Introduction
Sports organizations are entertainment providers, but they also need to consider branding if they want to succeed in the world of competitive sports. From this vantage point, their primary objective is to comprehend their customers and supporters and work to meet their needs and desires (Brunello, 2018). Successful sports teams see themselves as brands, especially in international markets, and the modern world is the setting for the presence of brands that, in addition to controlling their markets, inspire consumers and build value for their shareholders. They contribute to the social sense of commitment and purpose, and by making ideas and innovations known in the international trade sphere, they enhance the reputation of their country and nation (Sajjadi et al., 2013). In the modern world, big teams are competing with domestic teams and teams from other leagues to attract the media. Big teams are also interested in bringing more spectators to the stadium through marketing strategies and as a result, the clubs' revenue will rise (Vahdati et al., 2012).
Football as a sport provides a thorough understanding of how various factors, including sports commercial brands (Rajabzadeh et al., 2017). The brand of football teams, in addition to professional sports teams, undoubtedly plays a special role in elevating the status of teams on a national and international level. Major clubs can make significant financial and intellectual gains by managing their brand. One of the barriers to investment and financial support in Iran's sports industry is the lack of recognition and poor credibility of the brand of the country's professional clubs and leagues on a national and international level (Abdollahzadeh and Toli, 2016). Brand credibility is the value and acceptability of the brand in the organization based on three customer-focused dimensions; it should be competent and innovative, reliable and able to attract customers over the long term, attractive and entertaining, and worth the cost to the consumer; in this instance, it has the necessary credibility with the customer.
 
Methodology
The method is mixed (quantitative and qualitative); in the qualitative section, the Glaser grounded theory was applied. Confirmatory factor analysis was used in conjunction with the structural equation modeling approach in the quantitative section.
Professors in the fields of marketing management, sports management, sports marketing specialists, managers and officials of Premier League football clubs, and representatives from league organizations make up the population of the current study's qualitative section. The research's statistics only represent a small portion of the Premier League clubs' customers (fans and spectators) who were chosen through the stratified sampling method.
 
Results
Selective coding
The process involved merging the various categories that were expressed during the axial coding stage, performing a general analysis, and then developing the conceptual model of the study based on the results of this analysis. The four categories that were extracted during the axial coding stage are listed below under the broad heading "influential factors,".
 
Table (5) measurement model indicators of factors affecting the branding of Premier League clubs




Indicators


Name


Abbreviation


Final model


Accepted fit




Fit indices


Goodness-of-fit index


GFI


0.948


Greater than 0.90




Adjusted goodness-of-fit


AGFI


0.917


Greater than 0.90




Absolute fit indices


Normed fit index


NFI


0.922


Greater than 0.90




Comparative fit index


CFI


0.954


Greater than 0.90




Relative Fit Index


RFI


0.912


Greater than 0.90




Incremental Fit Index


IFI


0.955


Greater than 0.90




parsimonious normed fit index


PNFI


0.674


Greater than 0.50




Parsimony fit indices


root mean square error of approximation


RMSEA


0.059


Less than 0.10




discrepancy divided by degree of freedom


CMIN/df


2.258


between 1 and 3




 
The assumed model compiled by the research data is supported, or put another way, the fit is established and all of the generality evaluation indices of the structural equation model are within their optimal range. The indicators, which are a component of the chi-square to degree of freedom ratio, show how desirable the elements influencing Premier League football clubs' branding are.
 
Conclusion
In order to combat social ills like addiction and social abnormality among young people, branding can be helpful. The findings of this study demonstrated that there are four categories of factors that influence the branding of Premier League clubs, including cultural aspects, fan communication, the club's popularity and credibility, and the effectiveness of the club's public relations. Iranian clubs don't appear to have done particularly well in terms of club cultural activities.
It should be noted that in the context of the effect of fan communication on club branding, activities like the existence of fan systems, the issuance of fan cards, and the free participation of fans in club team trainings lead to the feeling of empathy among fans with each other, the club, and the players, and the level of engagement with the club increases. In doing so, it aims to grow and strengthen the club's brand by boosting its popularity and backing. A positive relationship with the public can boost the club brand's popularity, reputation, and acceptance. It can also increase the number of fans. Considering this, it would appear necessary to create robust platforms for fan attraction and mutual communication between club agents and fans in order to brand clubs. A positive relationship with the public can boost the club brand's popularity, reputation, and acceptance. It can also increase the number of fans. Considering this, it would appear necessary to create robust platforms for fan attraction and mutual communication between club agents and fans in order to brand clubs.