Sportive, financial and administrative analysis of University Sports Leagues in Turkey

This research focuses on the University Sports Leagues, which are the most comprehensive inter-university sports organizations in Turkey, and are crucial for developing athletes contributing to Turkish sports and maintaining students' engagement with sports throughout their university lives. Given the lack of sufficient scientific research in this area, this study aims to examine the Turkish University Sports Leagues in terms of their sportive, financial, and administrative aspects, compare them with the practices of exemplary countries, identify areas for improvement, and propose solutions. The research employs "Qualitative Research Methods" and utilizes semi-structured interview techniques. Two separate questionnaires were prepared to obtain expert opinions, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with officials responsible for inter-university sports activities from five universities in Istanbul and the President of the Turkish University Sports Federation. The findings from the interviews facilitated a comprehensive analysis of the sportive, financial, and administrative aspects of university sports leagues in Turkey. These findings were extensively discussed in the discussion section, providing important insights for a better understanding of the current situation. The findings contain crucial information contributing to the development of the national sports scene, highlighting the necessity for a more systematic and effective structure for inter-university sports activities. This study, aimed at understanding the current status and identifying areas for improvement in the Turkish University Sports Leagues from multiple dimensions, provides strategic recommendations to both the federation and universities for the more efficient and effective execution of inter-university sports activities.