Impact of service quality on youth football participation in China: A moderating role of country-of-origin

Research questions: As football fever in China has encouraged youngsters to participate in football activities, the perceived quality of youth football service and players’ level of satisfaction are essential to be investigated. Beside the country-of-origin’s (COO) moderating effect on perceived service quality in determining satisfaction between two types of academies (local-oriented vs. overseas-oriented) has yet to be examined. Therefore, the COO’s moderating effects were examined through a multigroup invariance analysis. 

Research methods: Data were collected from two youth football academies in China. A measurement scale, specifically designed for youth football participation, was employed to examine the proposed relationships. A multi-group invariance analysis was used to investigate the COO’s moderating effect. 

Results and findings: Seven out of ten hypotheses, among service quality, satisfaction and membership renewal intention were supported. The results from bootstrapping supported the indirect effects of satisfaction in six relationships between service quality and membership renewal intention. The relationship between service quality and satisfaction was partially moderated by the COO. 

Implications: This study empirically contributes to the understanding of the relationships among service quality, satisfaction and behavioural intention in youth football participation. Practically, strategic implications are provided for practitioners in managing and improving players’ football participation experience. Copyright © 2023 European Association for Sport Management.