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

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