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A study of consumer behaviour among football

supporters; how evident is brand loyalty?

Nick Sargent

3012135

May 2014

BA (Hons) Business Administration

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Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study was to examine and understand the behaviours that affect

loyalty for supporters of Plymouth Argyle FC. Supporters of a football club have been

segmented based on loyalty and their behaviours compared to understand their emotions

towards their supported football club. Understanding the motivation behind each segments

decision to attend live matches is crucial to this study.

Design/Methodology/Approach – 4 interviews were included in this study, of which 2 were

with supporters of Plymouth Argyle FC and the other 2 were with footballers that play for the

club. Additionally a total of 56 people responded to a questionnaire that included basic

demographics, their game attendance details and a semantic scale section.

Findings – It was found that it is possible to segment football supporters based on their

loyalty towards their supported team. Further findings included such segments holding

various levels of emotional attachment towards their supported club. Game attendance for

each segment differs and reasons for attending games are based on the need for affiliation

among a particular segment.

Research Limitations - Limitations lie in the emphasis on a particular football club making it

difficult to generalise. The size of the sample was also relatively small.

Originality/Value – This study was produced after extensive reading in the field and follows

on and extends previous research. It also provides segmentation for consumers of a football

club.

Keywords – Brand Loyalty, Consumer Behaviour, Brand Emotion, Football Club.

Paper Type – Research paper

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Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5

1.2 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Research Question ............................................................................................................... 6

1.4 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................. 6

1.5 Aim of the study ..................................................................................................................... 6

1.6 Dissertation Structure ........................................................................................................... 6

Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 8

2.1 Brand Loyalty ......................................................................................................................... 8

2.2 Brand Emotion ..................................................................................................................... 13

2.3 Game Attendance ............................................................................................................... 16

Chapter 3: Methodology .................................................................................................................... 19

3.1 Quantitative Research ........................................................................................................ 19

3.2 Qualitative Research .......................................................................................................... 20

3.3 Ethnography ......................................................................................................................... 23

3.4 Sampling ............................................................................................................................... 24

3.5 Chosen Method ................................................................................................................... 25

3.6 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................ 26

Chapter 4: Data Collection and Analysis ........................................................................................ 28

4.1 Qualitative Data .................................................................................................................. 28

4.2 Quantitative Findings .......................................................................................................... 36

Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................................... 47

List of References .............................................................................................................................. 50

Appendix 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 55

1.1: Keller’s (1993) Consumer-Based Brand Equity Model ..................................................... 55

1.2: Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs Model ...................................................................... 56

1.3: McClelland’s (1966) Three Need Theory ............................................................................ 57

Appendix 2 .......................................................................................................................................... 58

2.1 Transcript 1 .......................................................................................................................... 58

2.2 Transcript 2 ......................................................................................................................... 61

2.3 Transcript 3 .......................................................................................................................... 64

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2.4 Transcript 4 .......................................................................................................................... 67

Appendix 3: Questionnaire ............................................................................................................... 69

Appendix 4: Detailed Project Proposal .......................................................................................... 71

Appendix 5: Project plan .................................................................................................................. 76

List of Figures

Figure 1: Basic Demographics ......................................................................................................... 36

Figure 2: Match Experience .............................................................................................................. 43

Figure 3: Plymouth Argyle Support ................................................................................................. 44

Figure 4: Support Duration ............................................................................................................... 46

List of tables

Table 1: Fishbein Equation Low Devotion Results ....................................................................... 39

Table 2: Fishbein Equation Medium Devotion Results................................................................. 40

Table 3: Fishbein Equation High Devotion Results ...................................................................... 41

Table 4: Attendance Affiliation ......................................................................................................... 45

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Chapter 1: Introduction

“You can change your wife, change your politics, change your religion. But never, never can

you change your favourite football team” – Eric Cantona (Cantona, 2009).

The relationship between a football supporter and their football club is a unique one. Many

studies have looked at how consumers behave towards their favourite brands, but what if

that brand is their football club and forms part of their identity? The special relationship

between a supporter and their football club differs greatly from consumers and brands of

everyday products. Studies in the field have established football clubs as brands and

extensively assessed how they gain competitive advantage. "The fans are the heart of

football" – former Welsh international footballer, John Charles. Loyal consumers of football

need to be addressed by football clubs to obtain success and support; supporters are the

viewers of the entertainment that is football. Taylor (1998) states that “football is more than

just a business. No one has their ashes scattered down the aisle of Tesco” (Tapp and

Clowes 2002. pp 1250).

Vast differences are apparent between clubs in the English premier league and the smaller

English leagues (Championship, League one and League two). A clear difference is that

premier league teams gain 60 per cent of their revenues from broadcasting rights and ticket

sales (Mintel, 2013). For clubs in the English premier league selling out their stadium is

extremely common. Lower league teams do not gain the huge broadcasting rights and

stadium sell outs are much more rare; emphasis on consumers is much more forefront in the

lower leagues of English football. With the huge fan bases held by the premier league

teams, what does this mean for smaller clubs with smaller fan bases when attempting to

climb the leagues. This study will focus on current League 2 team Plymouth Argyle FC; a

team that has fallen through the football leagues due to financial issues and subsequently

lost support.

1.2 Significance of the Study

This study seeks to understand how consumers chose to support their football clubs and

why loyalty is so unique within the football industry. The implications from the findings on the

behaviour displayed by football supporters will provide football clubs with an indication as to

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how such consumers are affected by their supported club. Segmentation of football

supporters will be produced and the differing opinions, attitudes and feelings of such

segments will be contrasted. Arguably English football fans are among the most devoted and

emotionally attached due to the history of the game in England as well as their unique

emotions towards their club; therefore an English club will be used (Plymouth Argyle FC).

Models directed towards consumer behaviour will be used in the research process to

understand the consumption of football clubs, more specifically, attending live matches.

These models include: Keller’s consumer-based brand equity; Maslow’s hierarchy of needs;

McClelland’s three needs theory and the extended self (Solomon, 2006).

1.3 Research Question

How does consumer behaviour of football fans influence brand loyalty?

1.4 Research Objectives

1. To identify segments of football supporters

2. To unveil consumers motivation for attending live matches

3. How brand loyalty is unique among football supporters

4. To display the emotional attachment consumers have towards football clubs

1.5 Aim of the study

This study aims to segment then compare football supporters. There will be a focus on a

particular football club as to be more specific on the emotions and attitudes supporters have

towards their supported club. The final aim will be to understand the motivations behind each

segments decision to attend live matches by looking into areas such as the clubs success

and match day attributes.

1.6 Dissertation Structure

The initial chapter of this dissertation will be the introduction; this chapter will include a brief

introduction to the topic followed by how such research is significant. After outlining the

research question and objectives there will be a brief section stating the aims of the study.

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The second chapter will entail a review of all relevant literature; the reviewed literature will be

segmented into three subtopics, these being brand loyalty; brand emotion and finally game

attendance and brand loyalty. The literature will be extracted from various sources, such as:

newspaper articles, online journals and books. The theories of researchers will be

compared, linked and evaluated as to locate a gap in the literature.

In the third chapter there will be a focus on outlining methods of which to collect primary

data. Certain methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection will be defined along

with the strengths and weaknesses of the methods. After the various techniques have been

identified a method will then be chosen with reference to relevant literature to guide the

decision.

The penultimate chapter will show how the data was collected before the information is

displayed. The qualitative analysis will see quotes extracted from the interviews and broken

down referring back to the literature. The quantitative data derived from the questionnaire

will be placed into various graphs using excel and an analytical paragraph will follow.

Finally, there will be a discussion in which the findings will be linked to relevant literature as

well as how well the findings achieved the research objectives. After the brief discussion

there will be a conclusion in which the dissertation is summarised followed by further

research that could be carried out in the field along with the limitations of the study.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review

Prior to undertaking research into the behaviour of consumers in the football industry it is

pertinent to review and contrast previous studies in the field. As the aim, objectives and

significance of the study were established in the previous chapter the gathering of secondary

data will surround the topics of brand loyalty. Consumer behaviour is measured by brand

emotion and game attendance

2.1 Brand Loyalty

Many researchers in the field of brand loyalty agree that Jacoby and Olson’s (1970)

definition is the most complete. Jacoby and Olson (1970) define brand loyalty as the result of

non-random, long existence behaviour response, and as a mental purchase process formed

by certain decision units considered more than one brands (Lin, 2010).

One prudent issue contained in brand loyalty towards football clubs is the way in which

consumers choose a football team to support and how loyal they are towards that team.

Abosag et al (2012) state that the two main reasons for consumers to support a football

team are: it’s the consumer’s local team or the supporter was born in the town/city the team

represents. Kapferer (2002) extends this argument by outlining that consumers have deep-

rooted ties to brands in the context of culture and social identity. The attachment between a

supporter and a club is more than psychological, literature on the subject shows that it is

evident that the team is part of their identity.

Kapferer (2002) alludes to people consuming brands in which their parents consume, this is

a relationship that is built on trust and loyalty; this is directly applicable to football brands as

people are influenced by the team their parents and peers support from a very early age.

Moutinho et al (2008) found that football devoted supporters have a sort of cult with their

football club and that the affiliation with social groups is rooted in social recognition.

Additionally Donnelly and Young (1988) state that attitude is learnt and formed towards a

sports team from various social groups and information sources, such as: family; peers and

media exposure; this evokes the early stages of the hierarchy of effects model, namely

awareness (Blythe, 2008). Fisher and Wakefield (1998) say individuals strive to maintain or

enhance a positive social identity by affiliating themselves with attractive social groups. This

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‘cult’ or ‘tribalism’ represented in the supporters of football clubs is not uncommon and

consumers actively seek to be a part of the football club and the football club to be a part of

them. An example of this is Plymouth Argyle fans who refer to themselves as ‘the twelfth

man’, implying that they are as important to the club as the other eleven players on the field

(Conn, 2010). Understanding the tribal nature of football supporters is of vital importance for

football clubs when seeking to please stakeholders.

Mason (1999) states that the products of a sports league can be split into four categories,

these being: fans; television and other media; communities that construct facilities and

support local clubs and corporations that interact with the leagues and teams. Mason (1999)

adds that the committed fan differs from other sports consumers in that their loyalty is higher

and means there are few competitive substitutes to a fan of a specific team. Mason (1999)

defines certain supporters as “die hard” fans, these fans will continue to support their team

whether they win or lose; whereas gaining following and loyalty from fans not so committed

to one club will require alternative measures in order to attract them to the football club.

Jones (1998) extends this with his research stating the success or failure of their team does

not affect the identity of a fan towards the club, instead bad experiences are rationalised by

referring to things that differentiate their team, for example, the quality of the football their

team play. Findings in the literature under brand loyalty in football all allude to there being a

clear difference between the loyalty with generic products and loyalty with football clubs;

moving between brands is extremely rare within the industry.

The model of ‘brand love’ is discussed and extended in Merunka and Albert’s (2013)

research on the role of brand love in consumer-brand relationships. Merunka and Albert

(2013) suggest that consumers love for a brand in turn increases their commitment to that

brand which is essential for sustained brand loyalty. Word-of-mouth marketing benefits

substantially from brand love as consumers are far more likely to talk about the brand. Due

to intense commitment consumers are more likely to accept price increases of the brands

product and are more willing to pay a premium price; therefore implying the ticket price

increase in football will not affect those supporters who display ‘brand love’ towards their

club. Blumrodt and Bryson et al (2012) apply Keller’s consumer based brand equity model

(Appendix 1.1) to supporters of football clubs, it is stated that supporters have already made

their purchasing decision, not only opting to be present at the game rather than watching it

on TV but by choosing to watch that live event over other forms of sports entertainment.

