The Integration of Esports in Traditional Football Clubs: A Fan Base Perspective
Nkume-Kwene Mokonya, Henry (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052817438
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052817438
Tiivistelmä
This thesis examined the impact of esports integration on fan engagement, loyalty, and financial outcomes within traditional football clubs, framed by three research questions: the influence of esports on fan engagement and loyalty, the financial and commercial benefits for clubs, and how fan demographics and preferences affect esports acceptance.
An online survey of 320 supporters revealed that 52.6% (168) experienced increased engagement, and 62.8% (201) reported stronger loyalty following esports initiatives. Moreover, 83.8% (268) viewed esports as profitable, and 85.6% (274) supported further investment. Correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships between Fan Engagement & Loyalty Score (FELS) and Perceived Value of Esports (rs 0.516, p < 0.001), Esports Participation (rs 0.553, p < 0.001), while Esports Awareness (rs 0.414, p < 0.001), and perceived financial benefit (rs 0.424, p < 0.001) jointly indicated moderate degree of correlation.
The study revealed that younger demographics, especially captured by the age bracket between 18 and 34, coupled with a male dominated sports optics and high daily gaming frequency, tend to drive acceptance and success in the integration of esports in traditional football. Qualitative themes of enhanced interactivity, global accessibility, and tactical literacy enriched these findings, illustrating how esports foster deeper learning and community co-creation. The study examined Customer Engagement, Brand Extension, Technology Acceptance, and Diffusion theories by integrating fan education and participatory constructs and recommends that clubs adopt multi‐platform co‐branding, hybrid event designs, tiered monetization, and segmented outreach. Future research should leverage longitudinal designs and broader demographic and regional samples, as well as investigate additional game genres and emerging technologies.
An online survey of 320 supporters revealed that 52.6% (168) experienced increased engagement, and 62.8% (201) reported stronger loyalty following esports initiatives. Moreover, 83.8% (268) viewed esports as profitable, and 85.6% (274) supported further investment. Correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships between Fan Engagement & Loyalty Score (FELS) and Perceived Value of Esports (rs 0.516, p < 0.001), Esports Participation (rs 0.553, p < 0.001), while Esports Awareness (rs 0.414, p < 0.001), and perceived financial benefit (rs 0.424, p < 0.001) jointly indicated moderate degree of correlation.
The study revealed that younger demographics, especially captured by the age bracket between 18 and 34, coupled with a male dominated sports optics and high daily gaming frequency, tend to drive acceptance and success in the integration of esports in traditional football. Qualitative themes of enhanced interactivity, global accessibility, and tactical literacy enriched these findings, illustrating how esports foster deeper learning and community co-creation. The study examined Customer Engagement, Brand Extension, Technology Acceptance, and Diffusion theories by integrating fan education and participatory constructs and recommends that clubs adopt multi‐platform co‐branding, hybrid event designs, tiered monetization, and segmented outreach. Future research should leverage longitudinal designs and broader demographic and regional samples, as well as investigate additional game genres and emerging technologies.