The determinants of stadium attendance in elite women’s football: Evidence from the UEFA Women's Champions League |
| |
| Institution: | 1. University of Stirling, Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, Pathfoot Building, FK9 4LA, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom;2. Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of Economics, Policy and International Business, All Saints Building, All Saints, M15 6BH, Manchester, England, United Kingdom;1. Waseda University, Japan;2. Sheffield Hallam University, UK;3. Griffith Business School, Australia;4. Research Institute for Olympic Sports, Finland;5. Hanzehogeschool Groningen, Netherlands;6. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium;1. North Carolina State University, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Box 8004, Biltmore Hall, Raleigh, NC 27606, United States;3. Bangkok University International, Bangkok University, Rama IV Road, Kluay Nam Thai, Bangkok 10110, Thailand;1. St. Ambrose University, Department of Kinesiology, Davenport, IA 52803, United States;2. University of Arkansas, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Fayetteville, AR 72701, United States;3. Brock University, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada;4. University of Arkansas, Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Fayetteville, AR 72701, United States |
| |
| Abstract: | Women’s football struggles to build a solid platform in terms of fan interest. However, while an increase in gate receipts can help assist its long-term sustainability, there is limited evidence in the academic literature on the factors influencing spectator demand in women’s football. The authors investigate determinants of stadium attendance for UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) matches. Using regression models deployed on 554 UWCL games played between 2009/10 and 2017/18, the authors examine contextual and sport-related variables as the main predictors of stadium attendance. Findings show that there is no continuous growth of attendance over the period examined, and highlight that spectators’ interest is positively associated with five factors: stage of the competition, uncertainty of match outcome, competitive intensity, away club’s reputation and weather conditions. Football governing bodies should put in place initiatives to ensure match outcome uncertainty is maintained as this represents a key determinant to maximise stadium attendance. Based on the specific context of European women’s football, recommendations to foster its development are discussed. These include incentivising investment into the elite women’s game and designing sport policies to encourage participation at grassroots levels. |
| |
| Keywords: | Attendance Demand Fan behaviour Spectators Women’s football |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