Moreover Aaker (1991) outlines that brand loyalty along with perceived qualities, brand

awareness and brand association makes up the dimensions of brand equity. Brand loyalty is

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applied by football supporters when purchasing club merchandise, buying tickets and

season tickets. Doloriert and Whitworth (2011) suggest there are levels of brand loyalty from

the extremely devoted that are more willing to pay a premium price to attend games and

purchase club related products. On the other hand Doloriert and Whitworth (2011) state that

due to international broadcasting a new era of fans that are more fickle and less loyal than

their “devoted counterparts” have emerged. Similar to identifying these more fickle fans

derived from international broadcasting outlined by Doloriert and Whitworth (2011), Kerr and

Gladden (2008) discuss that from the emergence of international satellite broadcasting, a

new breed of ‘satellite’ fans has been born. This is coherent with Giulittio’s (2002) research

in which he recognises these fans as ‘flaneurs’, as they carry a more ‘market-based’ relation

to the football club.

Tapp and Clowes’s (2002) research sets to seek segmentation opportunities for football

supporters. They look to further Parker and Stuarts (1997) findings of the extremely high

customer loyalty in sports attendance compared to loyalty in other sectors. The two different

segments of football supporters outlined by Tap and Clowes (2002) are ‘Repertoire’ fans and

‘one club fans’. ‘Repertoire’ fans are defined as those who only occasionally go to watch

‘their’ team, ‘Repertoire’ fans also engage in multiple brand usage as they also attend games

not involving their team. ‘One club’ fans are supporters who are distinctly loyal in terms of

only attending games involving their team. The characteristics of ‘one club’ fans are very

similar to the ‘die-hard’ fans identified by Mason (1999) who also stand by their regardless of

success factors. There is clear segmentation within consumers of football which is to be

recognised by football clubs as to gain and maintain consumers of the brand. Additionally

consumers displaying characteristics of ‘one club’ fans will not show fleeting loyalty

dependant on the success or failure of the club (Bauer and Sauer et al, 2005). Other

segments of consumers will be less inclined to attend games if the team is performing badly

gets relegated; ultimately impacting the football clubs consumer base.

Alonso and O’Shea’s (2013) study into consumer behaviour among football supporters in the

Australian A-league football league identified emphasis on a club to be involved locally as to

connect and increase the interest levels of local residents; in accordance to this Blumrodt

and Bryson et al (2012) also found that the clubs media exposure, spectators profile and

clubs community involvement impact greatly on the purchasing of the brand. They conclude

by stating that sporting performance is a key element for the brand and will stimulate brand

loyalty and improve brand equity. Though Walters and Chadwick (2009) discuss the

community trust model of stakeholder engagement and difficulties of implementing such

community based schemes. They outline the beginning of football in the community

schemes and how it has grown to become a key part of the football industry that maintains a

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team’s sense of being part of the geographic location. Walter and Chadwick (2009) argue

that the link between the local community, culture and tradition is being more disconnected

in recent years, implying that large finances and globalisation is among the reasons. Their

study on two relatively small football clubs (Charlton and Brentford) found that implementing

a ‘football in the community’ scheme or a community trust model does not affect the financial

position of the football club and therefore there should be no resistance against the

implementation. Further findings by Walter and Chadwick (2009) were that football clubs

struggle to engage community stakeholders as distinguishing the correct stakeholders to

target is becoming increasingly difficult. Being unable to select the correct stakeholder’s to

target impacts clubs as they could upset certain key customers and loyalty could decline.

Morrow (2003), on the subject of geographic location of supporters remarks that due to the

increased merchandising, satellite television and marketing football clubs are becoming

increasingly delocalised. A prime example of a club that is now a global brand would be

Manchester United who hold a vast following all around the world due to global marketing

and merchandising. This is less relevant to smaller less successful teams, for example

Plymouth Argyle FC, although Plymouth Argyle FC hold a strong fan base in Norway, who

also possess social network accounts in order to interact with likeminded supporters and the

football club (Twitter.com, 2013). Consumers would typically choose the team closest to

where they were born or grew up, in contrast to Morrow’s (2003) work Easterbrook (2013)

states that sports brands are franchises in America and shareholders move the sports team

around geographically, a notion that would seem Ludicrous to stakeholders (supporters) of

football teams in England. For example: the Coventry City relocation debacle, in which

supporters reacted extremely negatively to the mere idea of their clubs stadium not being in

Coventry (Telegraph.co.uk, 2013). A further example is the aforementioned relocation of

Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes, in which it they then became Milton Keynes Dons.

Dissatisfied supporters of the rebranding of Wimbledon FC led to the establishment of the

new club AFC Wimbledon (Couper, 2002). Walter and Chadwick (2009) argue that the link

between the local community, culture and tradition is being more disconnected in recent

years, implying that large finances and globalisation are among the reasons, similar to the

work of Morrow (2003) on the delocalised nature of football clubs in recent years.

Rein and Kotler et al (2006) state three eras of change as the media communication and

viewing habits changed and evolved over the decades. The first of which is defined as the

monopoly generation, which is between 1900-1950 in which there was a requirement for

supporters to physically go and watch the match due to lack of media. This era saw sports

grow significantly yet could not reach certain market segments due to there being no

platforms for reach. The second era is defined as ‘the television generation’ between 1950

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and 1990 where supporters could choose to either watch games on their televisions sets or

attend the live game. Consumers that watch matches on television and occasionally attend

matches are also named as the ‘Eyeballs’ segment by Rein and Kotler et all (2006) when

they categorise 7 segments of fans. This also saw sports attracting larger audiences

accommodated by the television. The television era also affected players as they were under

scrutiny and had to display good off field behaviour. The latest era outlined by Rein and

Kotler et al (2006) is from 1990 to the present day and is named ‘the highlight generation’,

technological developments and change has seen youth culture change intensely over the

past two decades allowing audiences to watch the games through an array of mediums as

and when they want; concluding that attending live matches is not the sole display of loyalty

from consumers. This culture is reinforced and concluded by Mason (1999) who mentions

consumers not having to physically attend games to show support or consume their football

brand; this is due to the growing number of television broadcasters showing football

alongside higher audience figures watching live matches through their television. Mason

(1999) states the evidence backing this point is the rescheduling of games as to provide

better broadcasting opportunities for networks. Rein and Kotler et al (2006) and Mason

(1999) argue against Tapp and Clowes (2002) point of characterising ‘one club’ fans

exclusively as those who regularly attend live matches.

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2.2 Brand Emotion

Chanavat and Bodet (2009) look to apply Keller’s consumer-based brand equity model to the

‘big four’ English football clubs using French football consumers. The teams identified as the

‘big four’ in their study are Manchester United FC, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC and Liverpool

FC. Consumers swayed towards Arsenal over the likes of Chelsea FC due to their rich

history and heritage. Chanavat and Bodet (2009) categorise the French consumers in the

study as ‘satellite fans’ in which the four stages of Keller’s consumer based brand equity

model is most relevant. Funk and James (2006) propose a frame work to explain consumer

behaviour in sports; the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM) consists of four hierarchal

stages: attachment, awareness, attraction and allegiance. Awareness signifies an

individual’s awareness of the existence of the team, although solely through awareness the

individual may not become a follower of the team; this matches the statements made in

Chanavat and Bodet’s (2009) study in which the French consumers are aware of but do not

support a ‘big four’ team from the English premier league. Attraction: an individual becomes

attracted to the team in terms of choosing a favourite team and attending their games or

watching them through other methods. Chanavat and Bodet (2009) show attraction to a

specific club in the English premier league’s ‘big four’ clubs is not only as a result of their

success. For example consumers were attracted to Arsenal FC because of their like for the

clubs intangible asset Thierry Henry. Attachment: These individuals show a strong

relationship between themselves and the sports team and possess different attitudes due to

their psychological attachment to their team. Allegiance: Individual’s behaviour becomes

influenced by the connection with their team; their connection to the team also becomes

more persistent. Jones’ (1998) work on Luton Town FC correlates with Funk and James’s

(2006) psychological continuum model (PCM) as he identifies that fandom is characterised

by a large level of commitment, unveiling that the majority of football fans see their club as

an important aspect of their identity and their conception of themselves. Connection to their

team in this manner is also discussed by Rein and Kotler et al (2012) who outline a segment

of fans as ‘ensnared’; ensnared fans are the most involved of all fans, these consumers see

their team as part of their identity and feel their support has an impacts the team and are

part of the teams identity.

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Opposing Asobag’s (2012) study revealing that supporters are welcoming of the

commercialisation of their club are Chadwick and Beech (2007) who identify that supporters

of football clubs do not welcome the branding of their clubs with open arms, they

alternatively suggest that sport is consumed in an irrational economic way. This is supported

by Westerbeek and Smith (2003) who mention that sport watching is not only a social

experience but also a personal one, with implications in social identity; similarly Jones (1998)

mentions that a persons supported football team is an aspect of their identity.

Merunka and Albert (2013) found that the aforementioned concept of ‘brand love’ has a large

influence on brand commitment; they state that love plays a vital role in maintaining a

relationship with the brand. As Merunka and Albert (2013) state that consumers feel love for

their brand this includes the assets of the brand; in football the players are a key intangible

asset to the club. Bodet and Chanavat (2009) discuss consumers not only looking at their

star players in terms of ability and how much of an asset they are to the success of the

football club but they also note that off-field behaviours are just as important as they

representation of the club supported by the consumer. At the time of Bodet and Chanavat’s

(2009) study Cristiano Ronaldo was a Manchester United player, certain consumers in the

study found that they do not like Manchester United due to their dislike for Ronaldo.

Consumers that are seen to be attached to their team and the players of that team and are

affected by the behaviours of both are referred to as ‘attatchers’ by Rein and Kotler et all

(2006) as they categorise 7 potential segments of fans, these being: indifferent fans;

eyeballs; collectors; attatchers; insiders and the ensnared.

Findings by Chanavat and Bodet (2009) state that Arsenal FC are a desirable football team

to support overseas as they have great players, a long and rich history and play quality

entertaining football; although Tapp and Clowes (2002) found that “one club” fans, who are

described as the true supporters of the team, care more about their team winning than the

entertainment of the match itself. Furthermore Chanavat and Bodet (2009) mention that

Arsenal FC are not successful in terms of winning silverware. Consumers are showed to

take a shine to teams with great players as well as strong history and traditions; this is

showed when they are shown to not be so fond of Chelsea who have acquired titles and

great players by substantial financial investment at the time of the study. A current English

football club showing huge financial investment and success without the long standing

history would be Manchester City.

As a club is a part of many people’s identity and culture as outlined by Jones (1998), Funk

and James (2006) and Rein and Kotler et al (2012) imply the geographic location is also a

part of a person and supports the link between consumer and club. Blumrodt and Bryson et

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al (2012) outline the importance of a good relationship between a football club and the

region in which it is situated. They also state that clubs need to be aware of consumer’s

feelings towards the significance of the relationship between the football club and the

town/city. This is supported by Merunka and Albert’s (2013) ‘brand love’ model. It is of

crucial importance for football clubs to engage in local and regional projects to build social

goodwill (Blumrodt and Bryson et al, 2012). Easterbrook (2013) furthers this argument of

geographic location when comparing America’s sports shareholders who freely move the

geographic location of the franchise, an extreme example of this being the proposed move to

London by the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team (Parker, 2013); to supporters of English

football clubs such a notion would be considered absurd. Before Wimbledon FC was

relocated to Milton Keynes there was a proposed move of the club to Dublin, Ireland

(Malone, 1998). As Wimbledon FC fans didn’t willingly accept the move to nearby town

Milton Keynes a move abroad would have cause supporter dissatisfaction to be far more

intense. Geographic location is extremely important to supporters of English football clubs as

their links between location, the club and their identity are strong (Easterbrook, 2013).

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2.3 Game Attendance

A clear indication of loyalty amongst football supporters is their attendance to live matches.

Mintel research undertaken in 2009 regarding consumer’s attendance to live matches found

that 65% of premier league football club supporters attend games regularly, yet 5% have

never attended a live football match. Of the sample used 22% described themselves as

‘occasional’ attendees of Premier League Matches (Mintel, 2009). Affecting these figures

outline by Mintel could be the rising price of tickets to attend football games which could test

consumer’s loyalty towards their chosen club. In an article in the Guardian written by Stuart

James (2012) it is outlined that there was a rise in season ticket prices between 2010 and

2012. The majority or premier league clubs raised their season ticket prices in this time

period, with the smallest rise being 2% (Wigan Athletic) and the largest rise being 33%

(Reading). Six teams froze their season ticket prices with even less reducing them. West

Bromwich Albion were the only team to drop the price of their season tickets, this made their

cheapest season ticket £349, just £9 more expensive than a season ticket at Plymouth

Argyle FC, a side that sit three leagues below West Bromwich Albion (Plymouth Herald,

2012).

