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Tangibility of Sports Team Identification and Place Attachment through a Visit to the Stadium

ABSTRACT The research concentrates on the intangible team identification from the distant fans and tries to explore whether a visit to the stadium serve as tangibility and stabilize their team identification. The relation between the distant fans and the home stadium as well as its impact on team identification is also under consideration. Qualitative research was carried out with 15 Chinese tourists as a sample who have been to their favorite European football club’s stadium and attended a stadium tour or a live game. Twenty elements in the visit that influencing the visitors most were recorded. Based on the social identity-brand equity research, four patterns of tangibility are found and confirmed to help foster team identification. The research indicated the distant fans show several differences in team identification from the local fans due to the geographical distance. The visit to the stadium for the locals may be a ritual, but for the distant fans, it is more similar to pilgrimage. Also, the distant fans’ attachment to the stadium is mainly stemmed from team identification, while the locals’ attachment intermingles with their association to their community. More studies on non-local fans are required for a better understanding of this special fans group.