The Impact of Team Reputation and Team Quality on the Loyalty of the Fans of Iranian National Volleyball Team: A Mediating Role of Satisfaction

Background. Attention to the loyalty of fans to the long-term success of sports organizations has become increasingly important. On this note, it seems necessary to pay attention to the variables that predict and influence the loyalty of spectators. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the mediating role of satisfaction in the effect of team reputation and team quality on the loyalty of the fans of national volleyball team in Iran. Methods. For this reason, five Ponzi et al. (2011) team reputation, Oliver (1980) satisfaction, Mahony (2000) behavioral loyalty, and Zhang et al. (1997) team quality questionnaires were used. A sample of 261 fans that were present at the World League Championship to see the Iranian national volleyball teams were randomly selected and questionnaires were distributed among them. Results. The results of structural equation modeling showed that team quality and team reputation are strong predictors of loyalty of fans (β = 0.691, β = 0.681). In addition, the satisfaction of fans has a mediating role in the relationship between team reputation and team quality with loyalty of fans (β = 0.043, p < 0.05). Conclusion. In view of the fact that the impact factor of two team quality and team reputation variables on the loyalty was high, paying attention to these two variables is very important in the formation of loyalty of the fans of the national team of Iran and strong strategies must be devised to achieve this.