From the stands to the screen: ticketing innovation and fan engagement in Women’s Premier League

Purpose This study examines the relationship between ticket innovation and fan engagement within the Women’s Premier League (WPL), with particular focus on the mediating roles of perceived value and emotional connection. The research addresses the limited understanding of how digital ticketing innovations shape behavioural engagement in emerging women’s sport ecosystems. It further explores how women’s sport contexts may foster emotionally driven and community-oriented engagement experiences that differ from traditional sport consumption environments. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design using purposive sampling to collect data from 425 active WPL followers familiar with digital ticketing platforms. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire and analysed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) through SmartPLS 4. The study examined both direct and mediating relationships among ticket innovation, perceived value, emotional connection and behavioural engagement. Findings The findings indicate that ticket innovation is positively associated with perceived value and emotional connection, both of which significantly predict behavioural engagement. Emotional connection emerged as a particularly important engagement mechanism within the women’s sport context, suggesting that inclusivity, identity affiliation and community-oriented experiences strengthen fan participation. The mediation analysis further revealed that perceived value and emotional connection partially explain how ticket innovation enhances engagement within digital sport environments. Originality/value This study contributes to sport management literature by extending engagement theory within the context of professional women’s cricket. It offers empirical evidence that digital ticketing innovation influences fan engagement not only through functional convenience but also through emotional and identity-based mechanisms. The study advances understanding of how women’s sport ecosystems shape contemporary digital fan engagement and provides a foundation for future theoretical and managerial research in emerging sport markets.