Team identification and soccer involvement as determinants of African Generation Y students Premier Soccer League team psychological commitment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of soccer involvement and team identification on African Generation Y students’ Premier Soccer League (PSL) team psychological commitment in the South African context. In the South African market, the African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) represents a large yet under-researched segment that in 2013 made up 32 percent of the country’s population. Understanding the influence of soccer involvement and PSL team identification on PSL team psychological commitment amongst African Generation Y members will help inform PSL team marketing efforts targeted at this significantly sized segment. Those pursuing tertiary qualifications are likely to be of particular interest to marketers, including sport marketers in that a tertiary qualification is generally associated with a higher future earning potential as well as a higher social standing in a community, making graduates likely current and future role models. A descriptive research design was followed whereby data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from single cross-sectional convenience sample of students across three South African public higher education institutions’ campuses situated in the Gauteng province. The data set was analysed using exploratory principle component analysis and structural equation modelling. The findings suggest that soccer involvement and PSL team identification have a direct significant positive effect on African Generation Y students’ PSL team psychological commitment.