Research in Sports Management and Movement Behavior

Examining the Factors Influencing Identity Formation among Iranian Football Fans: A Gender-Based Perspective Using the Psychological Continuum Model

Articles in Press

Authors

Ahmad rajabi
Seyyed Mohammad , Kashef
Mohsen Behnam

Urmia University

Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the differences and similarities between men and women in the factors shaping identity with Iranian football clubs, based on the psychological continuum model. To this end, 31 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with two groups of Iranian male and female football fans, analyzed through content analysis grounded in the psychological continuum model. Data analysis was carried out through three stages of coding—open codes, categories, and themes—until distinct and meaningful themes emerged. The findings indicated that, according to the psychological continuum model, men and women differ in the three stages of awareness, attachment, and loyalty, whereas their similarities were most evident in the attraction stage. Despite some commonalities in identity formation between male and female fans, the study found that women’s fandom discourse in Iran has yet to be recognized as a professional and legitimate phenomenon. The greater emphasis by women on the awareness stage suggests that their knowledge of football and their favorite team is still in the process of formation.

Keywords

Identification
gender
Fans
Psychological Continuum Model
1. Biel J. Football Fandom and European Practices of Social Cohesion: How Football Fandom Shapes and Structures Cross-Border Communication and Travel in Europe. International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure. 2025;1-24.
2. Niemann, A., Brand, A., & Weber, R. Football Fandom and Identity in the 21st Century. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. 2024.
3. Varea-Calero, A. D., Rejón-Guardia, F., Ramírez-Hurtado, J. M., & Berbel-Pineda, J. M. Impact and development of sport sponsorship: a three-decade bibliometric analysis (1993–2024). Sport, Business and Management, 2025;15(2), 176-203.
4. Tarver EC. The I in team: Sports fandom and the reproduction of identity: University of Chicago Press; 2019.
5. Wann DL, James JD. Sport fans: The psychology and social impact of fandom: Routledge; 2018.
6. Baker BJ, Du J, Sato M, Funk DC. Rethinking segmentation within the psychological continuum model using Bayesian analysis. Sport Management Review. 2020;23(4):764-75.
7. Moradi MO, Goharrostami H, Ramazani R. Identify and prioritize key stakeholders of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sport Management Journal. 2023;15(2):113-94. (In Persian)
8. Antunovic D, Hardin M. Women and the blogosphere: Exploring feminist approaches to sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 2015;50(6):661-77.
9. Decrop A, Derbaix C. Pride in contemporary sport consumption: a marketing perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 2010;38:586-603.
10. Lock D, Heere B. Identity crisis: A theoretical analysis of ‘team identification’research. European Sport Management Quarterly. 2017;17(4):413-35.
11. Pu H, James J. The distant fan segment: Exploring motives and psychological connection of International National Basketball Association fans. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. 2017;18(4):418-38.
12. Turner JC, Brown RJ, Tajfel H. Social comparison and group interest in ingroup favouritism. European journal of social psychology. 1979;9(2):187-204.
13. Bakhshandeh H, Jalali Farahani M, Sajjadi SN. Effect of social responsibility on team identification in Iran’s football pro league. Sport Management Studies. 2015;7(29):175-92. (In Persian)
14. Anderson B. Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. The new social theory reader: Routledge; 2020. p. 282-8.
15. Ashforth BE, Mael F. Social identity theory and the organization. Organizational identity: A reader. 2004:134-60.
16. Chang MJ, Ko YJ, Connaughton DP, Kang J-H. The effects of perceived CSR, pride, team identification, and regional attachment: The moderating effect of gender. Journal of Sport & Tourism. 2016;20(2):145-59.
17. Lee H-W, Cho H, Newell EM, Kwon W. How multiple identities shape behavioral intention: Place and team identification on spectator attendance. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. 2020;21(4):719-34.
18. Ridinguer L, James J. Female and male sport fans: A comparison of sport consumption motives. Journal of Sport Behavior. 2002;25(3):260-78.
19. Crawford G. Consuming sport: Fans, sport and culture: Routledge; 2004.
20. Musto M, Cooky C, Messner MA. “From fizzle to sizzle!” Televised sports news and the production of gender-bland sexism. Gender & Society. 2017;31(5):573-96.
21. Oboudi B. Football Spectators’ Attention to Advertising: Gender Perspective. Mod Econ Manag. 2023;2(8).
22. Palmer C. ‘” The Grog Squad”: An ethnography of beer consumption at Australian Rules football matches. 2009.
23. Allison R, Knoester C. Gender, sexual, and sports fan identities. Sociology of Sport Journal. 2021;38(3):310-21.
24. Clarke E, Geurin AN, Burch LM. Team identification, motives, and behaviour: a comparative analysis of fans of men’s and women’s sport. Managing Sport and Leisure. 2024;29(3):445-68.
25. Fink JS, Trail GT, Anderson DF. Environmental factors associated with spectator attendance and sport consumption behavior: Gender and team differences. Sport Marketing Quarterly. 2002;11(1).
26. Ghiyasvand ARH, Saba. Girls' Tendency to Watch Football Matches in the Stadium and the Factors Affecting It. Journal of Social Problems of Iran. 2020;10(2):193-216. (In Persian)
27. Pope S. The feminization of sports fandom: A sociological study: Routledge; 2017.
28. Nielsen. (2025, June). Women’s football set to enter global top 5 sports by 2030 with over 800M fans — Nielsen Sports and PepsiCo Report Reveals Untapped Opportunity for Brands. https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/womens-football-set-to-enter-global-top-5-sports-by-2030-with-over-800m-fans-nielsen-sports-and-pepsico-report-reveals-untapped-opportunity-for-brands/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
29. Collings, V. (2023, Sep). Moving the goalposts: Analysing the differences between men & women's football. https://www.evoluted.net/blog/studies/moving-the-goalposts-analysing-the-differences-between-men-and-women-s-football/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
30. Casanova, M.E.(n,d).Female presence in football stadiums: An overview. https://calciodeal.com/en/female-presence-in-football-stadiums-an-overview/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
31. Schäfer M, Vögele C. Content analysis as a research method: A content analysis of content analyses in sport communication. International Journal of Sport Communication. 2021;14(2):195-211. (25)
32. Kossakowski, R., & Besta, T. Beyond stereotypes: Women and their engagement in football fandom. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2023;58(6), 951-970.
33. Eskandari, Z. T. ‘We support football in our heart’: female football fandom in Iran. Soccer & Society, 2022;23(3), 258-270.
34. Allison, R., & Pope, S. Becoming fans: Socialization and motivations of fans of the England and US women’s national football teams. Sociology of Sport Journal, 2021;39(3), 287-297.
35. Du S, Bhattacharya CB, Sen S. Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International journal of management reviews. 2010;12(1):8-19.
36. Lee W, Cunningham GB. Gender, sexism, sexual prejudice, and identification with US football and men’s figure skating. Sex Roles. 2016;74:464-71.
37. Antonsich M, Holland EC. Territorial attachment in the age of globalization: The case of Western Europe. European Urban and Regional Studies. 2014;21(2):206-21.
38. Toffoletti K. Iranian women’s sports fandom: Gender, resistance, and identity in the football movie Offside. Journal of Sport and Social Issues. 2014;38(1):75-92.
39. Mastromartino, B., Sveinson, K., & Su, Y. A gendered socialization perspective on gender differences in sport fandom. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. 2025.
40. Hoeber L, Kerwin S. Exploring the experiences of female sport fans: A collaborative self-ethnography. Sport Management Review. 2013;16(3):326-36.
Research in Sports Management and Movement Behavior

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 October 2020