Motivational factors affecting fan decisions to attend Premier Soccer League (PSL) games in South Africa

Abstract

Individuals’ involvement in sport comes in different forms such as a profession, a hobby, or as entertainment. As part of the entertainment experience, an individual may be either a spectator or a fan. In South Africa, soccer is arguably the most popular sport, recreationally, economically as well as regarding active and passive participants. In recent years there has been growing interest in the study of fan motivation to better understand fan behaviours in sport. This study is aimed at ascertaining the factors that motivate fans to attend the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches. Two methods of research were undertaken, namely a literature study on motivational factors affecting fan attendance of sporting events and an empirical research. Five hundred questionnaires were distributed to selected soccer fans by 10 trained fieldworkers. Data were treated using exploratory factor analysis. This resulted in a six factor solution consisting of twenty nine variables. The factors were social interaction, display of skill, escape, sharing in glory, enjoying the drama and entertaining artistry/form of entertainment. The study proposed a comprehensive framework reflecting both its practical application and statistical reliability which can be used to measure and understand motivational factors affecting fan decisions to attend PSL
matches in the South African context.