Does context matter? Analysing structural and individual factors of member commitment in sport clubs

Abstract

This article addresses factors that infl uence member commitment in sport clubs. Based on the theory of social action and the economic behaviour theory, it focuses not only on individual characteristics of club members but also on the corresponding structural conditions of sport clubs. Accordingly, a multilevel framework is developed for explaining member commitment in sport clubs. Different multilevel models were estimated in order to analyse the infl uences of both the individual and corresponding context level in a sample of n = 1,699 members of 42 Swiss and German sport clubs. The multilevel analysis permitted an adequate handling of hierarchically structured data. Results of these multilevel analyses indicated that the commitment of members is not just an outcome of individual characteristics such as strong identifi cation with their club, positively perceived (collective) solidarity, satisfaction with their sport club, or voluntary engagement. It is also determined by club-specifi c structural conditions: commitment proves to be more probable in rural sport clubs and clubs that explicitly support sociability. Furthermore, cross-level effects in relation to member commitment were also found between the context variable sociability and the individual variable identifi cation.

Individual and contextual determinants of stable volunteering in sport clubs

“…VSCs as communities of shared interests are guided substantially by (distinctive) contextual aspects such as their specific history, culture and norms, and they develop guiding programmatic principles, which in turn influence their actions (Thiel and Mayer, 2009), and that also determine the individual expectations of volunteers (Peters-Davis et al, 2001). Volunteers are rooted within their club, and volunteers in each club share specific structural and cultural similarities that are unique to their club and may not be shared with other clubs (Schlesinger and Nagel, 2015).…”

“…Few analyses consistently link together individual data from volunteers with the corresponding contextual conditions in their VSC, as has been performed in other voluntary sectors (Bühlmann and Freitag, 2007; Rotolo and Wilson, 2012). Although there have been calls for linkages between individual and corresponding contextual data within sport organization research for some time (Nagel, 2007; Wicker and Hallmann, 2013), few studies in sport club research have applied multilevel procedures from an empirical perspective (of willingness to volunteer: Schlesinger and Nagel, 2013; member commitment: Schlesinger and Nagel, 2015). Consequently, we still know little about the influences of factors from different levels on voluntary commitment in VSCs, or about their interplay.…”

The transition to adulthood: a game changer!? A longitudinal analysis of the impact of five major life events on sport participation

“…The social significance of sport has surged in recent decades. Appreciation of sport's functional power stems from its advantageous consequences (Schlesinger & Nagel, 2015;Waardenburg & Van Bottenburg, 2013) in improving health (Miles, 2007), nurturing social capital and integration and thereby fostering social networks (Knoppers, 2006;Putnam, 1995;Seippel, 2006), and spurring economic growth (European Commission, 2013;Van der Meulen et al, 2012). Sports clubs form the heart of the Western European sport industry.…”

“…Sport participation in club-organised settings is often regarded as particularly beneficial (Borgers, Seghers, & Scheerder, 2016;Breuer, Hoekman, Nagel, & Van der Werff, 2015;Janssens & Verweel, 2014), especially for young people (Theeboom, Haudenhuyse, & De Knop, 2010;. Accordingly, sports clubs have become increasingly important on the political agenda (Schlesinger & Nagel, 2015). 'Sport for All' policies and programmes have been implemented at the local, national, and international level to lower the threshold for sport participation and boost involvement in sport, particularly club-organised sport, among people of all ages (DaCosta & Miragaya, 2002;European Commission, 2011;NOC Ã NSF, 2012;Tuyckom, 2011;Waardenburg & Van Bottenburg, 2013).…”

Consumerism in sport organizations: conceptualizing and constructing a research scale

“…Many respondents in the focus groups stated that the less social an activity is, the more likely it is to be a consumerist activity. Schlesinger and Nagel (2015) have acknowledged that the members of voluntary sport clubs that support sociability consistently show higher levels of commitment towards the club.…”