Exploring Football Brand Image Through Fan Experience and Preferences: A Pilot Study from the Latvian Professional League

This pilot study aims to explore how fans perceive the football brand image in the Latvian professional league, focusing on their experiences and preferences across six dimensions: fans' information regarding Latvian football, ticket details, pre-game services, stadium infrastructure, post-game events, and loyalty. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire with 30 items, based on extensive relevant literature and Keller's model, was completed by 114 respondents (n = 81 male, n = 33 female) aged 18–55. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Spearman's rank correlation was used to determine the relationships among the six dimensions, and the Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare scores on each of the six dimensions between males and females. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. The results of Cronbach's alpha demonstrated internal reliability across all scales (α = 0.72–0.81). The questionnaire findings revealed that the highest mean was for loyalty (M = 3.99) and fans' information (M = 3.81). In contrast, stadium infrastructure mean (M = 3.14) received the lowest scores. Spearman's results showed that all variables were significantly and positively correlated. Fan loyalty was significantly correlated with all other variables, with the strongest associations with pre-game updates (ρ = 0.46, p < 0.001). The results of the Kruskal–Walli’s test revealed no significant gender differences (p > 0.05). The findings of this pilot study, based on the questionnaire, suggest that establishing a brand image can impact fan experience, preferences, and loyalty within the Latvian professional league. The brand image is vital for a football club, and fans are increasingly seeking branded products in today's competitive environment. The Latvian football club should engage fans through various activities that strengthen the brand's image.