A Study on Public Value of Citizen Football Club

Abstract

PURPOSE This study aimed to categorize consumers’ subjectivity on public value of citizen professional football club. METHODS Q-sample and Q-classification charts were developed based on theoretical background of the public value of citizen football clubs, and in-depth interviews with consumers were conducted using the Q-methodology. Q-classification and Q-factor analyses were conducted by selecting local residents as P-samples. RESULTS The public value of citizen football clubs was confirmed as ‘Type I: club-city win-win’, ‘Type II: social integration’, and ‘Type III: culture-led’. These types are contrary to previous studies that mainly focused on management and marketing, such as financial profitability and soundness, regional economic impact, and commercial value. This is the result of examining the public value of the citizen football club from based on the subjectivity of consumer, and it differs from that in previous studies. CONCLUSIONS This study reconfirmed the specificity and role of citizen football clubs in commercialized professional sports. It showed that citizen clubs must adopt organizational goal and operation method that are different from profit sports organizations (clubs).