Understanding Finnish football consumers’ behavior through fan involvement

Abstract

Objectives The main objective of this study was to identify meaningful differences among Finnish football consumers with different levels of fanaticism. The objectives also included the exploration of different aspects and motives that make consumers buy merchandise, attend matches, or recommend the team. The thesis also provides a framework that attempts to explain the consumers’ intended fan behavior.

Summary Sport consumers and football fans have been studied in numerous research, but less research has been conducted in Finland. Previous literature has identified that different types of fans have varying behavior and motives, but involvement is often characterized as the defining aspect. The conceptual framework was developed based on this notion and tested with an online questionnaire. The results reported significant differences between more and less involved fans and between fans that supported Finnish teams and non-Finnish teams.

Conclusions The level of involvement was found to be significant predictor for intended fan behavior. In addition to this, the model where SPEED facets were added as mediator variable was also found significant as there was partial mediation. Moreover, the research found differences between Finnish fans that support local teams and teams from abroad.