Fan Engagement and Loyalty in Football: The Mediating Role of Satisfaction

Abstract

The topic of the research is anchored in the Psychological Continuum Model and focuses on investigating the way the emotional and behavioral engagement impacts the satisfaction and long term commitment to a favorite club. The research uses data collected from 218 supporters of a professional football club. Other relevant indicators of the study are: Cronbach’s from 0.88 to 0.91 showing a high internal consistency. The research shows that supporters’ engagement can be considered a prediction factor of satisfaction, while the satisfaction is a key indicator predicting loyalty. The link between these two is satisfaction, which can be considered a confirmation of the mediating function that satisfaction plays in the proposed model. The results prove that the perceived experience quality and emotional connection count decisively in the loyalty maintanence of long term support. Overall, the study brings practical information relevant to sport managers, emphasizing how a rich fan experience and autheting involvement can drive loyalty maintanance and stronger community identity directed towards football clubs.