Ticket pricing is firmly positioned in the heart of consumers and is vital in identifying loyalty

within the industry. Rising ticket prices and varying attendance figures throughout the

English football leagues has been subject to a number of studies. Morrow (2003) states that

a portion of supporters see problems arising from the commercialising of football, more

specifically, ticket pricing and the power of football clubs. He expands further and identifies

that the increase in ticket prices could prevent people from attending games. This point is

backed up by Williams and Perkins (1998) who found that people who previously attended

games but don’t anymore, of this group, 70 per cent referred to the rise in ticket pricing at the

main reason for no longer attending games. Though Asobag (2012) argues that supporters

of football clubs are more accepting of the commercialisation of their clubs, stating that

supporters understand the importance of branding within football to create a successful club

and brand as they are not only in direct competition with other football brands but other

leisure choices in which their money can be spent. Morrow (2003) and Williams and Perkins’

(1998) earlier work has been recently backed by a 2009 Mintel study that shows 75% of

supporters believe that match day tickets are too expensive. This combined with the current

UK recession has resulted in supporters less likely to attend their team’s games (Mintel,

2009).

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Tapp and Clowes (2002) found that the aforementioned “one club” fans have a higher

frequency of attending games involving their team; with 144 “one club” fans attending all

home and away matches opposed to just 48 of the aforementioned “repertoire” fans. Their

findings differ from those of Rein and Kotler et al (2012) who imply that regardless of a

consumer’s loyalty towards a club due to the latest generation (‘the highlight generation’)

they don’t have the incentives to attend live matches due to the array of mediums they can

watch the match on. The studies by Tapp and Clowes (2002) and Rein and Kotler (2006)

refer mainly to big teams in the English premier league and certain factors are not applicable

to smaller football clubs, for example, Plymouth Argyle FC do not regularly appear on live

television and their highlights are considerably shorter than that of the big English football

clubs. Plymouth Argyle FC lost a large amount of following when they dropped out of the

championship in 2010; the championship is the fourth highest viewed league in Europe

bettered only by the Premier League, the Bundesliga and La Liga (Trent, 2009). Attendances

of Plymouth Argyle FC games have dropped considerably since the financial difficulties or

the club and their relegation through the leagues (Alexander, 2011).

Mason (1999) included there being a need for good stadium atmosphere as well as a high

quality match in order to sway supporters of the team to attend live matches; consumers in

this study saw high quality games as a more instrumental factor than their team winning.

Atmosphere and the quality of the match are discussed as the ‘primary product’ by Blumrodt

and Bryson et al (2012); the primary service is the match that is played on the field. The

factors that arise in the primary service are the management, the success and the players.

Findings from this study include: the customers experience is linked to the match being

played, and product related attributes are in the heart of spectators’ brand perceptions;

supporters enjoy stadium attendance, a good atmosphere within the stadium creates a

positive customer experience (Blumrodt and Bryson et al, 2012). Alonso and O’shea’s

(2013) study showed indications of consumers that were not ‘die hard’ fans under the study

of Mason (1999) rely on a number of factors to entice them into attending a live match event.

As previously refereed to Blumrodt and Bryson et al (2012) also found that the clubs media

exposure, spectators profile and clubs community involvement are impact greatly on the

purchasing of the brand. They conclude by stating that sporting performance is a key

element for the brand and will stimulate consumers to be loyal to their team and increase

brand equity. Though Abosag et al (2012) argue that consumers do not like the

commercialisation of their team and respond negatively to media exposure of their club.

There has been a recent creation of a new football club in England, FC United of

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Manchester, created by a small proportion of Manchester United fans in a direct reaction to

the commercialisation of their football club (Abosag, 2012). Morrow (2003) expands to say

that the implication of globalised support rather than people interacting with their home

town/city club is yet to be answered in studies; though this was prior to the work of Blumrodt

and Bryson et al (2012) and Abosag (2012).

19

Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Quantitative Research

Malhotra (2002) recommends using quantitative research for capturing large amounts of

data. Quantitative collection seeks to generate ‘hard data’ in which can be transferred into

tables and graphs for analysis. Gathering quantitative data usually requires using a large

amount of respondents in a relatively small time period. Quantitative data is collected in

numerical form which is derived from the measurement process of turning data into figures

(Warwick, 2013). Particular variables in quantitative research can be measured and

manipulated in order to define people’s characteristics and describe their attitudes; it

therefore provides the ability to generalise the data. Furthermore the generation of ‘hard

data’ sets to test hypothesis.

Strengths

Madrigal and McClain (2012) state that ‘’statistical analysis lets us derive important facts

from research data, including preference trends, differences between groups and

demographics’’. Comparing and contrasting data is much easier when using quantitative

data due to the ability to create tables and graphs using the data collected. Quantitative data

can be interpreted into patterns and trends as well as being able to test pre created

hypothesis that may have been developed through qualitative research.

Limitations

A specific limitation of quantitative research can stem from the use of a questionnaire. If the

questionnaire is too long people will be less likely to participate, this is backed by Malhotra

(2010) who states that people are less willing to respond to a large quantity of questions. A

respondent’s bias can be engaged in the use of a questionnaire and result in answers that

aren’t entirely truthful or accurate. Though prevention methods can be implemented using

Malhotra’s (2010) five guidelines in the wording of questionnaires:

1) Avoid ambiguous words

2) Define the issue

3) Use ordinary words

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4) Use positive and negative statements

5) Avoid leading questions

Data derived from quantitative data can fail to gather the attitudes and perceptions of the

respondents but will instead provide numerical descriptions.

Surveys

A common method of quantitative data collection is the use of a survey. A survey involves

administering questionnaires to a pre-determined sample of respondents (Bennett, 2013).

Certain steps need to be undertaken when using a survey, these are: sampling and sample

selection; selection of the communication medium; designing and producing the

questionnaire; maximising responses whilst minimising the occurrence of error; distribution

of the questionnaire and finally processing and analysing the data. Questions within a survey

can be open-ended or closed-ended; closed ended questions are more commonly used

when seeking to gather quantitative data using such answering choices as semantic scales

and tick boxes. The distribution of questionnaires doesn’t have to be in person and in paper

format; the distribution can also be done via the internet using social networks or emails.

Choosing to use the internet for questionnaire distribution can lead to cost savings for the

research as there is no need to print onto large quantities of paper.

Using a survey and a sample provides ease when generalising the data to the larger

population. For a researcher a survey presents the opportunity to collect a large amount of

respondents in a small amount of time as time and cost constraints are common in many

research processes (Bennett, 2013). Though being cheap to produce and distribute,

questionnaires designs can be inflexible; this can result in the inability to be altered or

adapted during the research. Surveys are also not entirely applicable when researching

issues that are personal and intrusive to the respondent as well as issues of a controversial

nature. For personal discussions qualitative research is recommended utilising alternate

methods of quantitative data collections such as personal interviews or telephone interviews.

3.2 Qualitative Research

Gordon and Langmaid (1988) state that qualitative research is “essentially concerned with

understanding things rather than measuring”. Qualitative research seeks to enter the minds

and hearts of consumers and understand mental process (Bennett, 2013). The use of

qualitative methods successfully will seek to create and explore hypothesis rather than test

them (Benett, 2013). Qualitative research is useful for getting beyond the rational in which

21

will allow the researcher to access unconscious, private or repressed thoughts and feelings.

This form of data collection is to uncover the meaning behind the words, ultimately gaining a

better understanding of the consumer’s mental processes. Differing from quantitative

research qualitative research uses fewer respondents but the time period of the collection is

usually longer. Methods of data collection used in qualitative research can be more flexible,

focus groups and in-depth interviews allow the researcher to avoid rigid responses and

acquire personal feelings and attitudes.

Strengths

Qualitative research is particularly useful when seeking to obtain culturally specific

information regarding the opinions, behaviours and values of a particular population.

Qualitative research is very useful in understanding consumer purchasing behaviour;

proposing and developing new products in qualitative research is a useful way to gather the

attitudes of consumers towards the product. The results received from qualitative research

can be extended into segments with similar characteristics, therefore gaining an extended

and more complex understanding of a specific social context. Open-ending questioning

under qualitative research can be useful for researchers as it comes away from the stringent

nature of multiple choice questions and allows respondents to reply in their own words.

Responses from open questions will be less restricted and allow them to provide their inner

most feelings and opinions with freedom of expression. A researchers ability to probe for

answers in qualitative data collection means the data gathered is more elaborate and easier

to acquire more reliable and in-depth data. The use of a sample over a census is usually

used in qualitative research; due to the smaller nature of the populations the researcher can

reap a large cost benefit.

Limitations

As there is often a variation of responses when gathering information using qualitative

methods it is seemingly difficult to compare certain variables (Sofaer, 2002). The occurrence

of bias is not uncommon in the use of qualitative research techniques, both from the

participant and the researcher. Though bias is built upon person’s heuristics it is often

unavoidable within research (Malhotra, 2002). Bias can be reduced by using a skilled

researcher or interviewer when using in-depth interviews.

Focus groups

Focus groups usually comprise of around 5-10 respondents, most commonly the sample is

selected using non-probability sampling methods. The aim of a focus group is usually to

22

generate hypothesis for quantitative testing. The duration of a focus group is usually until the

moderator decides a sufficient amount of information has been acquired. The focus group is

usually led by a moderator who is there to pose questions, stimulate discussion and ensure

all members of the focus group contribute. Focus groups are useful for collecting information

and opinions on new products and developing hypothesis based on the consensus reached

by the participants. Focus groups allow the moderator to use visual aids and probe the group

for answers as to gather relevant information required for the research.

A focus group is good for gathering personal data although the need for a skilled moderator

is apparent. If there is poor rapport between the participants and the moderator it can lead to

information that isn’t entirely reliable or unintentionally poor (Malhotra, 2002). Malhotra

(2010) states that the atmosphere during focus groups is to be relaxed and permissive to

ensure the most open and spontaneous responses. A successful focus group will adhere to

Gordon’s Goodthinking framework in which certain factors must be addressed for best result,

these factors include: refreshments; incentives; location; demographic; duration; venue and

seating (Malhotra, 2002). A group environment can also cause certain participants to

become shy and more dominant participants to take control of the discussion; it is therefore

down to the moderator to prevent these issues from arising during the focus group.

Strengths

An advantage to focus groups is that they promote creativity and spontaneity and also

highlight cultural and social influences. They can be very quick and cost efficient and a range

of topics can be touched upon (McDaniel and Gates, 2005). Stimulations and probing can be

utilised by the moderator to prompt better results.

Limitations

Strong personalities can dominate the focus groups as well as repress other participants of

the group (Bennett, 2013). Additionally group members can feel negatively towards the

moderator and choose not to give the most open opinions. To further this, the need of a

good moderator is needed to enforce the aforementioned methods when regulating the

focus group (Bennett, 2013). Certain topics are inappropriate to discuss in a group

atmosphere, therefore the topic range isn’t as large as an in-depth interview for example.

The results derived from the focus group can be deemed inconclusive and fail to be a clear

representation of the larger population (Malhotra, 2010).

In-depth Interview

23

The purpose of in-depth interviews is to explore experiences, beliefs, views and motivations

of an individual on particular matters (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007). In-depth interviews

consist of open-ended unstructured questions in which rapport can be built between the

interviewer and the participant, a lot of qualitative data can be extracted and engage

freedom of expression (Bennett, 2013). In-depth interviews give the interviewer the ability to

push and probe for answers as well as gaining comprehensive information due to the one-to-

one nature of the interview. An in-depth interview is usually for a longer period of time such

as one hour and is orientated towards penetrating below the superficial and understanding

social phenomenon’s that quantitative research would fail to gather (Bennett, 2013). The

types of depth interviews are: mini-depth; semi-structured interviews and paired

interviews/triangular interviews (McDaniel and Gates, 2005).

