Document Type : Research Paper
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of the current study was to assess the partial effects of team identity dimensions on team loyalty among fans of football pro league in Iran, and providing a model for development of loyalty to pro league football teams.
Methodology: The study was a descriptive survey done as a field one. Research population involved the fans of football teams being famous for having eager fans in football pro league. A sample of 236 fans was selected through random sampling. The research tools involved the questionnaires of Behavioral loyalty (Fink et al, 2003), and team identity (Koo, 2009). Questionnaire’s face validity was investigated according to 15 sport and marketing scholars, and questionnaire’s content validity was found to be 0.79. The questionnaire’s reliability was also found to be 0.82 according to Cronbach’s alpha. SPSS18 and AMOS20 were used for data analysis.
Results: To measure the validity and fitness of the model, structural equations modeling (SEM) has been applied, and the relationships of variables were verified based on direction analysis. According to research findings the four dimensions of team identity had positive and significant effects on behavioral loyalty.
Conclusion: The results of the current research revealed that four dimensions of team brand identity have significant and positive effect on team loyalty. So, development of managers’ perceptions about these factors can be an important tool for improving football team brand loyalty.
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