial issue for private sports clubs. Accordingly, understanding the causal relationships of the determinants of enhancing brand equity in private sports clubs is essential.

Methods: The method of this research is mixed (qualitative and quantitative). In the qualitative section, the research strategy is grounded theory with an emerging approach, and in the quantitative section, it is interpretive structural modeling. The participants in this research consisted of experts in the field of marketing and sports marketing. A purposive sampling method was used for sampling, and based on this, 15 people were selected. The data collection tool in the qualitative section was a semi-structured interview, and in the quantitative section, it was a 10×10 square matrix. The qualitative data were analyzed with three stages of open, selective, and theoretical coding, and the quantitative data were analyzed with the interpretive structural modeling method and MICMAC analysis.

Result: The findings showed 10 general determinants related to enhancing brand equity in private sports clubs.

Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that enhancing brand equity in private sports clubs is a complex and multidimensional process, shaped by multiple factors operating at different levels. To effectively strengthen their brand equity, clubs must adopt a comprehensive approach that considers these factors and develop appropriate strategies tailored to each of them.

Keywords

Brand Equity
Private Sports Clubs
Customer Mindset
Interpretive Structural Model
Grounded theory
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Research in Sports Management and Movement Behavior
Volume 15, Issue 30 - Serial Number 46
December 2025
Pages 122-147