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Topic:
Predicting spectators’ behavioral
intentions in professional football:
The role of satisfaction and
service quality

Nicholas D. Theodorakis

Kostas Alexandris

Nikolaos Tsigilis

Serafim Karvounis

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Student: Phan, Danh Na

ID: 10105012
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ABSTRACT
The purpose in this study to examine the relationships among service
quality, satisfaction and spectators’ behavioral intentions, in the context of
professional football.

The subjects in this study involved three hundred and fifty (n = 350)
spectators of a professional football game in Greece.

The result showed that outcome quality stronger influence on spectators’

satisfaction levels than functional quality. Moreover, the results found that
customer satisfaction was a partially mediate the relationship between service
quality and behavior intentions.

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Football attendance is probably the most popular leisure activity
among European sport fans, generating huge economic revenues. From 2002
to 2007, the top 20 European football teams attracted more than one million
spectators in each of their league game. As a consequence, the professional
football industry becomes more complicated and unpredictable, forcing club
marketers to develop effective strategies in order to motivate spectators to
attend games, buy memberships, and purchase team products and services
(Theodorakis, Koustelios, Robinson, & Barlas, 2009).

The case in this study was to investigate the customer satisfaction and
behavior intension of European professional sports. The researcher was to argue
that the outcome dimension of service quality is an important element of service
quality and their also influence on spectator’s satisfaction and behavior intension.

The purpose of this study was to test the relationship among the service
quality, spectator’s satisfaction and behavior intensions.

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Conceptualization of outcome and functional quality
Sport marketing theory describes the sport product as having two main
aspects:
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(a) the core including:

 players’ performance

 game quality

 team’s characteristics

 valence

(b) the peripheral or supportive element which including:

 the facility/stadium environment

 the supporting services

 the interactions between the spectators and the employees

2.1.1 Outcome quality

The outcome dimension of service quality refers to what the
spectator’s received in the process of the games. In the previous
research of Yoshida and James (2010), outcome dimension was
measured player performance, opponent characteristics and game
atmosphere.

In this study, the researcher was proposed the dimension of the game
quality and team performance to be including within the outcome
quality element of service quality.

2.1.2 Functional quality

According to Gronroon (1984), the functional quality relates to
peripheral element of the service quality. It includes elements
related to the facility in the stadium, the supporting service, the
design, the accessibility, the security, the space/functions, and
interaction between employees.

The functional quality in this study was present by SERVQUAL

model. The SERVQUAL model was adapted and modified to
measure service quality in almost all segment of sport industry.
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The functional quality of SERVQUAL including:

 tangibles
 responsiveness
 reliability
 access
 security

2.2 Service quality and customer satisfaction

According Yoshida and James (2010) was defined spectator’s satisfaction
as ‘a pleasurable, fulfillment response to the entertainment of the sport
competition and/or ancillary services provided during the game’’.

The service quality in the context of spectator sports has been studied the
relationship with the customer satisfaction. Thus, the majority of studied used
process-related dimension of service quality to predict customer satisfaction and
overlooked the outcome factor of sport experience.

Previous researcher investigated the significant influence of outcome

quality and service quality on spectator’s overall satisfaction with the sporting
event. In this current study, that was investigated the influence of the outcome
quality and functional quality on customer satisfaction and behavior intensions and
proposed with hypothesis:

Hypothesis 1: Outcome quality has a stronger impact on spectators’

satisfaction than functional quality.

2.3 Service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty

According to Oliver (1999) has argued that customer satisfaction is the link
between service quality and behavioral intentions. The relationship between the
service quality and satisfaction can be found in the research of Yoshida and James
(2010), Koo et al. (2008), and Brady et al. (2006).

Based on the previous research, the researcher was proposed that the satisfaction
mediates the effect of outcome quality and functional quality on spectator’s
behavior intention.

Hypothesis 2: Spectators’ satisfaction mediates the effect of outcome and

functional quality on their behavioral intentions.
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3.0 METHODOLODY

3.1 Data collection

The data were collected using a convenient sampling method in a
football game of the Super League in Greece. Ten trained research
assistants were placed in all stadiums to survey the spectators.

