An empirical study of fan community loyalty based on social identity theory

Abstract

Football fans community loyalty is a decisive factor in enhancing the brand and commercial value of Chinese Super League and promoting the development of Chinese football. In this context, this study starts from the perspective of “fans community” based on the social identity theory. The article introduces two variables, fan community identity and fan community value, and conducts empirical analyses using questionnaires and SPSS to investigate their effects on fan community loyalty. The results show that fan community value and fan community identity have a critical positive effect on fan community loyalty. Therefore, the Chinese Super League clubs are expected to increase fan loyalty through increasing fans community awareness by organizing collective activities to enhance loyalty. Based on the results, this article explores fan community loyalty from a new perspective, and then guides teams and clubs to provide better services to fans, which will ultimately increase fan loyalty and club business value.