David against Goliath: Diagnosis and Strategies for a Niche Sport to Develop a Sustainable Fan Community

Guillermo Sanahuja-Peris,Rocío Blay-Arráez,Víctor Agulló-Calatayud

doi:10.3390/su132413594

Abstract

Pilota, played using the hands, is a niche sport with origins dating back to Greco-Roman times. In the Valencian region of Spain, an indigenous version of the sport is played with healthy participation rates despite having to compete with the major global sports. This study is aimed at understanding the current situation of this sport in terms of knowledge, transmission channels, fan experience and media consumption, as well as the brand strategy challenges it faces for building a stable and sustainable fan community. The methodology consists of a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Nearly 1500questionnaires completed across three study universes, four focus groups and 33 in-depth interviews with stakeholder representatives have served to check the data obtained and discuss the challenges facing the sport in a process of dialogue. The main finding lies in the management proposals that can be applied to most of the world’s surviving traditional sports. On a theoretical level, the study presents an analysis of niche sports in Europe from the point of view of branding and sustainability.

Highlights

We present the conclusions of the discussion groups and in-depth interviews organised in two sections: checking the data presented; and innovative proposals for the governance and communication and marketing strategy for the traditional sport
Despite the difficulties involved in being a traditional sport in the global context of an overt battle to attract attention, the current situation shows figures offering reasons for a degree of optimism
In the current situation, the COVID-19 pandemic is making people think about the consequences of globalisation and there is a move in the opposite direction: a return to looking closely at what is around us and to the contribution that can be made by our immediate surroundings

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. People have played with spherical objects in their leisure time in many different civilisations since time immemorial [1]. Studies of the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, Persia, China and various pre-Colombian peoples attribute to them the common practice of a game that involved hitting a ball with the hand [2].

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