Assessment of the Impact of Digital Innovation and Fintech Integration on Sports Infrastructure Development in Federal Universities of Education, North-West Geo-Polical Zone, Nigeria

Abstract

The integration of digital innovation and Financial Technology (FinTech) has revolutionized various sectors, yet its empirical application to sports administration within educational institutions remains underexplored. This study assessed the impact of digital innovation and FinTech integration on sports infrastructure development in Federal Universities of Education (FUEs) in North-West Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised of 589 Human Kinetics and Health Education (HKED) undergraduates and academic staff in FUE, Zaria and FUE, Kano for the 2025/2026 academic session. A sample size of 233 was selected using the proportionate, stratified and random sampling technique, guided by the Research Advisors (2006) sample size table. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Digital Innovation, FinTech and Sports Infrastructure Questionnaire (DIFSIQ),” which was validated by three experts and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.84 via Cronbach’s Alpha. Data were analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions, while Simple Linear Regression was used to test the null hypotheses at an alpha level of 0.05. The findings revealed that digital crowd funding significantly impacts sports facility upgrades (F = 162.45; p < 0.05). Furthermore, digital payment systems significantly affects the prompt procurement of sports equipment (F = 241.67; p < 0.05), and transparent financial technologies significantly influences sports infrastructure fund management (F = 207.34; p < 0.05). The study concludes that adopting FinTech solutions offers a viable alternative to bridging the sports funding gap in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Based on the findings, it is recommended that university administrators and the government collaborate with FinTech firms to establish dedicated digital platforms for sports endowment, procurement, and transparent fund management.