Human Resource Management in Sports

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Designing a talent management model for Iranian football referees

Authors

1 Department of Physical Education, Ra. C., Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran

2 Department of Physical Education, BaA.C., Islamic Azad University, Bandar Anzali, Iran

3 Department of Physical Education, La. C., Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a talent management model for Iranian football referees.

Methodology:This research is descriptive-survey in nature and follows a mixed-methods approach (qualitative content analysis and the Delphi technique). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 experts (including members of the Football Federation, the Referees Committee, international referees, and university professors) and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The extracted components were then evaluated and consolidated through a two-round Delphi questionnaire administered to the same experts.

Findings: The final model of referee talent management was designed in three main stages:

1) Talent Discovery (including sub-stages of attraction, training/engagement, and final selection), 2) Talent Development (emphasizing technical, psychological, and technological training), and 3) Talent Retention and Support (focusing on fairness, material and spiritual support, and job security).

The model also incorporates the possibility of returning to previous stages to ensure quality preservation.

Conclusion: The proposed model provides a comprehensive and localized framework for systematizing the processes of identifying, developing, and retaining elite football referees in Iran. Implementing this model can help train competent referees for officiating at national and international levels and ultimately lead to an overall improvement in the quality of refereeing in the country.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Human Resource Management in Sports
Volume 13, Issue 2
August 2026
Pages 463-485
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