Tangibility of Sports Team Identification and Place Attachment through a Visit to the Stadium

Figures & data

Table 1. Information of interviewees.

No.	Code	Gender	Favorite club	Visiting Stadium	Country	Stadium tour	A live game
1	Stadium Tour 1 (ST1)	M	Real Madrid	Bernabéu	Spain	+
2	ST2	Female (F)	Manchester United	Old Trafford	The UK	+
3	ST3	M	Real Madrid	Bernabéu	Spain	+
4	Live game 1 (LG1)	Male (M)	Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	The UK		+
5	LG2	F	FC Barcelona	Nou Camp	Spain		+
6	LG3	M	Manchester United	Old Trafford	The UK		+
7	LG4	F	FC Barcelona	Nou Camp	Spain		+
8	LG5	M	Manchester City	the Etihad Stadium	The UK		+
9	LG6	M	Manchester United	Old Trafford	The UK		+
10	LG7	F	FC Barcelona, Arsenal	Nou Camp, Emirates Stadium	Spain, The UK		+
11	Both 1 (BO1)	M	FC Barcelona	Nou Camp	Spain	+	+
12	BO2	M	Arsenal	Emirates Stadium	The UK	+	+
13	BO3	M	FC Barcelona	Nou Camp	Spain	+	+
14	BO4	M	Dortmund	Westfalenstadion	Germany	+	+
15	BO5	M	Real Madrid	Bernabéu	Spain	+	+

Note: the character ‘+’ stands for the activities that the interviewee attended.

Table 2. The visiting ways and the elements.

Visiting ways	Themes
Stadium Tour	01	Guide for the stadium
	02	The history of the club
	03	The awards the club won
	04	The locker room
	05	The tunnel
	06	The dugout
Live games	07	The atmosphere of the game
	08	Interaction among fans
	09	Interaction between fans and players
	10	The vision of a live game
	11	Game process
	12	Game result
Both visiting ways	13	The reason for choosing this destination and the activity
	14	The comparison of the image from television and in their own eyes
	15	The impression of the field after the visit
	16	The impression of the stadium after the visit
	17	The souvenir bought in the fan store
	18	Post-trip post in the social media
	19	The meaning of the visit
	20	Compared with other stadiums

Table 3. Categories of the elements based on the themes.

Themes	Elements
1) History and tradition	01	Guide for the stadium
	02	The history of the club
	03	The awards the club won
2) Physical facility	04	The locker room
	05	The tunnel
	06	The dugout
	14	The comparison of the image from television and in their own eyes
	15	The impression of the field after the visit
	16	The impression of the stadium after the visit
3) Group experience	07	The atmosphere of the game
	08	Interaction among fans
	09	Interaction between fans and players
	10	The vision of a live game
	11	Game process
	12	Game result
4) Ritua	13	The reason for choosing this destination and the activity
	17	The souvenir bought in the fan store
	18	Post-trip post in the social media
	19	The meaning of the visit
	20	Compared with other stadiums

Table 4. Description of elements in history and tradition.

Themes	Elements		Description of the Elements
History and tradition	01	Guide for the stadium	BO2: The audio guide and guidance hanging on the wall told me that many details in the stadium were designed by Professor Wenger.
	02	The history of the club	ST1: Bernabéu is a little old, but have a special sense of history. Visiting here felt like keeping the pace with its history. ST3: There are many collections that (former) players of Real Madrid have used, such as the gloves of Casillas, and the shirts of Cristiano Ronaldo. BO1: The stadium tour showed us the history of FC Barcelona since 1876. Many black-and-white photographs introduced some important people in the early history, such as Hans Gamper, and the difficult development in the beginning … FC Barcelona did so well in building their culture and history.
	03	The awards the club won	ST1: When seeing the trophies of Champion League in the museum, I can always recall the situation of the games. BO1: When I saw the trophy of 2011–12 Champion League, I can clearly recall the scenery that Abidal lifted the trophy and other stories behind the victory.

Table 5. Description of elements in physical facility.

Themes	Elements		Description of the Elements
Physical facility	04	The locker room	ST2: The players’ activities can always be seen on television. Hence, I felt surprised when I got permission to visit the locker room. It felt like I run into the scene on television. BO1: Visitors can sit in the locker and take pictures with poses. if time permitted, I would take a picture with the Messi’s locker absolutely!
	05	The tunnel	ST1: I shot a video simulating the player rushing out the tunnel before games. BO4: We were told to queue in a line, and the guide played the team anthem. We run into the field in line with the background music, feeling that I was really a player of Dortmund, and will play in the match. The feeling is amazing.
	06	The dugout	ST3: I sat in the dugout pretending myself as the coach of Real Madrid.
	14	The comparison of the image from television and in their own eyes	BO3: It’s quite different when witnessing the stadium. The images from the internet and television are comparably flat and skinny, but when I saw the stadium, it’s more vivid and real. BO5: The view in the stadium is quite different from the one on television. When watching a live game by telecast, both of the views of the professional football field and the unprofessional one are similar. But when watching a live game in the stadium, especially after the players entering the field, I sensed the shorter distance from the players and they just warmed up in front of me. I could saw them closely. The distance among the spectators are also shorter, so I can hear the cheer louder than on television.
	15	The impression of the field after the visit	LG4: The quality of the field is quite good, which shows the huge input from the club, compared with the field in China. In China, the football fields are sometimes used for concert, which will cause damage to the grass.
	16	The impression of the stadium after the visit	ST3: Bernabéu is really large and splendid, compared with the scenery from television. When I looked down from the top, I was shocked and felt like looking down from a steep hill. LG3: I lived in the Hotel Football Old Trafford, established by the Class of 92. The view from my room was wonderful that I could see the Old Trafford from the window. The stadium is splendid from my view.

