Identification and Prioritization of Dimensions of Brand Association in Sport Leagues "Case Study: Football Premier League"

The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the dimensions of the brand association in football premier league. The research method was mixed (qualitative- quantitative) and the statistical population consisted of sport management experts. 11 subjects were selected by purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. In qualitative phase, main concepts and categories were obtained by content analysis. Data coding was continued to axial coding phase and finally 12 main categories were obtained. In the quantitative phase, the obtained codes were prioritized using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Expert Choice software. The results showed that in the dimension of 'benefits', 'excitement' (relative weight=0.308) and in the dimension of 'attributes', 'star player' (relative weight=0.274) achieved most importance. Other factors were next priorities according to their criteria. Results showed that the identified brand associations affected the attractiveness of the league. An emphasis on positive associations provided more desirability for the spectators which affected their more attendance.