The applicability of the SPLISS model across multiple levels of sport policy analysis: Evidence from the Raub District Basketball Association, Malaysia

Introduction: Although the Sports Policy Factors Leading to International Sporting Success (SPLISS) model was originally developed for national-level policy analysis, it has increasingly been extended to local contexts in recent years and has become a new orthodoxy in sport policy research. However, substantial differences exist between local associations and national sport systems in terms of resource structures and governance authority. Blindly applying a national-level analytical framework to local contexts risks reproducing a black box problem in explaining policy mechanisms. This study therefore adopts a boundary testing approach to examine the applicability and adjustment needs of the SPLISS model in local governance settings. Methods: This study employs the Raub Basketball Association (RABA) in Malaysia as a case study. Using semi-structured interviews and document analysis, the development strategies and operational conditions of RABA were examined through the nine SPLISS policy factors. A case-oriented research approach was adopted to capture forms of informal governance and social capital that cannot be adequately identified through purely quantitative indicators. Results: The findings indicate that financial support, grassroots participation, talent development, athlete support, and coach education (Factors 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7) function as core survival indicators reflecting local-level constraints. Policy development and integration, along with training facilities (Factors 2 and 6), require contextual reinterpretation and are better understood as locally adaptive indicators. In contrast, international competition and sport science (Factors 8 and 9) exceed the authority and capacity of district-level associations and thus demonstrate structural inapplicability. Conclusion: The study confirms the presence of a clear hierarchical bias when the SPLISS model is applied at the local level. To address this limitation, the study proposes a dynamic "SPLISS ± X" configuration: employing a subtractive approach to down-weight or remove insensitive indicators, while simultaneously adopting an additive approach that incorporates X factors such as social capital and informal governance mechanisms. This framework effectively opens the governance black box and provides a more contextualized analytical tool for sport policy research across different governance levels.