Strengths

A strength of using depth interviews are that intimate matters can be expressed and

discussed and there is no element of group pressure (Bennett, 2013). It is also easier to

recruit for a depth interview and the response given by the individual is directly associated

with that individual (Bennett, 2013). The dynamics of the depth interview means that a

greater depth of the issue can be acquired and a strong interviewer will be able to delve

further on the issue.

Limitations

A key problem that arises when using a depth interview qualitative method is that it is highly

dependent on the skill of the interviewer; the lack of structure applies more emphasis on the

interviewer’s interpretation (Bennett, 2013). Depth interviews are often costly and time

consuming for the researcher and the information derived can be ‘soft’ and difficult to

analyse (Malhotra and Birks et al, 2012).

3.3 Ethnography

An observation method that can be undertaken is ethnographic research in which the

researcher observes and usually creates field notes. In ethnographic observations the

researcher is the tool and he/she has to decide where to devote attention when observing

the environment they are in. Gathering information related to the behaviours of consumers

and witnessing authentic behaviour (Bryman and Burgess, 1999). Although the researcher

24

can gain a more applied view of the information that he/she is seeking it can be time

consuming and easily misinterpreted.

3.4 Sampling

A sample is a subset of the population of interest in which the key goal when selecting is for

the sample to be as representative as possible. The major considerations when designing a

sample are who, where, when and how (Malhotra and Birks et al, 2012). A sample is most

commonly chosen in research over a census; a census involves using all available elements

of a defined population (Malhotra, 2010). A sample requires a smaller budget and population

than a census. The sampling process involves:

1) Defining the population by specifying time, extent and elements

2) Identifying the sampling frame, deciding where the respondents are to be found

3) Deciding on the size of the sample

4) Selecting either a probability or non-probability sampling procedure

5) Physically selecting the sample

The two forms of sample techniques are probability sampling and non-probability sampling.

Probability sampling involves the population having a fixed probabilistic chance of being

selected (Malhotra, 2010). Non-probability sampling relies on researcher’s personal

judgement rather than using chance procedures (Malhotra, 2010). The four forms of

probability sampling are:

Simple random sampling: every element within the population has an equal

probability of selection

Systematic sampling: a random starting point is selected then every element is

picked in succession

Stratified sampling: a two-step process in which the population is divided into sub

populations

Cluster sampling: the target population is divided into sub population groups of

similar homogenous groups

The four types of non-probability sampling are:

Convenience sampling: a ‘right place, right time’ approach is implemented

25

Judgemental sampling: respondents are chosen based on the researchers

judgement

Quota sampling: a two-stage process in which the first stage consists of taking

control of a characteristic such as age yet the second step is selected on

convenience

Snowball sampling: an initial participant or group is chosen then the participant or

group leads to people who possess the desired characteristics

Error

There are two types of error that can occur in the undertaking of research, sampling error

and error outside of the sampling process. Sampling error stems from the use of a sample

rather than a whole population (Creswell, 2013). Differences in the samples values and the

underlying population’s values can occur and result in the sample being a misrepresentation.

A sampling error is not as severe as an error when using a census as increasing the size of

the sample will decrease the risk of sampling error (Malhotra, 2010). Sampling errors are

easier to control than non-sampling errors as they are measurable. Unlike sampling errors,

non-sampling errors can be frequent, of unknown direction and magnitude resulting in them

being more difficult to measure and detect.

3.5 Chosen Method

A mixed-method approach will be applied to this particular research with more of an

emphasis on qualitative data collection as to gain an understanding of the behaviour,

attitudes and motivations of football consumers. Previous studies in the area of brand loyalty

and consumer behaviour in sport have been qualitative and rightly so as they test the hearts

and minds of participants. Bryman (1988) argues a ‘best of both worlds’ approach,

combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Triangulation is the

combination of multiple research methods in a study to examine the same phenomenon

(Denzin and Lincoln, 1998). The use of triangulation is particularly useful in studies of social

sciences; the study will be into the behaviours of football consumers therefore triangulation

has been selected (Jack and Raturi, 2006). In theory the use of triangulation in a study

26

should counterbalance the strengths and weaknesses in each approach and provide a

statistical data that can be aligned to the qualitative findings (Jack and Raturi, 2006).

Limitations

Due to the unstructured nature of the four in-depth interviews it is highly reliant on

interviewer skill. As the researcher (myself) lacks the necessary experience and skill

personal interpretation of the respondents answers can cause problems to arise in the

validity of the data collected. A further limitation of the interviews is if the researcher is

unable to build rapport with the participant that individual may be less willing to give more

intimate and personal answers. In ethnographic research again there is an emphasis on the

observer as they may misconstrue the environmental on-goings. To attempt to reduce these

limitations the interviews will be undertaken in a relaxed manner and interview bias will be

attempted to be kept to a minimum.

Limitations of the questionnaire lay in sampling error. The sample could not be a clear

representation of wider population, the sample size for the quantitative research is fifty

respondents. As there is a larger emphasis on qualitative collections methods fifty should

suffice as a clear representation. The use of non-probability quota sampling uses the

judgement of the researcher and can also lead to a sample that isn’t as representative as

possible (Malhotra and Birks et al, 2012). As Malhotra (2010) states that respondents are

less willing to respond to a large quantity of questions on a questionnaire, the questionnaire

created will consist of twelve questions.

3.6 Ethical Considerations

The Hunt-Vitell (1986) model of ethical decision making addresses the ethical situation faced

by the decision maker in the study; in this case the researcher will be the sole decision

maker (Malhotra, 2010). Utilising the Hunt-Vitell model the researcher will ensure such

factors as the cultural environment and perceived consequences are considered (Vitell and

Singhapakdi et al., 2001). The anonymity of the questionnaire respondents will be protected

as they will not have to disclose their name nor the organisation they work for. One of the

four in-depth interviews will be with a person under the age of eighteen; therefore there will

be a proposed twin-interview with the individuals parent. The twin interview is proposed as to

avoid the use of a consent form, ultimately saving time. All four in-depth interviews will

ensure that the participants names aren’t revealed although the two players that are to be

interviewed will be revealing the football club they play for. Consent has already been given

by the football club for the two footballers to participate in the study.

27

The researcher of the study will be adhering to the ESOMAR code of conduct when

undertaking the marketing research (www.esomar.org, 2010). The four layers of the

ESOMAR code of conduct are: honesty; objectivity; transparency and confidentiality. The

code of conduct states that: researchers shall be honest and straightforward; researchers

shall be transparent about the subject and purpose of data collection; researchers shall

respect the confidentiality of information collected in their professional activities and

researchers shall respect the well-being and rights of all individuals (www.esomar.org,

2010).

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Chapter 4: Data Collection and Analysis

Qualitative research was undertaken first; the quantitative questionnaires then followed with

the questions formulated based on the results of the four interviews. The four selected

interviewees were two footballers who play for the football club Plymouth Argyle FC and the

other interviews were with two fans who regard Plymouth Argyle FC as their main supported

team. The use of the Plymouth Argyle facilities was authorised to interview the two

footballers was arranged to be undertaken during the first week of April. The fans were

interviewed in a familiar environment, this being their own houses respectively, these

interviews were also conducted on the first week of April. The four interviews were recorded

and transcripts produced with relevant quotes extracted for analysis (Appendix 2).

The questionnaire used the aforementioned non-probability quota sampling method in which

the first characteristic was defined; the screening characteristic was if they support Plymouth

Argyle FC (Appendix 3). The second section of the questionnaire entailed the use of

semantic scale questions, to which will be analysed using the Fishbein Equation to rate

consumers overall attitudes towards the match day experience (Solomon, 2006). The

attributes used for rating will be derived from the interviews with the two supporters. The

location of the distribution was outside Plymouth Argyle FC’s stadium one hour prior to the

kick-off of the game between Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United on the twelfth of April.

4.1 Qualitative Data

Club Loyalty

The first two interviews undertaken were with the two Plymouth Argyle footballers, followed

by the interviews with the two supporters of the club. The first port of call was if the

supporters in the ground affect the player’s performance and whether the fans feel they

affect the players performance, this was adhered to by both footballers stating:

Footballer 1: “if they are loud and singing it gives you a boost…

it’s hard to ignore the atmosphere in the ground”

29

Footballer 2: “it’s better when you are at home and the fans are behind you, gives you

extra energy”

Supporter A concurred with the footballers statements saying:

“if we go one nil down and everyone is getting behind the team I reckon the players

see that and want to get back into the game”

This is befitting with Rein and Kotler et al’s (2012) findings who state that ‘ensnared fans’

feel their support affects the team. Ensnared fans are defined as the most involved of all

fans, supporter A encapsulates devotion, evidence being their attendance to as many away

games as possible and owning a season ticket. Supporter A also showed characteristics in

keeping with Mason’s (1999) ‘die hard’ fans whose continued support is apparent despite

poor match results. In reply to questioning regarding devotion to the club over the past

couple of financially stricken years that included back to back relegations Supporter A

replied:

“since we got relegated from the championship I know loads of people that haven’t

renewed their season tickets”

This implies that the poor results and relegations haven’t deterred them from attending

matches and support hasn’t been lost towards the club on their part. In conjunction with

Jones’ (1998) study in which he found that the success or failure does not affect the identity

of the supporter towards the club. The same cannot be said for supporter B, who not only

supports a successful premier league team (Chelsea) as well but also attended just 14

games last season of which none were away games. Supporter B also replied “probably”

when asked if they went to more games when Plymouth Argyle were in the championship.

Supporter B’s lack of attendance and more so after a run of relegations shows

characteristics of Tap and Clowes’ (2002) ‘repertoire’ fans whom only occasionally attend

games involving their team. The loss of attendance has also been noticed by the footballers,

more so with footballer 1 who has been at the club since they have fallen through the

leagues; footballer 1 stated:

“There’s obviously has been a drop in attendance”

When the footballers received questions on if they believed that the lack of attendance is

due to success factors, both footballers agreed stating:

Footballer 1: “they want to see success”

30

Footballer 2: “When we go on a good run of form attendance picks up I guess that is

success based”

Success is defined as a factor under the ‘primary product’ for supporters by Blumrodt and

Bryson et al (2012) which is required by particular segments of supporters when attending

live matches. Alonso and O’shea (2013) found that consumers that aren’t defined as ‘die

hard’ fans would need to be enticed through the ‘primary product’ to attend games (Blumrodt

and Bryson et al, 2012). Therefore it could be said that the supporters that have stopped

attending matches since success has dropped at Plymouth Argyle could be segmented as

less loyal to the club than ‘die hard’ fans (Mason, 1999). Additionally Bridgewater and Stray

(2002) conclude that the success of the football team effects the fans emotionally. The loss

of attendees could be down to Plymouth Argyle underperforming when comparing their

league standing to the perceived stature and history of the club. Footballer 2 stated that:

“I was previously at another league 2 club…

they didn’t have the support that Plymouth did”

The larger attendance figures over other teams in the same league could lay in the history of

the club rather than success factors alone. This is backed by Chanavat and Bodet’s (2009)

findings that attraction is not just based on the clubs success but other factors such as a

long standing history.

A recent article in The Guardian by Stuart James (2012) found that on average ticket prices

have increased within the English football leagues. When seeking to understand whether

fleeting loyalty is apparent with the rise of ticket prices different feelings from the two

supporters emerged. The more devoted of the two (supporter A) described the rise in ticket

prices at Plymouth Argyle as “ a joke” though still renews their season ticket. Supporter A

therefore displays the phenomena ‘brand love’ under Merunka and Albert’s (2013) study in

which more committed consumers displaying such phenomena will still pay a premium price

for the product. Alternatively supporter B said that:

“Ticket prices are important because I would go more often if they were cheaper”

This is adhered to by Williams and Perkins (1998) who found that 70 per cent of people that

previously attended games but no longer do identify the rise in ticket pricing as the main

reason. Supporter B expressed that Plymouth Argyle’s ticket pricing and the league that

they’re in were the predominant reasons for loss of attendance.

