Designing the model of cultural development of Iran's professional sports clubs

 Introduction
Culture is understood as one of the necessities of today's societies, and its valuable position has led to efforts to improve it. Culture is clearly one of the needs of human societies today. Due to ethnic and cultural differences, Iranian society needs many educational fields in order to be able to enjoy good and healthy cultural communications and to provide a kind of social interaction with peace and social comfort. Cultural intolerance and tolerance towards different ethnicities can provide grounds for the formation of conflict, division and discrimination, in which case both the majority society and ethnic and religious minorities are affected by its negative effects. However, the lack of indigenous models in the path of cultural development and excellence in professional clubs, especially in Iran, has caused serious concern about improving culture in this area today. On the other hand, the lack of local models in this regard has prevented serious solutions from being formed in the direction of the cultural growth and development of professional clubs in Iran, which could be due to the lack of serious studies in this regard. This is while the social functions of professional sports can form conditions for the development of cultural issues, both positively and negatively. In a way that from a positive perspective; professional clubs can provide the basis for cultural excellence at the community level as cultural propagators. Also, from a negative perspective; professional clubs can provide the basis for harming the cultural field in sports by presenting and displaying false cultural patterns. With this in mind, the present study was designed and implemented with the aim of designing a cultural development model for professional sports clubs in Iran. Therefore, the question of the present study is what is the cultural development model for professional sports clubs in Iran?
 Methodology
The present research approach is qualitative and is conducted using the grounded theory method. The grounded theory method is usually implemented in three ways: systematic, emergent, and adaptive (constructivist). In the present study, the systematic method attributed to Strauss and Corbin was used to analyze the data. The systematic method itself has three main stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The statistical population of this study includes referees, players, coaches, club managers, media people, academic experts and specialists, and senior managers and policymakers in the field of professional sports who were selected using purposive or theoretical sampling. The selection criteria for these individuals were their sports, managerial, and cultural backgrounds. A list of these individuals was prepared, which included 55 people. Then, correspondence was conducted with all of them, and out of these, 25 people expressed their willingness. Then, interviews were conducted with them in order of the list. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the interviews were conducted in the form of text files via email, WhatsApp or Telegram, and some were also conducted by telephone and video call. In this study, 17 people were interviewed, and from interview 14 onwards, repetition was observed in the information received, and from interview 15 onwards, the data was completely repetitive and reached theoretical saturation; but for certainty, it was continued until interview 17.
 Results
Based on the identified open codes, core codes were formed and a theoretical model was developed using selective coding, then the paradigmatic model was approved by experts. The cultural development pattern of professional clubs in Iran, influenced by strategic planning, managers' attitudes and communication, and by considering the proposed strategies (media, education, effective mechanisms, and women's sports), which are influenced by the underlying conditions (laws and regulations, infrastructure, and organizational structure) as well as intervening conditions (task overlap, societal culture, economy, and the nature of the club), can lead to the development of culture.
 Discussion
The valuable and key position of culture in the field of sports has led today to researchers in the field of sports trying to plan for the improvement and cultural excellence in the field of sports. Among the various dimensions of sports; professional sports, due to its valuable position, have an important role in the growth and excellence of sports. Improving the level of culture among groups and individuals is understood as one of the important and key indicators of developed countries. Today, extensive efforts have been made to improve the level of culture in various countries, and various researchers have tried to create evidence in this area. Creating local models for the development of culture in professional clubs can partially fill the gap in scientific planning in this regard. This issue has led to the design and implementation of the present study with the aim of designing a model for the cultural development of professional sports clubs in Iran.
 Conclusion
According to the results of this study, it is suggested to use the media capacities in this regard for the cultural development of professional clubs in Iran. For this purpose, it is suggested to improve the educational content in the field of special culture of professional clubs in Iran to provide conditions for the cultural development of professional clubs in Iran. According to the results of this study, it is suggested to provide conditions for the cultural development of professional clubs in Iran by emphasizing procedural justice in the field of management and planning of sports activities and appropriate and fair coverage of men's and women's sports. Also, according to the results of this study, it is suggested to provide conditions for the cultural development of professional clubs in Iran by introducing, interviewing and celebrating athletes, coaches and moral fans in the media. According to the results of this study, it is suggested to provide conditions for the cultural development of professional clubs in Iran by annually evaluating clubs based on the level of achievement of cultural goals and also encouraging and punishing clubs based on the results obtained. Also, according to the results of this study, it is suggested to organize institutions and interpreters active in decision-making and implementation of cultural affairs in sports, as well as to include a cultural clause in players' contracts and create guarantees in this regard, to provide conditions for the cultural development of professional clubs in Iran.
Keywords: cultural model, professional clubs, model, sports, Iran