Title: Constraint factors affecting non-attendance in collegiate volleyball

Authors: Kurt C. Mayer Jr.; Alan L. Morse; Terry W. Eddy; Adam Love

Addresses: Department of Health and Human Performance, Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153, USA ' School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Northern Colorado, Campus Box 39, Greeley, CO 80639, USA ' Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, HPER 310B, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA ' Department of Kinesiology, Mississippi State University, Box 6186, Mississippi State, MS, USA

Abstract: The focus of this study was to analyse constraint factors affecting non-attendance in sports. Few research studies have investigated the topic of non-attendance, and even fewer have sample representation of respondents who did not attend games. A survey was used to measure the impact of 12 constraint factors (41 total items) on non-attendance at women's college volleyball. The results of a logistical regression indicated that non-attendance of those who had never attended a match was predicted by the factors of financial cost, lack of knowledge, and no interest from others, while non-attendance of those who had previously attended was predicted by other sport entertainment and lack of success. These findings should be used to help marketers of typically lower-attended sports realise in development of strategies to increase attendance, more of a focus should be put towards their core product and enhancement of the event atmosphere, rather than on constraints.

Keywords: non-attendance; attendance; sport marketing; sport consumer behaviour; constraints; attendance constraints; constraint factors; volleyball; collegiate volleyball; intercollegiate sport; female sport; women's volleyball; women's sport.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2017.085519

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2017 Vol.17 No.3, pp.182 - 199

Accepted: 15 Apr 2016
Published online: 30 Jul 2017 *

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