The Effect of Stadium Features on Spectators' Attendance in Iran Football Premier League

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of stadium features on the future attendance of spectators in Iran football premier league. The present study was of correlation and application type. The data of stadium features were gathered by a researcher-made questionnaire (40 items) based on previous researches. Future attendance of spectators was measured using a 4-item researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaires was approved by 15 sports marketing professionals and their reliability was confirmed by Cronbach alpha as 0.87 and 0.83 respectively in a pilot study. The population of this study consisted of all spectators over 14 years old who participated in 11th Iran football premier league. The sample was selected by multistage method from the spectators of four plays held in selected stadiums of Fooladshahr (Esfahan), Azadi (Tehran), Yadegar Imam (Tabriz) and Shahid Bahonar (Kerman). Cochran formula was used to determine the sample size (239 subjects). To test theoretical model accuracy and to calculate effect coefficients, structural equation modeling (SEM) by Lisrel package was used. Results showed that seven variables (i.e. accessibility to stadium, parking, cleanliness, aesthetic, seat comfort, space allocation, and food services) affected the future attendance of spectators. But, three factors (i.e. signage, stadium layout, and scoreboard quality) did not affect the future attendance of spectators.