The influence of club and sponsor images and club-sponsor congruence in the Australian Football League Online publication date: Sat, 21-Feb-2015
by Margaret A. Johnston, Neil Paulsen
International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing (IJSMM), Vol. 9, No. 1/2, 2011
Abstract: The benefits that congruence between a sports club and its main sponsor delivers to the club are not well understood. This study tested a preliminary model that examined the direct and mediated relationships between the motivations for club membership, perceptions of the club and sponsor, evaluations of club-sponsor image congruence, and in turn, sponsor patronage, and satisfaction with club membership. A sample of 299 football club members provided ratings on these measures through a structured questionnaire. Results revealed that members who identified highly with the club, and who responded positively to efforts to maintain club traditions, were more likely to have a positive image of the sponsor and to report higher levels of sponsor patronage. Sponsor image partially mediated the relationship between club identification and traditions, and overall satisfaction with the club. A direct positive relationship between the congruence score and members' patronage of the sponsor's products was also observed.
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