Rugby fan attraction factors. Research Completed
Title
Rugby fan attraction factors.
Lead Author
R Garland , T Macpherson, K Haughey
Organisation(s)
Marketing Bulletin, 15.
Contacts
unknown
Abstract
Investigated the influences upon rugby union fan attendance over four games at two New Zealand venues with the objective of providing insight, for sport managers, about the factors they can and cannot control. Surveyed 150 fans, with initial contact at the venue followed up by interviewing several days later. Fans were assigned to one of three fan groups using a simple behavioural segmentation (based on repeat attendance and ‘involvement’ in the sporting code). The authors conclude that the most important influence on rugby fan attendance was the live sport action itself. They go on to acknowledge that ancillary issues involving the stadia, general atmosphere, other fans’ behaviour, community involvement with the home team, pricing and promotion affect different groups of fans differently, giving rise to targeted marketing tactics to encourage fan attendance at home games.
Keywords:
marketing and advertising, sports