Three hundred and fifty (N = 350) spectators was participated in the

study with the age from 17 to 69 years old; 314 responder were male and
26 were female.

3.2 Measures
 Functional quality dimension was measured with a 28-item context-
specific scale to measure. It was included tangibles, responsiveness,
reliability, access, security.
 Outcome quality dimension was measured with 8-items of game
quality and player performance to measure.
 Satisfaction dimension was measured with 4-items.
 Behavior intension was measured with 4-items.
All scales using seven-point scale ranging from ‘‘strongly disagree’’ (1) to
‘‘strongly agree’’ (7).

3.3 Model specification

 The first model examined full mediation hypothesis among
functional quality, outcome quality, satisfaction and behavior intension.
 The second model was derived from the first model by adding
two direct effects from functional quality and outcome quality to
fan’s behavioral intention.

3.4 Data analysis

 Step 1: a measurement model tested the suitability of the
observed measures to define their posited latent constructs.
 Step 2: a structural model examined the causal relations among
the latent constructs

4. RESULTS

4.1 Measurement model

The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were indicated for four dimensions:
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 Behavior intentions dimension is 0.88

 Satisfaction dimension is 0.88

 Outcome quality dimension is 0.78

 Functional quality dimension is 0.76

The Sattora–Bentler scaled Chi-squared statistic was indicated an

acceptable fit of the model with S –B 𝜒2 = 226.15, df = 84, p < .001,
S–B 𝜒2/df = 2.69, CFI = .919, RMSEA = .074, 90% RMSEA CI
= .062–.085.

All factors loading were larger than 0.05 and all the critical ratios
were all significant ranging from 6.22 to 11.22.

4.2 Structural model

The results of the full mediation model showed goodness of fit with S–B
𝜒2 = 199.09, df = 85, p < .001, S–B 𝜒2/df = 2.34, CFI = .935,
RMSEA = .065, 90% RMSEA CI = .054–.077.

The results of the partial mediation model showed goodness of fit with S–B
𝜒2 = 190.63, df = 83, p < .001, S–B 𝜒2/df = 2.29, CFI = .938,
RMSEA = .064, 90% RMSEA CI = .052–.076.

The results found both of the functional quality and outcome quality has
direct influence significant with satisfaction: 𝛽 = .15, 𝑝 < .01 for function
quality, and 𝛽 = .65, 𝑝 < .001 for outcome quality that supported for the
hypothesis 1 in this study.

The hypothesis 2 was proposed, satisfaction will mediate the relationship

between service quality and behavior intension. The result was indicated the
direct path from the outcome quality to behavior intensions ( 𝛽 =
0.24, 𝑝 <.001); in the functional quality path, the satisfaction mediation effect
to behavior intension (𝛽 = .47, 𝑝 < .001).

5. Conclusion

5.1 Discussion
The present paper aimed to apply an integrated service quality model
in the context of professional football.
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 The first: proposing two clear dimensions (game quality and

team performance) for the measurement of outcome quality and
the SERQUAL sub-dimension (tangibles, responsiveness, reliability,
access, security) to measure the functional quality. Both of the
outcome quality and the functional quality of service quality were
found to be reliable, valid and applicable in the context of
professional football in Greece.
 The second: the clarification of the relationship between the two
dimensions of service quality (outcome and functional) and
spectators’ satisfaction. The result was indicated the outcome
quality is an important dimension in the context of professional
sports and should not be overlooked in future studies.
 The third: the theoretical contribution of in study relates to the
support of the overall theoretical model proposed.
 The last: the results revealed the important role of satisfaction in
the development of spectators’ future behaviors.

5.2 Limitations and future research

 The data were collected from spectators of one professional team,
which means that results are only indicative and cannot be
generalized. Future research should use larger samples, including
spectators of more professional football teams.
 The similarities and differences between spectators’ perceptions of
service quality on different sports should be investigated in future
studies.
 Further research explore customer loyalty should use a separate
scale for each discrete facet of this constructs.