Understanding Football Fans' Motivations and Barriers Toward Stadium Tours: A Consumer Perspective

Abstract

"Football stadium tours have evolved into a significant component of UK sports tourism, yet the factors driving fan participation remain underexplored, especially regarding the differing perspectives of attendees and non-attendees. This study aimed to evaluate the motivations and barriers shaping football fans' decisions on stadium tour participation by providing a comparative analysis to inform strategies for improving tour appeal and accessibility. It draws on established literature, including push-pull factors theory, to contextualise the analysis of stadium tour participation, providing insight into how various motivations and deterrents identified in previous research may underpin the observed patterns among football fans. A positivist, quantitative methodology was adopted, utilising an online survey of 102 football fans, with data analysed through SPSS (descriptive statistics, chi-square, ordinal logistic regression) and SmartPLS (PLS-SEM). Results revealed that higher fan engagement strongly predicts tour attendance. Among attendees, only the motivation for exclusive, behind-the-scenes access significantly increased satisfaction. For non-attendees, a fundamental lack of interest, rather than practical constraints, was the key barrier to potential future participation. This comparative study advances the literature by analysing both attendees and non-attendees. The research highlights the importance of enhancing tour experiences to build fan loyalty and underlines the need for targeted marketing to attract new audiences. The findings suggest stadium operators should prioritise exclusive-access experiences for their core audience while developing innovative strategies to generate wider interest and overcome attitudinal barriers among less engaged fans."