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Supporter Behaviour

When questioned as to why the supporters chose to support Plymouth Argyle supporter B

responded with remarks directed towards the geographic location, this was also the case

with footballer 1 who not only plays for the club but has supported them all of their life.

Supporter B: “because I live here and most people I knew growing up supported

them”

Footballer 1: “I’m from Plymouth and have supported Plymouth all my life…

the badge represents their city”

Geographic location is also a part of a person’s identity and supports the link between

consumer and club (Rein and Kotler et al 2012), Funk and James, 2006). Attitude is formed

towards sports teams from social groups and family, especially in the early stages of a

person’s life (Donnelly and Young, 1988). Moreover following parents brand choices is a

relationship built on trust and loyalty (Kapferer, 2002), this is evident in the response of

supporter A, stating that their support for Plymouth Argyle stemmed from:

“my dad and older brother supported Plymouth…

“I was taken to Plymouth games when I was 5 by my dad”

Individuals seek to enhance social identity by affiliating themselves with attractive social

groups and portray cult like behaviours towards their football club (Fisher and Wakefield,

1998, Moutinho et al, 2008). Affiliation is rooted in social recognition; both supporters stated

that they attended matches with friends, with supporter B outlining that they wouldn’t attend

if their friends weren’t going:

Supporter B: “me and my mate go together…

if they aren’t going then I won’t go”

Supporter A: “I go with a couple mates”

This need to attend with friends makes belongingness needs evident under Maslow’s (1943)

Hierarchy of Needs model (Appendix 2.2) as well as supporters portraying needs for

affiliation within McClelland’s (1966) three need theory (Appendix 2.3) in which individuals

are motivated by a need for self-involvement (Maslow, 1954, Blythe, 2008). Additionally this

concurs with Fisher and Wakefield (1998) who identify tribalism or cult characteristics among

32

football supporters. This can be seen as football supporters viewing the football club as their

‘extended self’ within consumer behaviour theory, in which individuals identify external

objects as an extended part of themselves. One unpinning of the extended self is groups

such as social groups that share interests, for example, supporters of the same football club

(Schiffman and Kanuk et al., 2010, Capper, 2013). Ex-Arsenal and Netherlands striker

Dennis Bergkamp also alluded to football forming part of a person’s identity as well as such

belongingness needs in a famous quote (Bergkamp, 2013):

“When you start supporting a football club, you don’t support it because of the

trophies, or a player, or a history, you support it because you found yourself there;

found a place where you belong”

The match experience can be distinguished as a form of entertainment and can evoke

consumer’s emotions during and after the match itself. Supporters showing high levels of

devotion or ‘die hard’ fans are more likely to be affected by the match result and will try to

rationalise bad performances with other factors that make their team good (Jones, 1998,

Mason 1999). This is evident in the words of supporter A who would be identified as a very

devoted supporter based on the aforesaid attendance loyalty, Supporter A implies that their

activities are altered if the team doesn’t win; taking a loss personally is backed up by

footballer 2:

Supporter A: “if we win [we] have more drinks after”

Footballer 2: “football is a form of entertainment and the supporters feel bad when we

lose just like we do”

As football is a form of entertainment it often features on television, this is less applicable to

Plymouth Argyle now that they have fallen from the Championship to League 2. Brand

loyalty can be seen in football if supporters pay to attend matches rather than watching it for

free on television. The devotion levels of the two supporters become more apparent when

asked if they would change their viewing habits if Plymouth Argyle games feature on

television:

Supporter A: “No I’d still go to home and away matches”

Supporter B: “I would watch them on that rather than paying more and going to the

matches”

This argues against the findings of Rein and Kotler et al (2012) who state that regardless of

a consumer’s loyalty towards a club they don’t have the incentives to attend matches due to

33

the alternative methods of watching the games. It can be stated that devoted ‘die hard’ fans,

such as supporter A, will attend the match even if it featured on television; this is furthered in

their desire to continue attending games despite the ticket price increase. Similar to the

feelings of Supporter A the ethnographic research unveiled an extreme sense of loyalty sang

throughout the terraces, “we’re Argyle ‘till we die, we’re Argyle ‘till we die” among the most

common of chants that implied loyalty. Footballer 1 suggests that the increase of television

broadcasting has seen more consumers attracted to successful Premier League teams:

“Teams like Man city, Liverpool and Chelsea are always on TV and always winning so

I can see why people would be attracted to support those teams”

Supporter B, who stated that they would prefer to watch games on television fits into this

category alluded to by Footballer 1 as they support a successful team in the Premier League

as well as Plymouth Argyle:

“I support Chelsea as well”

Footballer 2 bluntly states that those who don’t support their local team yet support a

successful top team are “glory hunting”, glory hunting is where a person seeks to bask in the

success of a particular team. It can be argued that such consumers displaying ‘glory hunting’

characteristics are motivated by the aforementioned belongingness needs under the

hierarchy of needs by Maslow (1943) alongside McClelland’s (1966) need for affiliation. This

is vastly apparent within football with successful premier league teams having large

followings regardless of geographic location.

Live Match Attributes

The final questions posed in the interviews with both supporters centred on what they

believe to be important when attending live matches and how they believe such factors are

fulfilled at Plymouth Argyle games. Lowly devoted supporter B stated numerous aspects of

attending live matches as important, pricing seemed to be a pertinent issue:

“I like to wear my Plymouth…

its pretty expensive”

“The tickets should be cheaper”

34

Supporter B wasn’t too concerned on the overall match result but outlined the atmosphere

and match experience with friends more prudent:

“don’t want a boring game…

I’d rather have a thrilling game from start to end and the result be a draw”

This follows on from work by Blumrodt and Bryson et al, 2012 and Mason (1999) in that

supporters enjoy good atmosphere and stadium attendance and such less devoted fans

require enticement. Supporter B stressed the importance of good facilities, and appreciates

assistive staff.

“it would be nicer if they [toilets] were better…

staff are pretty helpful which is nice”

The final attribute of the match day experience outlined by the interviewer was the players.

Supporter B found players to be important but only in terms of relating back to their earlier

point of the game atmosphere; reinforcing the emphasis on game atmosphere and the

overall experience:

“I don’t recognise the players anymore...

If they are good on the day and make the match better…

that’s important”

The statement on the recognisability links to the work of Bodet and Chanavat (2009) who

found consumers looking for ‘star’ players in their team to form a club asset. On the other

hand supporter A identified different aspects of the live match they find important. The most

important was the result of the match even if it was through a playing style they didn’t

approve of; this implies that there is less importance on the entertainment of the game.

Additionally, contrasting supporter B’s feelings, high importance is placed on the players:

“I wanna see the players put a shift in…

winning is the most important thing even if it is through long ball football”

Conforming with their earlier characteristics on being a devoted supporter they also saw the

ticket prices as something not considered important; the same can be said for the stadium

facilities and staff:

“I’m not too fussed on the facilities or the stewards…

ticket prices I don’t care that much about”

35

The final point of importance made by supporter A was the need for a “cheap half time

pasty” thus stadium refreshment pricing was included in the questionnaires semantic scale

section. The other attributes derived from the interviews with the supporters that were placed

on the questionnaire were:

- Stadium facilities

- Stadium staff assistance

- Player quality

- Ticket pricing

- Club merchandise pricing

- Stadium refreshment pricing

- Game atmosphere

- Game Quality

- Match Result

36

4.2 Quantitative Findings

The above graphs represent the basic demographics in attendance at Plymouth Argyle

football matches. The largest age cohort in attendance was between 31 and 40 with just 11

per cent of the attendees being under 20. Only 5 per cent of respondents were female, this

was also noticeable in the ethnographic research. Though this mere 5 per cent is more than

there would have been in the past as women are more becoming increasingly welcomed as

paying supporters by clubs (Dobson, 2003).

11%

25%

30%

20%

14%

Age Demographics

Below 20 20-30 31-40 41-50 51+

Male 95%

Female 5%

Gender Demographics

Figure 1: Basic Demographics

37

Fishbein Equation

- Ao = Attitude towards the brand (club)

- bi = the individuals belief about the brand’s (clubs) custody of the attribute

- ei = the evaluation of whether the attribute is good or bad

- n = the limited number (n) of attributes considered by the individual

(Solomon, 2006)

The questionnaire respondents will be segmented by their loyalty and separate attitude

totals using the Fishbein Equation will be produced for each segment to assess how suited

Plymouth Argyle are to that specific segmentation of supporter. The Fishbein Equation will

assist in the understanding of the motivation for attending Plymouth Argyle games for

supporters with differing devotion levels. The first of the three segments based on devotion

levels will be those supporters that attend 0 – 20 games involving Plymouth Argyle a season,

supporter B would fall into this segment; this segment will be labelled LD (low devotion). The

second segment will be those supporters who attend 21-40 games a season; this segment

will be named MD (medium devotion). The final segment will be labelled HD (high devotion)

and will comprise of those supporters that attend 41 or more games per season involving

Plymouth Argyle, such as supporter A.

After undertaking the two interviews with the supporters of Plymouth Argyle it is evident that

they possess different levels of loyalty in terms of attending live matches. Certain questions

in the interviews were directed towards what each supporter finds important when attending

live matches; the attributes they found to be important were placed onto the questionnaire in

the form of a semantic scale; the first semantic scale section will be how important they find

each attribute when attending a live football match, this will form the importance (ei) for each

segment of supporters. The second semantic scale section will provide answers on how

38

satisfied the respondents are with these attributes at Plymouth Argyle match days; this will

form the beliefs (bi) for each segment. Three tables will be produced based on the Fishbein

Equation, the attitude total for each segment will reveal how suited the Plymouth Argyle

match day experience is to each segment of supporters. Averages were derived from each

of the semantic scale questions for each segment then multiplied by two and rounded to a

whole number as to get an attribute rating out of ten to be more applicable in the Fishbein

Equation.

39

Table 1: Fishbein Equation Low Devotion Results

Beliefs (bi)

Attribute (n)

Importance (ei)

LD

Stadium Facilities

8

4

Game Atmosphere

7

7

Player Quality

6

2

Ticket Pricing

9

3

Club Merchandise Pricing

8

4

Stadium Refreshment

Pricing

7

6

Attitude Score

194

40

Table 2: Fishbein Equation Medium Devotion Results

Beliefs (bi)

Attribute (n)

Importance (ei)

MD

Stadium Facilities

6

3

Game Atmosphere

9

8

Player Quality

9

3

Ticket Pricing

8

3

Club Merchandise Pricing

4

3

Stadium Refreshment

Pricing

5

4

Attitude Score

173

41

Table 3: Fishbein Equation High Devotion Results

Beliefs (bi)

Attribute (n)

Importance (ei)

HD

Stadium Facilities

3

2

Game Atmosphere

5

7

Player Quality

9

7

Ticket Pricing

3

4

Club Merchandise Pricing

6

4

Stadium Refreshment

Pricing

7

8

Attitude Score

196

42

The segment with the highest attitude total was the highly devoted supporters of Plymouth

Argyle though surprisingly the supporters with the lowest levels of devotion didn’t have the

lowest attitude total; this instead was held by supporters who display medium levels of

devotion. The low attitude score among the medium devotion segment suggests that certain

attributes aren’t fulfilled at Plymouth Argyle matches. As identified in the studies of Blumrodt

and Bryson et al (2012) there is a need for certain factors to coax supporters that don’t

attend every game to be in attendance; the medium devotion attitude score distinguishes a

need for such factors or attributes to be improved for more regular attendance.

Surprisingly the lowest devotion segment had a relatively high attitude score; this suggests

that the Plymouth Argyle match day experience may not be the sole factor deterring them

from attending matches. Though lowly devoted supporters found ticket prices to be

unsatisfactory at Plymouth Argyle, this is not only in conjunction with the interviewed

supporter from the same segment but the work of Morrow (2003) who implied ticket pricing is

a key cause of preventing game attendance. Moreover the results link closely to the work of

Williams and Perkins (1998) in that the ticket pricing at Plymouth Argyle is the main reason

for supporters not attending; ticket pricing scored second lowest in the beliefs (bi) for lowly

devoted supporters. The lowly devoted segments beliefs on the players quality at Plymouth

Argyle was very unsatisfied, this is adhered to by Chanavat and Bodet (2009) who suggest

that supporters ‘take a shine’ to teams with great players; therefore if Plymouth Argyle had

better quality players the lowly devoted supporters may be more inclined to attend. The lowly

devoted supporters could also be classified as ‘flaneurs’, outlined by Giulittio (2002) as

holding a more market based relationship with the club; this is apparent in the high

importance figure displayed for the club merchandise pricing attribute.

