Contribution of Football Club Jerseys towards English Premier League Fans’ Loyalty in Nigeria
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 33117
Contribution of Football Club Jerseys towards English Premier League Fans’ Loyalty in Nigeria

Authors: B. O. Diyaolu

Abstract:

The globalization of football especially among youth over the decade is uprising. Nigeria youth displaying football jerseys at every opportunity is an acceptance of football globalization. The Love for English Premier League (EPL) football jersey is very strong among Nigeria fans. Football club jerseys of the EPL are a common sports product among fans in Nigeria. This study investigates the contribution of football club jerseys towards EPL fans’ loyalty in Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population consists of EPL fans in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique (fish bowl without replacement) was used to select two states from the six geo-political zones. Purposive sampling technique was used to pick eight viewing centres while accidental sampling technique was used to pick five vendor stands from each State. An average of 250 respondents was selected from each state. A total of 3,200 respondents participated in the research. Two research instruments were used. A self-developed structured questionnaire on Football Jersey Scale (FJS): The instrument consists of 10 items. Fans Loyalty Scale (FLS): The instrument was modified from the psychological commitment to team (PCT) scale, and consists of 20 items. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.72 and 0.75 was obtained, respectively. The hypothesis was tested at 0.05 significant levels. Data were analysed using frequency, percentages count, pie chart and multiple regressions. The result showed that the b-value of football club jersey is 0.148 also the standard regression coefficient (Beta) is 0.089. The t = 4.759 is statistically significant at p = 0.000. This signified a relative contribution of football club jersey on EPL fans loyalty in Nigeria. Club jersey, which is the most outstanding identifier of every club, was found to significantly predict loyalty. The jersey on the body of the fan has become the site for a declaration of loyalty which becomes available for social interaction and negotiation. The Nigerian local league clubs in an attempt to keep Nigerian fans loyal must borrow a leaf from their European counterparts.

Keywords: Club jersey, English Premier League, football fans, Nigeria youth.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2021817

Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 873

References:


[1] B. Adamu, N. Zainab and S. Abubakar, Using Soccer Related Text to Facilitate English Language Learning Among Students in Nigerian Secondary Schools. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 2012.Vol. 2 No. 15; Pg. 34-45.
[2] M. E. Ineme, and H. O. Osinowo, Attachment level and self-esteem as predictors of aggressive tendency among football club-side fans in Nigeria 2015. Retrieved on 13/12/15 from http:www.ajol.info/journals/jorind.
[3] V. Hofmann, Football, fan, shirt, the choreography of an attitude. Kick it; The Anthropology of European football 2013. Free conference, University of Vienna.
[4] D. F. Mahony, R. Madrigal and D. Howard, Using the psychological commitment to a team (PCT) scale to segment sport consumer based on loyalty. Sport Marketing Quarterly 2000, Vol. 9, Pg. 15–25.
[5] M. Okpala-okaka, A comparative study of Nigerian newspapers’ coverage of English Premier League and Nigeria Premier League. University of Nigeria, 2007. Retrieved on 7/8/16 from http://www.unn.edu.ng/publications.com.
[6] Onwumechili, C, Nigeria, Football and the Return of Lord Lugard. International Journal of Sport Communication 2009, Vol. 2, Pg. 451-465.