FIFA Connect Adoption: A Mixed-Methods Study in Moroccan Women's Football

Abstract

This study examines the adoption challenges of FIFA Connect within Moroccan women's football clubs with an aim of defining the factors that determine the use of technology as mandatory in structurally-dependent organizations. With Morocco on the verge of co-hosting the 2030 FIFA world cup, it is even more important to understand the barriers in digital transformation. The study fills an obvious gap in the literature related to sports management by questioning technology acceptance among structurally-dependent women-based entities in which structure is dominated by male parent clubs.  Mixed-methods design was used which combined quantitative survey data of 21 administrative staff members in all National Women’s Football League (LNFF) clubs with the qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended responses which were processed using the Tropes software. The study conceptualized the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model through validated constructs of system quality, the quality of information, service quality, user satisfaction, and net benefits. The adoption determinants were analyzed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative coding was used to determine emergent patterns of challenges. The non-parametric methods were used due to the small sample size and non-normality. The quantitative analysis showed that Information Quality was the most decisive success factor (mean=4,0/5), and System Quality was the least rated (2,9/5) which is a critical performance issue. The most important predictor of User Satisfaction was Service Quality (β = 0,816, R2 =0,666). Qualitative analysis identified three primary challenges: structural dependency on men's clubs, inadequate training provision, and technical support limitations. There was also an interesting Paradox of System Quality in which administrators ensured high rates of utilization despite technical performance. The convergence of the methodology shows that the technology adoption experiences in the women sports organizations are inherently based on governance structures. The results indicate that successful digital change in women football requires context-sensitive implementation strategies that can handle structural dependencies and ensure that information quality is guaranteed. When implementing mandatory technologies, sports federations are recommended to develop gender-sensitive solutions and introduce special support systems of dependent women sections.