The contribution of social media to the relationship between fans and football clubs

: the Portuguese context

Abstract

This study aims to understand the impact that social networks have on the relationship between fans and football clubs in the Portuguese context. The way we communicate in the digital environment is rapidly changing, transforming not only people's daily lives, but also adding challenges to businesses on how to effectively reach their customers. And, at a time when football has long ceased to be just about the pitch, it's important to understand how clubs can benefit from this new and attractive communication channel to increase their revenues. In that sense, we carried out a quantitative online survey with fans of professional football clubs in Portugal, as well as qualitative interviews with managers responsible for these clubs' social networks, trying to understand the influence that social networks have on the relationship with fans. We studied the main reasons why fans follow clubs on social media, and tested how they affect fans' attendance at the stadium and the purchase of club merchandise. The findings of our study allowed us to conclude that social networks are a determinant factor in the acquisition of information about the club by fans, with the sharing of content by the latter having a direct relationship with the sale of the club’s products. On the other hand, we were unable to conclude if social networks influence fans going to the stadium to assist to football matches. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the Portuguese context and helps clubs to understand the needs of their fans.

Date of Award	26 Jan 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Mónica Amâncio da Silva Borges (Supervisor)