DESIGNING A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED SPORTS MARKETING MODEL FOR SMALL VENUES
In recent years, attention to small neighborhood-based venues as a key element in the development of sports, physical activities, and social interactions within local communities has increased. Managers of professional and university sports organizations must effectively address challenges such as high costs, intensely competitive markets, growing fan dissatisfaction, severed relationships, and the rapid growth of new technologies to survive in the sports business environment. The objective of this study was to design a neighborhood-based sports marketing model using mixed marketing theory. This research employed a descriptive-correlational study design with structural equation modeling. The research population consisted of coaches and active professionals in small sports venues, with 256 participants in the study in 2001. Participants completed a questionnaire on marketing small sports venues. The data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares method in SmartPLS. The results revealed that all marketing variables, including process, pricing, positioning, product, place, promotion, and public relations, had a direct and significant impact on mixed marketing and subsequent economic and social outcomes. In other words, this model was validated, and marketing components had a significant influence on the economic and social outcomes of small neighborhood-based venues. The findings of this study can enhance marketing strategies and decision-making processes for managers of small venues, ultimately leading to better engagement and participation of local communities in sports activities.
Sports Marketing, Small Venues, Neighborhood-based, PLS.