Table 6. Description of elements in group experience.

Themes	Elements		Description of the Elements
Group experience	07	The atmosphere of the game	LG4: I sat beside a zone filling with radical fans. They kept shouting, singing, applauding all the time, and sometimes made harsh boos. But they led me higher throughout the game. If I can watch a live game next time, I may sit in that zone.
	08	Interaction among fans	LG2: when watching a live game, the vision may be limited. Sometimes I cannot see the situation and asked the fans sitting beside me, and they were willing to tell me what happened from their vision.
	09	Interaction between fans and players	LG2: When the emotion of spectators went up, the players can be brought up as well.
	10	The vision of a live game	LG4: From my vision, I can clearly witness the goal of Messi. That’s the most impressive moment of the game.
	11	Game process	BO1: I got a seat in the front, and Messi almost took the penalty on my face! LG5: I remembered that it was a quarter-final, Manchester City versus Tottenham Hotspur, full of ups and downs … (Details about every goal) … At the last moment, Sterling goal!! Everyone became crazy!! But seconds later, the judge said the goal might be offside and needed VAR to check. Soon he proved that Agüero was offside earlier than the goal, so the goal was canceled. The score went back to 3–4 again, and the match ended. We lost.
	12	Game result	LG1: A last-minute volley shot from Özil helped Arsenal win the game.

Table 7. Description of elements in ritual.

Themes	Elements		Description of the Elements
Ritual	13	The reason for choosing this destination and the activity	ST1: My favorite team is Real Madrid, and Bernabéu is the home stadium of my favorite football club. Hence, I must visit Bernabéu when I travel to Madrid. ST2: After I got the visa for the UK, the first destination is Old Trafford … I did not have the idea of visiting other clubs’ stadium when I visit the cities, such as London or Liverpool. LG7: I got a period available around Christmas, so I arranged the time for the live game in Emirates Stadium first and then decided to see the London New Year’s Eve Fireworks. ST1: It’s a pity that I didn’t have the chance to watch a live game. Time did not permit. LG5: The stadium tour is not so interesting, because Manchester City is not a club with affluent history and culture, while the stadium tour will focus on the trophies. For Manchester City, the stadium tour is less important than a live game.
	17	The souvenir bought in the fan store	ST1: Several days after the visit, I found the souvenir in the fan store in Bernabéu is more expensive than buying on the internet. But I think the scarf I bought in Bernabéu has a different meaning with the souvenir being sold in other shops. LG4: I bought a scarf, with red and blue on one side and light yellow on the other side, representing Catalonia. It’s beautiful and eye-catching for taking photos. BO4: Although I seldom use the scarfs, I bought one to memorize the visit and the live game. I hang it at home as a souvenir.
	18	Post-trip post in the social media	ST2: Many friends comments on my post. Some of them asked me for some souvenir, and many of them admired me for my chance of visiting. BO2: My friends admired me for the chance to fulfil my dream in the past 10 years. BO3: I seldom post in social media, but I shared the visit with several photos in my WeChat moment. BO5: I posted on the Instagram Story for sharing to my friends and for my own memory. Some of my friends admire me, and I feel a little proud of it.
	19	The meaning of the visit	LG1: the live game removed the mysterious veil on the stadium. LG3: It’s an interesting and memorable trip to watch the live game of my favorite foreign club, as only a small number of fans in China have this kind of chance. ST2: My dream in the past 10 years has come true. BO4: The stadium tour shortens the distance between the club and me. In China, the stadiums do not belong to the football club, hence there is no such a tour for fans, and the distance between club and fans always exists. The stadium tour here eliminated the gap.
	20	Compared with other stadiums	ST1: I had a higher expectation for the home stadium, and it may not meet my expectation. No matter how ‘shabby’ the stadium is, as a fan of Real Madrid, Bernabéu is the best stadium in my opinion. LG6: Although Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) is much better-equipped than Old Trafford (Manchester United), Old Trafford is still more important to me. I visited Emirate Stadium without emotional changes.

Table 8. Elements and themes of place dependence.

Place Attachment	Themes		Elements
Place dependence	1) History and tradition	01	Guide for the stadium
		02	The history of the club
		03	The awards the club won
	2) Physical facility	04	The locker room
		05	The tunnel
		06	The dugout
		14	The comparison of the image from television and in their own eyes
		15	The impression of the field after the visit
		16	The impression of the stadium after the visit
	3) Group experience	07	The atmosphere of the game
		08	Interaction among fans
		09	Interaction between fans and players
		10	The vision of a live game
		11	Game process
		12	Game result

Table 9. Elements and themes of place identity.

Place Attachment	Themes		Elements
Place identity	4) Ritual	13	The reason for choosing this destination and the activity
		17	The souvenir bought in the fan store
		18	Post-trip post in the social media
		19	The meaning of the visit
		20	Compared with other stadiums