Consumer profiles of women’s football spectators

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was the segmentation of women’s football spectators based on their hierarchical involvement. Furthermore, distinct consumer profiles were derived by enriching the segments with socio-economic, behavioural, and psychological variables. Using a survey, data were collected during a German women’s national football match (n = 693). The psychological continuum model was employed to segment the spectators. Four distinct consumer profiles, hierarchically aligned based on involvement, were created. The results indicated an increase in the consumer’s psychological connectedness while showing more robust behavioural patterns dependent on the involvement stages. Practitioners should acknowledge the four different stages of involvement, which align with different ages and income levels. This research contributed to the existing literature by supplementing the scant research using the psychological continuum model (PCM) as a segmentation tool over traditional cluster analysis on passive sport consumption.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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45. Alexandris et al., ‘Leisure Constraints and The Psychological Continuum Model’, 670–683.

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54. Ibid.

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59. . Beaton et al., ‘Sport involvement’, 126–140.

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61. Beaton et al., ‘Sport Involvement’, 126–140.

62. Ibid.

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74. Taghizadeh et al., ‘The Psychological Continuum Model’, 64–71.

75. Doyle et al., ‘Sports Spectator Segmentation’, 20–36.

76. Beaton et al., ‘Sport Involvement’, 126–140.

77. Ibid.

78. Doyle et al., ‘Sports Spectator Segmentation’, 20–36.

79. Stigler and Becker, ‘De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum’, 76–90.

80. Wicker et al., ‘Big Spenders in a Booming Sport’, 286–299.

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82. De Groot and Robinson, ‘Sport Fan Attachment and The Psychological Continuum Model’, 117–138.

83. Meier et al., ‘The Demand for Women’s League Soccer in Germany’, 1–19.

84. Nielsen, Women’s Football, 5–12.

85. Allport, ‘The Psychology of Participation’, 117–132; Allport, ‘The Ego in Contemporary Psychology’, 451–478.

86. Doyle et al., ‘Sports Spectator Segmentation’, 20–36.

87. Beaton et al., ‘Sport Involvement’, 126–140.

88. Valenti et al., ‘Women’s Football Studies: An Integrative Review’, 511–528.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the German Football Association [1].