The importance of context in understanding football fans’ reactions to corporate stadia naming rights sponsorships

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore fans’ reactions to corporate naming rights sponsorship of football club stadia and identify a range of contextual factors impacting these reactions. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, quasi-ethnographic research design is adopted, focusing on three football clubs in North West England. Data are gathered through online message board discussions, focus groups and auto-ethnographic approaches. Findings Geographic, image and functional dimensions of sponsorship fit are noted as contextual factors in determining fans’ reactions to corporate stadium names. It is also proposed that some forms of fit (in particular geographic fit) are more important than others in this regard. Beyond issues of fit, three additional contextual factors are identified that potentially influence fans’ reactions to corporate stadium names: prior involvement with the club by the sponsor; fans’ perceived impact of the sponsorship investment; and whether the stadium is new or long-established. Research limitations/implications Future research might examine the relative importance and implications of the identified contextual factors, alongside seeking other potential areas of contextual framing. Practical implications Sponsorship naming rights negotiations need to be sensitive to a variety of contextual factors. Furthermore, sponsors would do well to have a good awareness of their own brand image and its congruency with the identity of the club and fan base. Originality/value This nuanced, qualitative analysis extends existing, quantitative-based research by identifying a range of contextual factors which shape fans’ reactions to corporate stadium naming.

Level of Understanding of Football Rules for Parents in the SESKOM 2022 Competition

“…Asosiasi Kota Batu penonton atau wali murid yang mendampingi anaknya bermain pada pertandingan seringkali melakukan protes terhadap wasit maupun ofisial karena merasa anaknya dirugikan atau anaknya kurang mendapatkan waktu bermain, padahal apa yang telah diputuskan pelatih dan ofisial adalah pilihan yang terbaik, tidak mungkin pelatih hanya memilih itu itu saja yang bermain, pasti pelatih sudah mempertimbangkan dengan baik dan sudah memikirkan dengan matang tentang bagaimana kondisi si anak tersebut (Gillooly, Medway, Warnaby, & Grimes, 2020).…”

Understanding pre‐teen consumers social media engagement

“…Social-identity refers to how individuals enhance their self-concept by becoming members of social groups (Hogg et al, 1995) and make 'social comparisons that bolster the status of the 'in-group' (to which they belong) at the expense of the 'outgroup' (Gillooly et al, 2020(Gillooly et al, , p. 1505. Oliveira et al (2016) show that social identity has a positive impact on young consumers' (aged 16-24) engagement in Facebook.…”

‘You can rent it for a while, but it is our house’: Sports fans’ experience of returning ‘home’ to a new multipurpose stadium

“…These developments have been promoted by public officials and sporting organisations alike as having tremendous financial and non-financial benefits to the community. However, the growing body of research on sports-fan experience suggests that those who interact most with these spaces are beginning to mobilise their voices, raising concerns that these new developments are far removed from the traditional values with which their football team resonates (Gillooly et al, 2020; Hutchins, 2016; Pomfret and Wilson, 2019).…”