The findings show that stadium facilities aren’t important for consumers showing high levels

of devotion to Plymouth Argyle; similarly this was adhered to in the interview with the highly

devoted supporter. This could be explained by consumers in this segment being more

focussed on the match itself and the match result rather than the whole experience. Ticket

pricing among highly devoted supporters was again found to be of low importance furthering

the interview findings, this is backed by Merunka and Albert (2013) who state that

consumers that are committed to a brand are more willing to pay a premium price.

43

Figure 2: Match Experience

As there is emphasis on the match experience itself it is therefore important to compare what

each segment of supporters finds most important on match day. This radar graph displays

the differences in importance among match day attributes. All three segments of devotion

tenure high importance on the quality of the game; this is supported by both interviewed

supporters who identified a quality drop in gameplay at Plymouth Argyle matches as a

problem. Further similarities include all three segments wishing to see good quality players

when observing a live match. Game atmosphere is noted by Blumrodt and Bryson et al

(2012) as crucial for a positive customer experience, although this is argued in the

quantitative findings as highly devoted supporters hold more importance on such attributes

as the match result for a positive experience. A pattern is apparent in the graph showing that

the higher level of devotion a supporter holds the lower importance they hold on the

atmosphere within the stadium.

As aforementioned ticket pricing is much more important for less devoted supporters

whereas supporters attending 41 matches or more a season continue to attend regardless of

price increases. All three segments of supporters found the quality of the game to be of

importance, to which is important to incline supporters to attend (Mason, 1999). All three

0

1

2

3

4

5Game Quality

Game Atmosphere

Player QualityMatch result

Ticket Pricing

Match Experience

LD

MD

HD

44

segments identified the quality of the players as an important element when present at a

Plymouth Argyle match.

Figure 3: Plymouth Argyle Support

Differences in loyalties that lay in the supporting of Plymouth Argyle among the segments

are further apparent under questioning of whether Plymouth Argyle are their main supported

team. 100 per cent of highly devoted supporters stated that their main supported team is

Plymouth Argyle; this segmentation of loyalty can be compared to Tap and Clowes (2002)

segmentation of ‘one club’ fans, medium and lowly devoted fans can be compared to

‘repertoire’ fans that engage in multi brand usage. For the respondents that wouldn’t

consider Plymouth Argyle their main supported team, the clubs outlined as main supported

teams were: Chelsea; Stoke City; Arsenal and two said Manchester United. With the

exception of Stoke City, these teams would be considered successful within English football;

these findings are in conjunction with Chanavat and Bodet’s (2009) study in which

consumers are aware of ‘big’ English football clubs, this awareness factor plays a vital part in

choosing to support a team. Consumers are globally aware of large clubs in English football,

such as Manchester United; this caters for the initial ‘awareness’ step on the hierarchy of

effects model (Blythe, 2008).

75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100%

HD

MD

LD

Plymouth Argyle Support

Main Supported Team

Not Main SupportedTeam

45

Table 4: Attendance Affiliation

Friends Family Alone Friends/Family Friends/Alone Family/Alone

12 5 0 37 0 2

This table shows the company that supporters from all levels of devotion attend games with.

There is a clear preference for consumers to attend football games with either their family or

friends. No respondents admitted only attending matches alone yet two stated that they go

alone or with family. This predominant decision to make an appearance at live matches with

friends/family portrays the aforesaid McClelland’s (1966) need for affiliation, such

motivational needs focus on relationships, this is furthered in the qualitative research where

both supporters state a preference to attend games with friends. Affiliation, it could be

stated, accounts for a key motivational aspect on why consumers attend football matches.

46

Figure 4: Support Duration

Over 45 per cent of the low devotion segment stated that they had supported Plymouth

Argyle for between 6 and 10 years, the pattern of this segments line shows that those that

only attend a handful of games a season have supported Plymouth for a shorter period of

time. Opposing this line is the duration of support unveiled by the highly devoted supporters

of whom 67 per cent have supported Plymouth Argyle for longer than 16 years. Of the

supporters that attend between 21 and 40 games a season 38 per cent have supported the

club for over 16 years. A possible reason for the lack of attendance could be the rise in ticket

pricing, had the ticket prices not increased the medium devotion segment may be in the

highly devoted segment (Williams and Perkins, 1998). Furthermore, of the supporters

showing medium devotion 52 per cent have supported the team for 10 years or less; a direct

correlation between support duration and game attendance. Therefore if consumers within

the segment of medium devotion continue their support it seems likely that they will progress

to the segment of highly devoted supporters. It is evident that the graph indicates a positive

correlation between attendance and years of support.

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

45.00

50.00

<=5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 >=21

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Years

Support Duration

LD

MD

HD

47

Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion

Objective 1: To identify segments of football supporters

In keeping with previous studies it is apparent that when segmenting supporters of football

there are noticeable distinctions in behaviour. The segmentation approach was derived from

the initial qualitative interviews as it was evident that based on consumer loyalty there were

different attitudes and emotions towards their supported football team. The high devotion

segment showed distinct characteristics of ‘one club’ and ‘die hard’ fans (Mason 1999, Tap

and Clowes 2002). Concurrence between the characteristics of the highly devoted

interviewed supporter and the beliefs of the same segment of respondents was also dually

noted when deconstructing the gathered data. The data shows that highly devoted

consumers have more than just a psychological attachment to the club but also an emotional

one; the club is also shown to be part of highly devoted supporter’s identity. A key attribute

of a person’s identity is often the geographic location that they were born in or live in, as in

this study the geographic location is represented by the football club it is therefore an

extension of their identity (Fisher and Wakefield, 1998). The extremely loyal highly devoted

segment was found to view their club as more than just a brand, but an extension of

themselves (Blythe, 2008).

The low devotion segment surprisingly scored the second highest attitude total on the

Fishbein Equation showing that they are relatively suited to the attributes of the Plymouth

Argyle match day experience. Their lack of attendance could be explained in the ticket price

increases; a preference to watch better quality football on television and engaging in multi

brand usage (Tap and Clowes 2002). Their choice to support as more successful clubs

within English football alongside Plymouth Argyle could be down to the larger holding of

brand equity under Keller’s consumer-based brand equity model (Appendix 1.1).

Furthermore such clubs as Manchester United, when operating as brands, consumers are

more aware of therefore pushing consumers through the hierarchy of effects model quicker

(Solomon, 2006). Moreover, awareness is a key dimension of brand equity (Aaker, 1991).

Objective 2: To unveil consumers motivation for attending live matches

Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs (Appendix 1.1) enables the ability to comprehend

supporter’s motivation for attending football matches, the selected sample showed

48

indications of belongingness needs as they predominantly attend with friends. Furthermore

need for affiliation was identified within the qualitative research (McClelland, 1966) among

low and medium devotion supporters affiliating themselves with likeminded individuals

showing signs of tribalism; such tribalism was observed during the ethnographic research

also with supporters communicating to complete strangers through both sharing the same

opinions on the football match (Moutinho et al, 2008). Such supporters it can be said based

on the findings are less likely to attend if they are not among likeminded individuals; there’s

more emphasis on the day out and “having a laugh” than there is on the actual match or the

team.

Success, it was found, is vital for a large support base. For high devotion supporters success

is not obligatory for continued attendance; though success could see low and medium

devotion fans become highly devoted fans. Being in a higher league it seems will also see

more highly devoted fans as low and medium devotion fans move through the segments,

whereas further relegations will not see supporters in the highly devoted segment fall into the

other two segments.

Objective 3: How is brand loyalty unique among football supporters?

Portrayal of unique brand loyalty was apparent throughout the study, especially comparing

the consumption of football entertainment to alternative brands purchased by consumers.

For example, the ethnographic research revealed a number of tattoos of the football clubs

crest on supporters. To have another brand inked onto your body is a notion that would be

considered absurd. Such tattoos could be a further indication of the football club forming

part of a consumer’s identity; this could perhaps be considered the ultimate expression of

brand devotion.

Highly devoted fans are evidently loyal to their club, the most befitting findings is their

continued match attendance despite ticket price increases and success decreases. Highly

devoted fans back their team to the hilt, though lowly devoted fans will opt to watch the

game on television; lowly devoted supporters are in keeping with Kerr and Gladden’s (2008)

‘satellite’ fans. Attitudes can form how loyal an individual is to a brand partly comes from

groups such as family and peers, following parents brands was found to be prominent within

the football industry reinforcing the family influence on consumer attitude.

Objective 4: To display the emotional attachment consumers have towards football clubs

49

It was found that the attachment between club and consumers more than just success based

in the case of the highly devoted segment; furthermore the match result dictates social

activity. Classical conditioning under stimulus response models is often used by marketers to

associate the brand with a persona or an identity, though in football it seems that consumers

have an emotional attachment to geographic locations represented by the football club.

Therefore the emotions felt for the place they are from are conditioned onto the

representative football club (Blythe, 2008, Capper, 2013).

Furthering Bridgewater and Strays (2002) findings the emotional response evoked by the

football clubs success is less significant in the segment of the highly devoted fans. Though

the emotional affects are apparent when such supporters alter their extra-curricular activities

based on the match result, this was evident in the qualitative findings. The ‘brand love’

model is applicable to football fans showing high levels of devotion as they are constantly

engaging in conversation about their football club and even more prominently on match day

itself.

Limitations and Future Studies

The more pertinent limitation is that this study was produced based on a particular club

which makes generalisation difficult, especially among larger, more successful football clubs.

A further limitation in regards to generalisation is that a relatively small respondent base was

used and only collected outside the stadium on match day. Lowly devoted fans that prefer to

watch games on television could be studied into as to how football clubs can entice them to

attend live matches. Plymouth Argyle FC are also an English football club, therefore a study

could be undertaken that studies supporter behaviour in another country and compared to

English supporters.

Word Count: 13,488

50

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Appendix 1

1.1: Keller’s (1993) Consumer-Based Brand Equity Model

56

1.2: Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs Model

57

1.3: McClelland’s (1966) Three Need Theory

58

Appendix 2

2.1 Transcript 1

Interviewer: Thanks for participating in this study on consumer behaviour in football.

Supporter A: No problem

Interviewer: How long have you supported Plymouth Argyle?

Supporter A: For as long as I can remember

Interviewer: So around 20 years? Where did this support stem from?

Supporter A: Yeah around that maybe more and my dad and older brother supported

Plymouth

Interviewer: Would you have ever considered choosing a different team to support?

Supporter A: I was taken to Plymouth games when I was like 5 and there aren’t any other big

teams locally

Interviewer: Ok. So you attend a lot of games a season?

Supporter A: I have bought a season ticket for the past 3 years and only ever miss a few

away games a season

Interviewer: Safe to say you’re a devoted supporter then?

Supporter A: Yea definitely, since we got relegated from the championship I know loads of

people that haven’t renewed their season tickets

Interviewer: It’s safe to say match attendance has dropped since Argyle’s back to back

relegations, do you think this is directly related to the lack of success?

Supporter A: I just know half of them won’t pay like £20 game to watch long ball football and

not a win at the end of it

Interviewer: So the entertainment factor has dropped since Argyle’s back to back

relegations?

Supporter A: 100%. We used to have managers like Ian Holloway and Paul Sturrock as well

as decent players like Bolasie, Busaky, Gallagher and people like that. Half of the lads we

have playing now are pretty average and the quality of football has dropped.

Interviewer: Going back to your earlier point on ticket prices, how do you feel about the rise

of football tickets in football and has this deterred you from attending?

Supporter A: To be fair it is a joke, it costs the same to go there now as it did when we were

in the championship. They also don’t give anything to people who update their season

tickets every year. Sometimes they drop the price to like adults for a fiver which is a joke for

people like me who have paid for all the home games.

