The "ideal" football experience in the context of a recently established professional league
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Business
RAS ID
17193
Abstract
In the highly competitive professional sports industry, managers of a newly established competition face many challenges, including ‘‘converting’’ or gaining the allegiance of new groups of consumers (fans, spectators) to their colors. One critical aspect in the converting process relates to the ‘‘ideal’’ game-day experience as perceived by would-be consumers. Gaining knowledge about this area could be critical to professional sport marketers in enhancing the perceived quality of sport events. This study examines the ideal football experience among 1,412 fans of an Australian A-League football (soccer) club. The importance of a lively atmosphere, that of high turnouts of spectators and the opportunity to watch quality and attacking football are highlighted in most comments, even relegating the game’s final score (winning) to a more marginal level of importance. Some of the implications of the findings for professional football marketers and avenues for future research are presented and discussed.
DOI
10.1108/S1745-3542(2013)0000009005
Comments
Duarte Alonso, A. , & O'Shea, M. (2013). The "ideal" football experience in the context of a recently established professional league. In J. S. Chen (Eds.). Advances in hospitality and leisure (pp. 3-27). Bingley, England: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Original chapter available here