SERVICE QUALITY DIMENSIONS IN SPECTATOR SPORT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TWENTY-TWENTY CRICKET LEAGUE MATCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Year 2017, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 0 - 0, 01.06.2017

B. A Mokoena M. Dhurup

Abstract

Since their inception, twenty-twenty (T20) cricket league matches have gained
tremendous popularity and are heralded in South Africa with the potential of
increasing the spectator support base in cricket. The purpose of this study was to
enhance an understanding of service quality by examining the service quality
dimensions in T20 cricket events in South Africa. A convenience sample of 250
T20 cricket spectators in the Gauteng province of South Africa participated in a
survey using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The factor analysis
procedure resulted in the extraction of six primary dimensions, namely service
personnel, game atmosphere, facility access, facility aesthetics, home team quality
and opposing team characteristics. The model was tested using confirmatory factor
analysis, which showed a good-fit of the data to the model. Among the service
quality dimensions, facility access was rated the most important dimension. The
study recommends that managers use the suggested dimensional framework to
measure service quality in T20 cricket. Managers can also use this framework and
measurement scale as a diagnostic tool to identify strengths and weaknesses in their
services, thus providing guidance for potential areas of improvement.

Keywords

Spectators, T20 cricket, Service quality, exploratory factor analysis, Confirmatory factor analysis