Shifting the boundary in women’s sport: the case of Australian rules football

Résumé fourni par la source

This study explored the relationship between sport consumer motivations and dynamic social media engagement with the Australian rules football, women’s competition (AFLW). Past research has consistently demonstrated a robust link between these constructs and consumer loyalty behaviour, yet there remains a gap in knowledge regarding women’s sport consumers. A purposeful sampling approach was adopted for an exploratory quantitative research design and a questionnaire link was disseminated through dedicated AFLW Facebook fan communities, yielding 168 completed responses. The results showed that active engagement was driven by motives of vicarious achievement and aesthetic appreciation for members and vicarious achievement for non-members. Motives for supporting women’s sport and role models were differentially associated with passive engagement for members and non-members. These findings both confirm previous research and provide novel insights into an under-researched area of women’s sports, that will benefit sport administrators, researchers, and practitioners.