دانشگاه اصفهان مطالعات وقف و امور خیریه 3115-7475 4 2 2026 09 23 Institutionalizing Waqf-Based Participation in Iran’s Sports Economy: A Qualitative Study الگوی نهادینه‌سازی مشارکت وقف‌محور در اقتصاد ورزش ایران: مطالعۀ کیفی 43 72 30753 10.22108/ecs.2026.149183.1198 FA اصغر حسینی نژاد دانشجوی دکتری مدیریت ورزشی، دانشکدۀ علوم ورزشی، واحد اصفهان (خوراسگان)، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، اصفهان، ایران داود نصر اصفهانی استادیار گروه مدیریت ورزشی، دانشکدۀ علوم ورزشی، واحد اصفهان (خوراسگان)، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، اصفهان، ایران Journal Article 2026 06 04 Introduction Iran’s sports economy faces persistent structural challenges, particularly its heavy reliance on government funding and unstable financial resources (Reghbati et al., 2019). Public budgets alone cannot ensure the sustainable development of sport, especially in grassroots participation, infrastructure, youth development, and equitable access. At the same time, sport has evolved into a significant social, cultural, and economic domain with implications for public health, social cohesion, and human development. This expanded role highlights the need for stable and participatory financing mechanisms (Amenta & Ramsey, 2010). Within this context, waqf represents a valuable yet underutilized institutional capacity. Historically, waqf has contributed to public goods provision and social solidarity in Islamic and Iranian traditions. In sport, its potential extends beyond financial support to fostering community participation and long-term value creation. However, waqf in Iran’s sports economy remains fragmented and largely dependent on individual initiatives rather than an organized framework (Essareh-Nejad Dezfuli & Jamali Gundamani, 2025). The lack of a coherent institutional model constitutes a significant scholarly and practical gap. Accordingly, this study aimed to design a model for institutionalizing waqf-based participation in Iran’s sports economy. Methodology This study adopted a qualitative approach using Charmaz’s (2008) constructivist grounded theory. This method was considered appropriate because the phenomenon under investigation is complex, contextual, and socially constructed, requiring an interpretive understanding grounded in the perspectives of informed actors. The study sought not merely to describe the condition of waqf in sport, but to generate a conceptual model based on the experiences, interpretations, and insights of stakeholders involved in sport, philanthropy, law, and governance. The participants included 17 experts and knowledgeable actors from fields relevant to the research topic, including sport management, sociology, public administration, legal affairs, technology, charity institutions, religious expertise, and sport-related philanthropy. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, followed by snowball sampling to identify additional informants with relevant expertise. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviews focused on key themes such as the current state of sport financing, the opportunities and barriers associated with waqf in sports, the institutional and legal requirements for expanding endowment-based participation, the role of trust and transparency, and the significance of digital infrastructure and public culture in sustaining participation. Data analysis was conducted simultaneously with data collection and proceeded through three stages: initial coding, focused coding, and axial coding. Constant comparison was used throughout the analytical process to refine codes, develop categories, and identify conceptual relationships. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, the study applied Guba and Lincoln’s criteria, including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. In addition, test–retest reliability was calculated and reached 80%, indicating acceptable consistency in the coding and interpretation process. Findings The analysis yielded 162 initial codes and 18 subcategories, which were organized into six axial categories forming the final model of institutionalizing waqf-based participation in Iran’s sports economy. The first category, trust-building and legitimacy enhancement, highlights the central role of public confidence in the success of waqf in sport. Participants emphasized the importance of transparent reporting, accountable