Direct and Interaction Effects of Team Identification and Satisfaction on Intention to Attend Games

TLDR

The study examined how team identification and game satisfaction influence fans’ intentions to attend future matches. A survey of 1,256 J‑League spectators measured team identification, satisfaction with the final score, the favorite team’s performance, and contest excellence, and their future attendance intentions. Results showed that team identification and satisfaction facets were positively related to future attendance intentions, with identification accounting for the largest variance; moreover, the interaction revealed that highly identified fans were less affected by satisfaction levels.

Abstract

This study assessed the direct and interaction effects of team identification and satisfaction with facets of a game on intentions to attend future games. A sample of 1,256 spectators in seven J-League (Japan professional football/soccer league) soccer games responded to a questionnaire eliciting their team identification; satisfaction with the final score, with the performance of the favorite team, and the excellence of the contest; and intention to attend future games. Correlational and regression analyses showed that both team identification and facets of satisfaction were significantly correlated with intention to attend future games with team identification correlating at a higher level. Identification explained the greatest amount of variance in the intention to attend future games followed by satisfaction with the performance of the favorite team and excellence of the contest. The significance of the interaction of identification and satisfaction indicated that the intentions of highly identified fans relative to low-identified fans were less influenced by any of the facets of satisfaction.