‘Scientific’ analysis for football of Izmir

Izmir University of Economics (IUE) and Izmir Sports Clubs Association Foundation (IZVAK) have taken action to increase the economic, cultural, and social contributions of football clubs to the city. A formal agreement was signed between the two institutions aiming to accelerate the development of football in Izmir and produce projects that will serve as examples for Turkey. As part of this collaboration, achieved in Izmir, a true football city with 9 teams in professional leagues, a team of 7 academics within the IEU EKOKENT Research and Application Center has been established. IUE academics, with expertise in various fields such as sociology, communication, economics, and urban planning, have begun data analysis and fieldwork.

In a project targeted to be completed in 8 months, the added value of football clubs to Izmir will be analyzed in detail for the first time from a scientific perspective. Subsequently, projects will be implemented to enhance the contribution of football clubs to the city's brand value, recognition, and economy.

WE ARE HAPPY TO BE STAKEHOLDERS

Following the goodwill protocol signed between IUE and IZVAK in December, the official contract was signed by IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hakan Abacıoğlu, IZVAK President Ali Erten and Acting President Talat Papatya. Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the IUE Board of Trustees Hall, Rector Abacıoğlu started his speech by congratulating Göztepe on promotion to the Super League. Pointing out that Izmir is one of Turkey's leading cities in sports, Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu said that, as a University, they are happy to be a stakeholder in such an important study.

THE WORKS WILL PROCEED IN THREE STAGES

Sharing details about the project, Prof. Dr. Burak Doğu, the Director of the Regional Development, City, and Environment Research and Application Center (EKOKENT) at Izmir University of Economics, said, “We will analyze the impacts of Izmir football clubs on local development economically, socially, and spatially. We will start by reviewing academic studies on the impact of sports clubs on local development globally and identify best practices. Then, based on existing data sets and secondary sources, we will conduct a study. Finally, we will carry out field surveys and in-depth interviews, consolidating them in a spatial mapping study. Additionally, we will conduct a simulation study based on historical data to develop a model adaptable to different sports clubs. The results we will obtain will also form the basis for future projects.”

WE HAVE A GREAT TREASURE

Ali Erten, the President of IZVAK, emphasized the significance of the study for Izmir, the city with the second-highest number of teams in professional football leagues after Istanbul. Stating that the results of the study will be shared with city officials, clubs, and sponsors, Erten said, “We wanted to show scientifically what football clubs in a city mean economically for that city. We thought that the best partner for this could be Izmir University of Economics. We shared our idea and Izmir University of Economics welcomed it very positively. We are very happy to have improved our cooperation each day and brought it to this point. The results we obtain will be guiding in many aspects. We will scientifically determine what a great treasure we have in football. Our project is also followed with excitement by the Turkish Football Federation. I believe that when the study is completed, we will achieve very valuable results for Turkish football.”

ALL CLUBS ARE VALUABLE AND INDISPENSABLE FOR IZMIR

Emphasizing the contribution of football clubs to Izmir's brand value, Talat Papatya, the Acting President of IZVAK, said, “Göztepe brought joy to our city by being promoted to the Super League again. I congratulate Göztepe and hope that their success will continue. In addition, we currently have teams that are struggling to advance to the next league by qualifying for the play-offs. After Göztepe, we are ready for new successes. I wholeheartedly wish success to our teams. All clubs are valuable and indispensable for Izmir. The development of football in Izmir means the development of the city at the same time. It means development of many sectors from accommodation to transportation. Every project we do for football is an important step taken for the future of Izmir. We continue our work with this awareness. We implemented the project we initiated together with IUE based on this idea. We await the results of the study with curiosity.”