Club versus Country? A study into football fan loyalty

[fanloyaltystudy]

Hi everyone,

 

Apologies for clogging up the board, but I am hoping you can help.

 

I am conducting an academic study into football fan loyalty, in particular looking at loyalties towards both club and national football teams. I am also investigating the role of national identity in this process and have developed a survey (see the below link) to address these issues.

 

In order to gain a representative sample, four teams have been randomly selected from each of the major four divisions, and the Saints came out of the hat! I would therefore be hugely grateful if you could donate no more than 10 minutes of your time to completing the survey: it is simple to complete via drop down menus and tick boxes. In order to be eligible to take part you must:

 

• Be of English origin;

• Be at least 18 years of age.

 

No contact details will be collected and the survey is fully anonymous.

 

Many thanks for your time and I promise not to start any other threads to clog up your message board. The survey can be accessed at:

 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/fanloyaltysurvey

 

Cheers,

 

David

 

PS With extra apologies to the admin team: I tried to PM first for permission but I was not able to do so.

[Golden Balls]

I'd rather see Saints win the FA Cup than England win the World Cup. That should give you a clue to where I stand.

[Colinjb]

Completed the questionnaire. However, there was little in there which really put you on the spot over which you prefer. Considering a managerial decision which is very likely to happen within 2 yeats I would end up being highly ambivalent over the national teams fortunes.

 

I support England at the moment but never ever at the expense of my club.

[dronskisaint]

My sentiments also.

 

I am absolutely blind in my support for Saints

 

I have far more in the way of logic driven discussion re the England team.

[Kaiser Soze]

Done.

[JackanorySFC]

Replied. Very proud to be English, of our history and the influence this tiny nation has had and continues to have on a global scale and I always will be. That being said, "English by birth, Southampton by the grace of god".

[Red&White]

I'd rather see Saints win the FA Cup than England win the World Cup. That should give you a clue to where I stand.

Ditto

[thesaint sfc]

Personally, I think this thing is completely flawed. Saying that you will continue to be affiliated with England is nothing like saying you will continue to be affiliated with Southampton. Everyone English (likely) supports England - that's completely different from a club.

 

I would however opt for Saints to win just about anything over England winning anything. Mostly down to the people who play for England, and the way the fans are treated at club level in comparison to country level.

 

Being a saint is being part of a community - the national team will never have that.

[lambertsrightleg]

im not at all interested in the england national team. in fact, major tournaments where i'm supposed to go down the boozer, put an england shirt on and pretend to be a die hard fan winds me up!! if you offered me a ticket for free to an england game at wembley i'd tell you to do one. however, there has been times when i would walk across broken glass for a ticket to watch saints.

[Colinjb]

im not at all interested in the england national team. in fact, major tournaments where i'm supposed to go down the boozer, put an england shirt on and pretend to be a die hard fan winds me up!! if you offered me a ticket for free to an england game at wembley i'd tell you to do one. however, there has been times when i would walk across broken glass for a ticket to watch saints.

 

Not sure why that would wind you up so much mate? I've always seen it as an occasion, a novelty. A break from maybe the good or bad that is happening with your daily club. I've always enjoyed the gatherings in pubs to watch england, when it's a big game it's the next best thing to being there.

[AussieDog]

I still get up at 3am on a sunday morning to check if Saints have won....but I couldn't be arsed to watch England in the World Cup. That's because Saints are in my blood, whereas when I have bothered to watch England all I see is a bunch of overpaid prima donnas who don't give a sh1t. Maybe if they showed some pride, then I would regain my interest.

I don't think I would ever support anyone other than Saints, but if I felt the players we had were as indifferent to the club as the current international mob are to their country,...then I would definitely lose some of my interest too.

[PhilippineSaint]

that was hardley a club versus country survey more of a club versus social acceptance of the "English lifestyle" and will probabyl be used by the BNP to further there aims of social unrest in the UK due to the influx of immigrants although it would not afffect myself as I am an Ex Pat.

[Toadhall Saint]

Saints first then England - always.

[keithd]

i cannot add anything of note that hasnt been said already, yet i am proud to tell you that is the case. strongly agree

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

Saints first then England - always.

 

This.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

I hate the ****ing England band. In fact, I hate them so much I don't even like watching England anymore.

[COMEONYOUREDS]

I really couldnt care less about England, and I find it embarrassing to be British/English. Anyway I have completed your survey

[ozzmeister]

Personally, I think this thing is completely flawed. Saying that you will continue to be affiliated with England is nothing like saying you will continue to be affiliated with Southampton. Everyone English (likely) supports England - that's completely different from a club.

 

I would however opt for Saints to win just about anything over England winning anything. Mostly down to the people who play for England, and the way the fans are treated at club level in comparison to country level.

 

Being a saint is being part of a community - the national team will never have that.

 

Just to be slightly annoying. We say we would rather Saints won everything above England, Premiership, FA Cup etc. However should we have a team which did that would it not be likely that wed have a heavy presence in the England team? Would this alter your view at all?

[SaintBobby]

I'd rather see Saints win the FA Cup than England win the World Cup. That should give you a clue to where I stand.

 

I'd rather see Saints win a throw-in than England win the World Cup tbh.

[EastleighSoulBoy]

Just to be slightly annoying. We say we would rather Saints won everything above England, Premiership, FA Cup etc. However should we have a team which did that would it not be likely that wed have a heavy presence in the England team? Would this alter your view at all?

 

A very good point and obviously our interest in the England team might well be swayed by the prescence of a few Saints players.

 

My current attitude to the team is very negative, mainly due to the attitude of the prima donnas who represented us back at the WC. Having said that I could never place the needs of the England team over or above the needs of Saints.

[ericofarabia]

I'd rather see Saints win a throw-in than England win the World Cup tbh.

 

So would Matt le Tissier .... he wouldn't even mind Saints conceding a throw in

[Flyer]

Id rather QPR get 3 points at the weekend than England win the world cup.

 

I dint give a crap about England until the current generation of players have gone, eg Terry, Lampard, Rooney, Gerrard, Cole.

 

Tossers, all of them

[CWD]

I am incredibly proud of my club, and incredibly proud of my country. I will support both through thick and thin. People should never be embarrassed to be British just as they should never be embarrassed to be a Saint. This is the greatest, most diverse country in the world and every day I'm thankful I was born into it... and particularly in Southampton!

[Saint_Jonny]

Saints > England every day of the week.

 

Done the survey.

[RedAndWhite91]

Replied. Very proud to be English, of our history and the influence this tiny nation has had and continues to have on a global scale and I always will be. That being said, "English by birth, Southampton by the grace of god".

 

This.

 

 

Good survey.

[corsacar saint]

Saints first end of.

[paulwantsapint]

If I was given a choice of Saints winning L1 this season & england scraping through the play offs

or england winning group & saints getting 2nd place or play offs

easy answer

now go get the bloody league title

win it for SAINT MARKUS OF SOUTHAMPTON

[gogo_saint]

My entire family is Scottish, so i cant comment on england v saints, but i would much rather see Scotland win the world cup (i know) than see saints win the premier league/fa cp etc...

[Hamilton Saint]

I think it's always club, if you're a long-term fan, born in the area etc. Can understand it being country if you're a southerner supporting Man Utd because they were good when you grew up. Always the same though generally, people like to feel part of something and tend towards the smaller group. I bet most Americans put state before country as well.

 

But that's because (like Canada) the United States is a federal system.