With a Little Help from my Fans... Extending Models of Pro-social Behaviour to Explain Supporters’ Intentions to Buy Soccer Club Shares

In this paper we develop a framework of pro-social behaviour for understanding and explaining soccer fans’ intentions to buy shares from their club in order to provide assistance in times of financial need. Based on the theory of norms, two alternative versions of the framework are empirically tested. Our results yield support for a mediating role of personal norms in the relationship between social norms and behavioural intentions. In other words, the social norm of reciprocity, as well as the level of individual attachment and the degree of perceived efficacy instigates fans to feel the personal obligation to provide financial support by means of buying soccer club shares. Alternatively, no support for moderating hypotheses was found. Perceived efficacy and individual attachment have no impact on the relationship between obligation and behavioural intentions of soccer fans.