Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience

Fikret Kayhalak; Tekmil Sezen Soyal; Bilgehan Pepe

doi:10.70701/makusbd.1909275

Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience

Abstract

This study aims to examine the digital governance capacities and digital public relations practices of sports federations operating in Türkiye in terms of accessibility, usability, and interactivity. The study was designed within a quantitative and descriptive–relational research framework. In this context, the official websites of 63 active sports federations were systematically evaluated through content analysis using binary coding based on 26 digital governance indicators. The data were analyzed using the R programming language through prevalence analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) based on tetrachoric correlations, hierarchical clustering analysis, and a Generalized Linear Model (GLM). The findings indicate that federations demonstrate relatively high capacity in basic informational functions such as providing institutional information and sharing news. However, they remain limited in strategic areas such as accessibility (1.6%), mobile applications (9.5%), and interactivity (17.5%). The clustering analysis revealed three distinct digital maturity typologies, while the regression results showed that neither Olympic status nor sport type had a statistically significant effect on digital capacity (p > .05). Overall, the results suggest that sports federations primarily use digital platforms as one-way information dissemination tools rather than as channels for two-way communication, indicating that digital transformation has not yet been institutionalized at a strategic level.

Keywords

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sports Activity Management

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Fikret Kayhalak
0000-0001-6330-1431
Türkiye

Tekmil Sezen Soyal
0000-0002-5764-2106
Türkiye

Bilgehan Pepe ^*
0000-0003-3786-4227
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

June 28, 2026

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

March 13, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 13, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 4 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.70701/makusbd.1909275

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA63NJ33GX

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Kayhalak, F., Soyal, T. S., & Pepe, B. (2026). Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Sports Sciences, 4(1), 67-86. https://doi.org/10.70701/makusbd.1909275

AMA

1.Kayhalak F, Soyal TS, Pepe B. Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience. BURDUR MAKÜSBD. 2026;4(1):67-86. doi:10.70701/makusbd.1909275

Chicago

Kayhalak, Fikret, Tekmil Sezen Soyal, and Bilgehan Pepe. 2026. “Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience”. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Sports Sciences 4 (1): 67-86. https://doi.org/10.70701/makusbd.1909275.

EndNote

Kayhalak F, Soyal TS, Pepe B (June 1, 2026) Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Sports Sciences 4 1 67–86.

IEEE

[1]F. Kayhalak, T. S. Soyal, and B. Pepe, “Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience”, BURDUR MAKÜSBD, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 67–86, June 2026, doi: 10.70701/makusbd.1909275.

ISNAD

Kayhalak, Fikret - Soyal, Tekmil Sezen - Pepe, Bilgehan. “Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience”. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Sports Sciences 4/1 (June 1, 2026): 67-86. https://doi.org/10.70701/makusbd.1909275.

JAMA

1.Kayhalak F, Soyal TS, Pepe B. Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience. BURDUR MAKÜSBD. 2026;4:67–86.

MLA

Kayhalak, Fikret, et al. “Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience”. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 4, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 67-86, doi:10.70701/makusbd.1909275.

Vancouver

1.Fikret Kayhalak, Tekmil Sezen Soyal, Bilgehan Pepe. Digital Public Relations Strategies of Sports Federations: An Analysis of Websites in Terms of Accessibility and User Experience. BURDUR MAKÜSBD. 2026 Jun. 1;4(1):67-86. doi:10.70701/makusbd.1909275