implementation, and credible communication of outcomes. Trust was identified as the foundation upon which sustainable participation depends. The second category, institutional–legal organization and governance, reflects the need for coordinated structures and supportive regulations. The findings showed that administrative fragmentation, overlapping responsibilities, and legal ambiguity discourage participation and reduce the effectiveness of waqf initiatives. Clear governance arrangements and inter-organizational coordination were therefore seen as essential. The third category, digitalization and traceability, demonstrates that digital tools are critical for modernizing waqf participation in sport. Participants stressed the value of integrated platforms, real-time monitoring, traceable spending, and personalized dashboards for donors and endowers. Such mechanisms increase transparency, accessibility, and efficiency. The fourth category, broadening participation, points to the necessity of moving beyond traditional large-scale endowments. The participants proposed diverse and flexible forms of participation, including micro-endowments, periodic contributions, collective funding models, and contributions based on time, expertise, or services. This category reflects an effort to democratize participation and make waqf more inclusive. The fifth category, cultural development and collective networking, underlines the importance of transforming waqf from an occasional individual act into a socially embedded norm. Education, public awareness, media engagement, stakeholder collaboration, and symbolic recognition were identified as central to creating a supportive participatory culture. The sixth category, social and economic value creation, indicates that waqf-based participation must generate visible outcomes to remain legitimate and sustainable. These outcomes include improved access to sport, support for youth and community well-being, increased social justice, and greater financial resilience within the sports economy. Discussion and Conclusion Institutionalizing waqf-based participation in Iran’s sports economy is a multidimensional process extending beyond fundraising. It requires trust, coherent governance, technological infrastructure, inclusive participation mechanisms, cultural support, and measurable impact. Trust emerged as the most fundamental dimension, while governance fragmentation was identified as a major barrier. Digitalization links accountability with accessibility and modernizes traditional endowment practices. Expanding participation through flexible formats can connect broader segments of society to sport development, provided that visible social and economic benefits are achieved. Overall, the proposed model offers a theoretically grounded and practical framework for policymakers, waqf institutions, and sport managers to transition toward a coordinated and impact-oriented system that strengthens financial sustainability and promotes equity in Iran’s sports economy. هدف از پژوهش حاضر طراحی الگوی نهادینه‌سازی مشارکت وقف‌محور در اقتصاد ورزش ایران است. این پژوهش با رویکرد کیفی و راهبرد نظریۀ داده‌بنیاد ساخت‌گرای چارمز انجام شد. داده‌ها از طریق ۱۷ مصاحبۀ عمیق با خبرگان (مدیریت ورزشی، جامعه‌شناسی، حقوق اوقاف و خیرین) جمع‌آوری شد که به‌ صورت هدفمند و با روش گلوله‌برفی انتخاب شده ‌بودند و فرایند گردآوری داده‌ها تا دست‌یابی به پنج شاخص کلیدی کفایت اطلاعاتی ادامه یافت. تحلیل داده‌ها در سه مرحلۀ کدگذاری اولیه، متمرکز و محوری انجام شد و اعتباریابی یافته‌ها از طریق معیارهای گوبا و لینکلن و پایایی بازآزمون (۸۰ درصد) تایید شد. تحلیل داده‌ها به شناسایی 162 کد اولیه و 18 مقولۀ خرد منجر شد که در قالب ۶ کد محوری شامل ۱. اعتمادپذیرسازی و مشروعیت‌بخشی، ۲. سامان‌دهی نهادی‑حقوقی و حکمرانی، ۳. دیجیتالی‌سازی و پیگیری‌پذیری، ۴. فراگیرسازی مشارکت (خردسازی و تنوع قالب‌ها)، ۵. فرهنگ‌سازی و شبکه‌سازی جمعی و ۶. ارزش‌آفرینی اجتماعی و اقتصادی دسته‌بندی شدند. یافته‌ها نشان داد نهادینه‌سازی وقف در ورزش فراتر از تأمین مالی، فرایندی چندبُعدی است که از تلاقی شفافیت، حکمرانی هماهنگ و زیرساخت‌های دیجیتال شکل می‌گیرد. الگوی پیشنهادی با ترکیب شفافیت، حکمرانی هماهنگ و ابزارهای فناوری‌محور، گذار از وقف سنتی به مشارکت وقف‌محورِ هوشمند و اثرمحور را تسهیل می‌کند و سیاست‌گذاران و مدیران ورزشی می‌توانند از آن به‌ عنوان نقشه‌راهی برای تنوع‌بخشی به منابع مالی و ارتقای عدالت ورزشی استفاده کنند.

https://ecs.ui.ac.ir/article_30753_7dddd4f677917503b038577249a8a19b.pdf