Exploring fan engagement and commercialisation in Swedish elite football

Abstract

This dissertation builds on theory of customer and fan engagement and explores the nature of fan engagement in the Swedish elite football ecosystem. In light of the increasingly interconnected service ecosystem of elite football and the intensified commercialisation of the game, the aims of this thesis are to (1) examine and analyse the antecedents to and consequences of fan engagement in Swedish elite football, focusing specifically on the influence of engagement with multiple actors and on different engagement platforms, and (2) analyse the consequences of elite football commercialisation on fans and their engagement. To fulfil these aims, this dissertation builds on survey responses from 4331 fans of Swedish elite football and a systematic literature review focusing on the effects of elite sport commercialisation on fans. Based on the results of three survey-based studies, this dissertation sheds light on the influence of engagement that occurs beyond the customer-firm dyad (fan-team), on the platforms where this engagement takes place, as well as on the antecedents to and consequences of fan engagement. The results indicate that the engagement that occurs between fans, independent of involvement from the club, is extremely important for outcomes of engagement, such as value co-creation and brand loyalty. The survey results also indicate that engagement on virtual engagement platforms, such as social media, is positively related to team loyalty and value co-creation between actors. This finding indicates that virtual engagement platforms, which allow for ongoing and intense engagement between actors, are as important to fans and fan engagement as physical engagement platforms. This thesis also highlights the scarcity of studies focusing on the effects of commercialisation on fans beyond the top European football leagues and finds that almost no studies have surveyed fans of women’s elite football on this topic. As such, by surveying women’s football fans, this dissertation shows that in contrast to the many critical studies on commercialisation, perceptions of increased commercialisation among women’s football fans may, in fact, lead to more engagement and a more credible league. The results of this thesis are important to the research on customer and fan engagement. For practitioners in this sector, this dissertation shows the importance of fostering fan-to-fan interactions and ensuring that virtual engagement platforms are facilitated accordingly.