59

Interviewer: But you are still keen to attend despite the pricing and the decreased game

quality?

Supporter A: Yea, what else would I do on Saturday. Other people would go shopping or for

a meal or something, I’d just rather watch a bit of footy.

Interviewer: You said you used to attend matches with your dad is this still the case?

Supporter A: No he doesn’t really go anymore because I go with a couple mates, can’t really

see him being a decent laugh on away days.

Interviewer: I would definitely consider you to be a devoted fan of Plymouth, but I could be

wrong, do you support any other teams?

Supporter A: Nah, too easy to just choose a decent team and hunt for glory.

Interviewer: Ok, so as a devoted fan what do you think is important on game days, for

example like ticket prices?

Supporter A: Ticket prices I don’t care that much about but if it gets ridiculous then its gunna

be a problem. Winning is the most important thing even if it is through long ball football.

Other important things, umm, I wanna see the players put a shift in.

Interviewer: What about things like facilities and ground staff?

Supporter A: I’m not too fussed on the facilities or the stewards but I need my cheap half

time pasty.

Interviewer: Do you think a supportive and loud crowd makes a difference to the team

performance?

Supporter A: Well if we go one nil down and everyone is getting behind the team I reckon the

players see that and want to get back into the game.

Interviewer: So you go with mates and make a day of it right? Would you say it’s more about

the game or the day out?

Supporter A: Both, we normally go have a few pints at the Brit before and if we win have

more drinks after. But we are talking about the game when we are in the pub.

Interviewer: If Plymouth were to be taken over in the manner that Manchester City were

recently would you welcome that sort of investment into the club?

Supporter A: If it meant we were as good as Man city then yes and if we starting winning and

being promoted it would be decent for the club. More people would come to the games again

not just for games against Exeter.

Interviewer: You mention Plymouth’s nearest rivals Exeter, was the match atmosphere and

attendance much better in that game?

Supporter A: Yea we had like 14 thousand in and it was properly loud like it was when we

were in the championship. Just well annoying we lost to them.

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Interviewer: Okay and finally, If Plymouth appeared more on TV like they did when in the

Championship would you be more inclined to watch them on TV?

Supporter A: No I’d still go to home and away matches

Interviewer: And being exposed to the media wouldn’t be a problem for you?

Supporter A: No means more people will know about us which Is a good thing I guess. Be

good if one day we were on match of the day.

Interviewer: Alright I think that’s good enough, thanks for your time.

Supporter A: Cheers, no problem.

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2.2 Transcript 2

Interviewer: Thanks for participating in this study

Supporter B: That’s alright

Interviewer: How long have you supported Plymouth Argyle?

Supporter B: About 10 years

Interviewer: And how old are you?

Supporter B: 24

Interviewer: Is Plymouth your main supported team?

Supporter B: I support Chelsea as well but Plymouth is my main team

Interviewer: What made you start supporting Plymouth?

Supporter B: Because I live here and most people I knew growing up supported them

Interviewer: What about your family, are they Plymouth supporters?

Supporter B: My parents and sister aren’t really into football like that but my cousin is a

Plymouth supporter and my dad has been to a few games.

Interviewer: How many games a season do you attend?

Supporter B: Depends. This season I have been to about 10 games. Last season I went to

about 14

Interviewer: were they all home games?

Supporter B: Yea, I have been to a few away games but it’s just getting there and back that’s

the problem.

Interviewer: Did you attend more Plymouth games when they were in the championship?

Supporter B: Probably but only because more of my mates were going

Interviewer: You attend the games with friends then?

Supporter B: Yea when I do go me and my mate go together and if our other mates are there

we meet them in there

Interviewer: If the ticket prices were cheaper would you go more?

Supporter B: I think we probably would, £21 a week is quite a lot to be spending on football

Interviewer: But this price was less of a problem when Plymouth were in the championship?

Supporter B: The games were better then and so were the opponents. We were playing

teams like Newcastle who had premier league standard players which was good to watch.

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Interviewer: When you say the games were better, are you referring to the atmosphere,

quality or just the match results?

Supporter B: I reckon we probably won the same amount of games then as we do now, but

the football was better and there was a lot more people in attendance.

Interviewer: If Plymouth featured more on TV would you watch them rather than attending

the games?

Supporter B: Yea when we were in the championship and we were on TV I would watch

them on that rather than paying more and going to the matches.

Interviewer: Interesting. So would you say that the quality of football has decreased at

Plymouth in recent years?

Supporter B: Since we have been relegated we don’t have the same quality we did before.

Interviewer: So when you attend games what do you think is important, for example ticket

prices?

Supporter B: Ticket prices are important because I would go more often if they were

cheaper. The tickets should be cheaper now as we can’t even half fill the stadium, would be

better if we filled the stadium every week.

Interviewer: So you think there is a direct correlation between ticket prices and the lack of

match attendance?

Supporter B: Partly the prices but the quality and the league we are playing in probably as

well.

Interviewer: So what other factors do you consider important?

Supporter B: Well I like to wear my Plymouth shirt when I go to the games but I don’t have

the latest one as its pretty expensive.

Interviewer: So cheap club merchandising is important to you? What about other things

about the match day?

Supporter B: Yea I think that’s important. The volume of the crowd and the overall

atmosphere is important and the game being entertaining, don’t want a boring game.

Interviewer: So the quality of the game is important, what about the overall result?

Supporter B: Yea I think it’s good to win as it makes the atmosphere better and can have

more of a laugh but if it’s a really boring game and we win then it is sometimes annoying. I’d

rather have a thrilling game from start to end and the result be a draw but obviously don’t like

losing, and it’s easier to banter with the away fans if we are winning as well.

Interviewer: Ah ok, what about facilities within the stadium? And staff too?

Supporter B: Well the toilets are pretty grim and It would be nicer if they were better. The

staff are pretty helpful which is nice like they show you were your seats are and I feel safe in

the ground.

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Interviewer: What about the players?

Supporter B: I don’t recognise the players anymore and every time I go there seem to be

new names I have never heard of. If they are good on the day and make the match better to

watch then that’s important.

Interviewer: Ok. If your mates weren’t going would you go alone or find other people to go

with you?

Supporter B: If they aren’t going then I won’t go because we have a laugh and it’s a decent

thing to do with your mates if you all work during the week.

Interviewer: That’s should suffice, thanks again for your time

Supporter B: No worries

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2.3 Transcript 3

Interviewer: Thank you for participating in this study, I already know you play for Plymouth

but would you consider yourself a Plymouth supporter?

Footballer 1: I’m from Plymouth and have supported Plymouth all my life

Interviewer: How is your role affected by fans?

Footballer 1: The fans are who you are playing for; if they weren’t there you are playing in

front of no one

Interviewer: When you are playing in front of the fans do you feel they make a difference to

your performance?

Footballer 1: Definitely, if they are loud and singing it gives you a boost. When we are

striking towards the Devonport end the fans are so loud they almost suck the ball into the

goal. As a player you are told to just focus on the game but it’s hard to ignore the

atmosphere in the ground.

Interviewer: You have played for the past two season’s right?

Footballer 1: My debut was in 2010 so I’ve been involved for about three seasons

Interviewer: What have you noticed in the game attendance and general game day support?

Footballer 1: There’s obviously has been a drop in attendance and it is hard not to notice but

I think there is still the same support for the club

Interviewer: So you believe that people haven’t stopped supporting the team they have just

stopped attending games?

Footballer 1: Well I think if you support a team you stick by them through thick and thin and

that’s definitely the case at Argyle we have good support

Interviewer: Why do you think people have stopped attending games?

Footballer 1: People want to see good football which is something we are working towards

but they also want to see success

Interviewer: So do you think attendance would grow if Plymouth were to be promoted?

Footballer 1: Yes but not because people don’t support the team when they aren’t doing well

but because the higher up the leagues the more well-known the club is

Interviewer: Plymouth have a rich history and are a big club in comparison to the clubs

around them in league 2, do you think supporters feel the club is underperforming and

therefore not attending?

Footballer 1: I think it is safe to say for the size of the club that we are underperforming but I

think this is down to the financial struggle we have been through. I agree this could be why

people aren’t attending as much as they were before.

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Interviewer: What are your feelings towards the devoted fans that still purchase season

tickets despite the relegations and the financial woes?

Footballer 1: These are the fans you want to play football for; at Plymouth I think we are

lucky to have so many of them. If everyone saw a few relegations as a reason to stop

supporting we wouldn’t be playing in front of anyone. These fans are the most important

ones

Interviewer: So you feel there are segments of fans in terms of devotion?

Footballer 1: There are definitely supporters more devoted than others to the club yes

Interviewer: Do you feel supporters that attend games judge you solely on your performance

in the game?

Footballer 1: The main thing for me and most of the lads is that we play well on the day of

the game and don’t go missing.

Interviewer: But what about if you are seen outside of the stadium?

Footballer 1: I try and treat people how they treat me but don’t feel I am famous I just see it

as my job

Interviewer: So off the field professionalism is important to upkeep?

Footballer 1: Yes just like in any other job, I am judged not only as a player but also as a

person but I think the majority of people in Plymouth don’t know who I am

Interviewer: When supporters attend the game what do you feel is most important for them

to see?

Footballer 1: A good hearty performance and hopefully a win. That’s what I would want to

see anyway

Interviewer: If you weren’t at the game playing for Plymouth do you think you would attend

the games?

Footballer 1: Before I started playing I was a season ticket holder, but we were in the

Championship then. I like to think I would still be at all home matches now if I wasn’t playing

Interviewer: Do you think switching support to a different team is something that happens a

lot within football?

Footballer 1: If you are born somewhere and go to the games when you are young it’s pretty

hard to change teams, especially down here when the nearest league club is over an hour

away. I’m sure if happens though; supporters want to see wins and trophies so it’s much

easier now to support successful teams?

Interviewer: What do you mean by ‘it’s much easier now’?

Footballer 1: Just you can have a choice on any team you want really

Interviewer: Do you think this is because of increased media exposure?

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Footballer 1: I suppose. Teams like Man city, Liverpool and Chelsea are always on TV and

always winning so I can see why people would be attracted to support those teams

Interviewer: Would you say there is a direct link between people supporting the team

because it represents their town/city?

Footballer 1: Undoubtedly, the badge represents their city

Interviewer: Good point, thanks a lot, we will end it there

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2.4 Transcript 4

Interviewer: Thanks for participating in this study in consumer behaviour in football, how do

you feel your role is affected by the Plymouth supporters?

Footballer 2: That’s ok; the fans are obviously valuable to any club no matter how rich or big

they are

Interviewer: In terms of the game day itself do you think the game atmosphere affects your

performance?

Footballer 2: I try not to get swept up in it all and just keep focussed but its better when you

are at home and the fans are behind you, gives you extra energy

Interviewer: This is your first season at Plymouth, do you sense a there is a loyal fan base?

Footballer 2: I was previously at another league 2 club that had been promoted from the

conference a few years before I joined and they didn’t have the support that Plymouth did

Interviewer: Would you believe me if I told you that the average attendance in 2007 was

17,000?

Footballer 2: To me Plymouth is a championship side in league 2. The stadium is much nicer

than any in the league and it’s hard not to notice the empty seats. What is the average

attendance now, like 4,000?

Interviewer: Yes around that figure maybe a bit more. So you would say that Plymouth is an

underperforming club?

Footballer 2: I think the facilities and staff are more suited to a championship club or at least

league 1 and I think this team is capable of promotion if not this season then next

Interviewer: If Plymouth were to be promoted do you think game attendance would

increase?

Footballer 2: The supporters have seen nothing but point deductions and relegations in the

past few years so a promotion would show that the club is going in the right direction.

Interviewer: Do you feel success is the only driver for supporters to attend games?

Footballer 2: When we go on a good run of form attendance picks up but I guess that is

success based. I think it’s like tradition and habit too though

Interviewer: What do you mean by ‘tradition’?

Footballer 2: Well if you have been attending Argyle games for ages then people would

continue to even if the league they are in isn’t as high as it was before.

Interviewer: As in it’s a form of entertainment that people do with their friends?

