Sustaining fan attention in professional sport leagues’ off-season: insights from pre-season tours

Purpose Professional teams partake in pre-season tours to sustain and develop their relationship with fans during the off-season. This study examined how viewer values enhance fan satisfaction with pre-season tours and the role of such satisfaction in shaping their attitudinal and behavioral outcomes regarding pre-season tours. Design/methodology/approach The survey involved 375 Premier League (PL) fans residing in the UK. This study used structural equation modeling to test the relationships among seven constructs. Findings The results indicated that the hedonic, eudaimonic and informative values of pre-season tours positively influenced fans’ tour satisfaction. Furthermore, enhanced pre-season tour satisfaction had positive impacts on team pride, intention to watch future pre-season tour games and team advocacy. Originality/value The findings from this research deepen our understanding of pre-season tours in professional sport leagues, with potential implications for both future research and practical applications within the professional domain.