The Influence of Club Leadership in the Behavior and Attitudes of Soccer Club Supporters: An Abstract

Abstract

This study focuses on the influence of leadership on supporters’ behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. In the context of sports, the image of the leader of a club reflects the set of perceptions or associations that a supporter holds in his/her mind towards the leader. In this study, we look at the role that the leader’s image, club governance and trust exert on attitudes and supporters’ non-transactional behavior (word-of-mouth and club support), loyalty and resistance to negative information. We propose a model to test the relationships among the following constructs: leader image, supporter trust in the leader; governance of the soccer club, supporter attitude towards the soccer club; word of mouth towards the club; support for the club; loyalty; and, supporter resistance to negative information about the club. We developed a quantitative study among supporters of the Premier League Soccer clubs in Portugal. The questionnaire was administered online, through social networks, producing a sample of 1833 respondents. Findings confirm relationships between the leader’s image, governance in the club, trust in the leader, supporter’s attitude, word of mouth, club support, loyalty and resistance of the supporter to negative information in relation to the club. The study generates a better understanding the perceptions that external stakeholders of sports entities (namely the supporters), have about the leadership of these entities, backing-up a greater understanding of leadership/sports supporter relationship. The study further derives how this relationship influences the behaviors and attitudes of supporters. Generally speaking, the connections established in the study reveal that it is important to develop and implement strategies that strengthen the engagement between consumers and the sports organization. Managers ought to expand insights into the stakeholders’ expectations regarding the leadership style, so as to acquire a proper understanding of the expected actions and perform effective and transparent leadership behavior. The paper presents theoretical and practical implications.