Footballer 2: Well football is a form of entertainment and the supporters feel bad when we

lose just like we do

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Interviewer: Do you think the people who have stopped attending games now do another

leisure activity like go to the cinema with friends?

Footballer 2: Possibly. But probably at home watching soccer Saturday

Interviewer: Probably more likely, no better substitute for football than football

Interviewer: James Brent looks to have stabled the ship financially, without the emphasis on

Plymouth’s financial worries can the team focus just on playing now?

Footballer 2: I think we are always just trying to take each game as it comes and win, my

mind is never on things happening off the pitch but I wasn’t here when players and staff

weren’t getting paid.

Interviewer: Good cliché. Do you think supporters appreciate a passionate performance from

players?

Footballer 2: Certainly. If I was in the terraces I would want to see the players determined to

win for the club.

Interviewer: Do you think fans mind what players do off the pitch?

Footballer 2: I think fans mind as well as the clubs management. I don’t want to be seen in a

bad light and I like to keep my private life private.

Interviewer: Do you think switching to another team to support happens a lot in football?

Footballer 2: No I think most proper fans have one team that they support forever regardless

of success

Interviewer: By proper fans are you implying that there are different levels of support for

football teams?

Footballer 2: Well some people say they support a team but don’t go to the games and other

people say they support a team and attend every match possible

Interviewer: Would you say that ‘plastic fans’ are much more common in recent times?

Footballer 2: There is definitely a lot more people around that support top teams in the prem

rather than local teams

Interviewer: Would you say this is a direct link to the trophies and success of the team?

Footballer 2: Yes and them sort of teams have a lot more support

Interviewer: and finally, these people that don’t support their local team yet support a

successful top team, you could say that they are following others?

Footballer 2: Yeah glory hunting

Interviewer: Thanks for your time

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Appendix 3: Questionnaire Dear Sir/Madame,

I am conducting a survey on brand loyalty and consumer behaviour within the football industry. Kindly

cooperate by filling in the questionnaire. Thank you.

_________________________________________________________________________

Please circle your answer in this first section.

1) Gender: a) Male b) Female

c) Prefer not to say

2) Age (years): a) Below 20 b) 20-30 c) 31-40

d) 41-50 e) 51+

3) Is Plymouth Argyle FC your main supported team?

a) Yes b) No

4) If you answered no on the previous question please state your main supported team in the

box below

5) How many Plymouth Argyle FC games do you attend a season, home and away?

a) None b) 9 or less

c) 10-20 d) 21-30

e) 31-40 f) 41+

6) For how long have you supported Plymouth argyle FC?

a) Less than 5 years b) 6-10 years

c) 11- 15 years d) 16-20 years

e) Over 21 years

Please turn over

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7) Who do you attend Plymouth Argyle games with? (Circle one or more answers)

a) Friends b) Family

c) Alone d) Other

8) In this section please rate how important the following aspects of live matches are to

you on a scale of 1-5 (Highly Important-5, Important-4, Neutral-3, Unimportant-2, and

Highly Unimportant-1)

8a) Match Experience:

- Stadium Facilities ________

- Game Atmosphere ________

- Game Quality ________

- Match Result ________

8b) Staff:

- Stadium Staff Assistance ________

- Player Quality ________

8c) Pricing:

- Ticket Pricing ________

- Club Merchandise Pricing ________

- Stadium Refreshment Pricing ________

9) In this section please rate how satisfied you are with each of the following attributes of the

Plymouth Argyle match day experience on a scale of 1-5 5 (Highly Satisfied-5, Satisfied-4,

Neutral-3, Dissatisfied-2, and Highly Dissatisfied-1)

- Stadium Facilities _________

- Game Atmosphere _________

- Player Quality _________

- Ticket Pricing _________

- Club Merchandise Pricing _________

- Stadium Refreshment Pricing _________

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Appendix 4: Detailed Project Proposal

A) THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

1) What is the provisional title of your project?

- The impact of brand loyalty and brand emotion within the football industry

2) What is the problem (question) that you are seeking to answer, or explore? Or, put another

way, what is the ‘hypothesis’ you seek to test? Try to be as precise as possible.

- How evident is brand loyalty within football?

3) What academic issues does this research address?

Make a list.........

Remember, it’s often harder to take on an area that many others have done...........

1) The relationship between consumers and football clubs

2) Brand loyalty

3) Emotional attachment between brand and consumers

4) Consumers behaviour motivations

5) What do you expect to be the central argument within your research?

The central argument within my research will be the impact that certain factors have on consumers of

football brands, such as: geographic location; culture; social groups; family and marketing. I

have expectations to uncover interesting facts about how consumers select a football club to

support and how loyal they are to such football clubs.

5) Why do you think it is important to undertake this research?

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I believe this research is important as it will provide knowledge on how consumers behave in relation

to their supporter football club. Furthermore this research will help to comprehend the

emotional factors that occur in the mind of the consumer. The lack of theory within brand

loyalty in the football industry leaves a gap for such research to be undertaken. Previous

research and writings regarding brand loyalty and brand emotion tend to be on more common

product lines, for example: there is an abundance of literature on brand loyalty within the food

product industry. The commonness of such mundane literature has provided me, as the

researcher, with the opportunity to investigate a more interesting subject.

B) LOCATING THE PROBLEM IN THE LITERATURE

6) Attempt to list some of the relevant books, articles, papers or simply ‘sources’ that you can

use for this research.

Football Brands by Dr Sue Bridgewater

Principles and Practice of Marketing by David Jobber

Proquest newspaper articles

Emerald journals

Examining the relationship between brand emotion and brand extension among supporters of professional football clubs By Ibrahim Abosag, Stuart Roper and Daniel Hind

Television viewers’ motivations to follow the 2005 Ashes Test series: implications for the rebranding of English cricket By Roger Bennett, Rehnuma Ali-Choudhury and Wendy Mousley

Leveraging fans’ global football allegiances to build domestic league support By Heath McDonald

Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, Lloyd Harris and Prof Nigel F. Piercy

Consumer Behaviour By Martin M. Evans, Gordon Foxall and Ahmad Jamal

Consumer Behaviour in Sport and Events: Marketing Action (Sports Marketing) By Daniel C. Funk

7) What, if any, are the limitations with the literature relating to your research questions?

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After covering a substantial amount of literature on the subject, I have noticed a clear theme .The

majority of literature relating to marketing and more specifically branding within football is

about how a football club as a brand can grow and extend. The focus in the literature seems

to lie in the revenue and the financial side of football brand rather than the role of the

consumer. Theories relating to consumer behaviour do not fit with football brands as well as

they do with common products, this is due to the reasoning behind consumers being loyal to a

football brand differs considerably.

C) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research methodology will be a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research; the research will

also be mainly primary yet only after a wide range of secondary data has been covered. My

collection of quantitative data will be via a carefully constructed questionnaire which will be

distributed to a chosen sample of approximately 50 people, the questionnaire will be my only

source of quantitative data so I will avoid using open ended questions. My main collection

method will be qualitative; I will be arranging and undertaking four unstructured interviews of

approximately thirty minutes. My second source of qualitative research will be ethnographic

research, I will be attending a football match and observing consumers and taking notes of

the emotion that surrounds me.

10) Why have you chosen this general research approach?

I have chosen to use a predominantly qualitative approach because of the edge of psychology that is

involved in my research. The quantitative questionnaire will give me the ability to convert

information into graphs and a distinct yes or no answer to my research queries. The use of a

questionnaire is useful because I can get a large sample size. The unstructured interviews will

allow me to get a proper insight into how consumers of football brands behave and I can

tweak my questions mid interview depending on which avenues I want to explore that will

directly apply to my research. Observing football consumers at a live match will help me

encapsulate the emotion displayed that I can then apply theory to.

11) What literature on research methods has led you to believe that this would be the best

approach?

For research such as mine looking at consumer behaviour and how human emotions affects brands I

believe qualitative will give me more flexible results and opinions. The quantitative aspect will

give me data I can compare and contrast and the interviews will provide me with the

motivations and attitudes of consumers. When looking at literature on research methods it

seems quantitative techniques will give you more stringent in the box data.

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12) If a sample (organisations or individuals) is used, explain why the choice of sample is

appropriate (or representative) to research questions.

My collection of quantitative data will be via a carefully constructed questionnaire which will be

distributed to a chosen sample of around 50 people, the questionnaire will be my only source

of quantitative data. My main collection method will be quantitative; I will be arranging and

undertaking four unstructured interviews of approximately thirty minutes.

13) Have you agreed access to your sample?

I have agreed to interview the two fans as well as the two footballers. I am yet to set a date with any

of the four interviewees but the arrangement should not be a problem. As for access to

Plymouth Argyle Football Club, I have spoken to a few members of staff but I am yet to

receive clearance. Accessing the sample for the quantitative questionnaire will not be a

problem as I will verbally as them prior to giving them the questionnaire.

14) Will the sample size be appropriate?

Approximately 50 respondents for the questionnaire will be more than enough in order to place the

date into graphs and tables that can then be analysed. Four interviews of thirty minutes will be

appropriate for receiving the information I need for my research, although this is not a set time

so If needs be I will extend the interview depending on if I have gathered enough information.

15) How do you propose to analyse the information that you gather?

The data collected in the questionnaires will be quantitative and therefore will be placed into various

graphs and tables ordered in relevance towards the title of my research; this will be done

using excel. All of my unstructured interviews will be put onto transcripts and quotations from

the interviews will be made and the critically analysed. There will be application of theory in

both the quantitative and qualitative to see if the research fits with consumer behaviour

theory. The graphs that are to be constructed will mix a few questions from the questionnaire

in order to compare and contrast the collected data.

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16) Are any recommendations you make likely to be “actioned” e.g. by company, individual,

manager, etc.?

Not recommendations as such but points of note, specifically for smaller clubs. This will be for them to

understand the football club as a brand and how consumers view and react to such brand.

From an academic perspective I look to challenge theories and research in the area of

consumer behaviour due to the generalisations made over all industries, I will hopefully also

be able to comment on industry specific consumer behaviour issues.

17) What is your research timetable? (Agree a “Progress Chart” with Supervisor.)

Task Duration Dates

Detailed proposal 2 Weeks November 4th – November 18

th

Literature Review 5 Weeks November 20th – December 25

th

Primary Data Collection 6 Weeks January 1st – February 12

th

Analysis of Data 5 Weeks February 24th – March 31

st

Conclusion and Recommendations

3 Weeks April 1st – April 22

nd

Proof Reading 1 Week April 23rd

– April 30th

18) What are your main concerns?

My main concern for undertaking this research is time management. A part-time job as well as extra-

curricular activities will be a hindrance that I will be battling with throughout my research. A concern

will also be that my research will not be in coherence with previous research in the field, in which case

the theoretical framework will not apply. A final qualm is my constant struggle with academic material

that stems from dyslexia and that I do not find reading an enjoyable experience.

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Appendix 5: Project plan

Task Dates Completion

Collect secondary data 20/08/2013 – 10/09/2013

Read and search for gaps in the literature

12/09/2013 – 20/09/2013

Produce project proposal 22/09/2013 – 30/09/2013

Introduction 10/10/2013 – 25/10/2013

Review of the literature 01/11/2013 – 06/01/2014

Analyse research method approaches

10/01/2014 – 31-01/2014

Select research approach 10/02/2014 – 26/02/2014

Undertake interviews 06/03/2014 - 14/03/2014

Formulate questionnaire 16/03/2014 – 18/03/2014

Pilot questionnaire 20/03/2014 - 22/03/2014

Distribute questionnaire 25/03/2014 – 25/03/2014

Deconstruct results 26/03/2014 – 04/04/2014

Formulate transcripts 05/04/2014 – 05/04/2014

Analyse transcripts 06/04/2014 – 10/04/2014

Analyse quantitative results in excel

11/04/2014 – 16/04/2014

Comment on figures and tables 17/04/2014 – 17/04/2014

Conclude 20/04/2014 – 24/04/2014

Arrange references 25/04/2014 – 25/04/2014

Insert appendices 26/04/2013 – 26/04/2014

Proof read 28/04/2014 – 28/04/2014

Submit dissertation 01/05/2014

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