“Home” and “away” in Hong Kong: How to utilize communal identities for the sustainable development of sports in Hong Kong

This research investigates the case of Yuen Long Football Club, one of just three professional football teams in Hong Kong that directly represent local districts, to discuss the particularities of district teams as well as their perceived and actual role within the domestic football industry. Specifically, the research focuses on the perspectives of supporters by evaluating factors that contribute to their levels of loyalty and supportiveness, their views on their preferred team as well as their behavior in the stadium. The research findings provide evidence for the relationship between district teams and fan loyalty, which illustrates that district clubs have their own unique characteristics to attract and retain supporters, while facing challenges of commercial sustainability due to their territorial confinement. Copyright © 2018 Hong Kong Sociological Association 20th Annual Conference.