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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sports Management, Marketing, and Economics
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1541829
This article is part of the Research Topic Evolving Economies in Sports: Management Practices and Market Impacts View all articles
Balancing Economic and Social Results in Football Clubs: Evidence of Fans' Perceptions in the Colombian Context
Provisionally accepted
Juan Alejandro Hernández-Hernández 
Abraham Allec Londoño Pineda * Robert Ng Henao Juan Lucas Macías-Franco 
Jose Alejandro Cano *- Universidad de Medellín, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Fans are not only loyal, but also powerful, and could therefore exert pressure on football club managers. This study examines the influence of fan-generated pressure on the economic and social sustainability outcomes of football clubs in Colombia, highlighting the role of active and non-active fan typologies. Using a conceptual framework rooted in stakeholder theory, we developed and tested a structural equation model (SEM) based on Colombian football fans. Results show that active fans, defined as direct or indirect followers, prioritize high-performing players and coaches and significantly influence economic outcomes through merchandising and broadcasting rights. Conversely, non-active fans, including passive and potential supporters, emphasize player stability and club goodwill. These findings highlight that fan pressure, shaped by sporting identity and performance expectations, serves as a critical lever for value co-creation and sustainability.
Keywords: actives fans, non-active fans, fan pressures, economic and social outcomes, Cocreation of value, Colombian football
Received: 17 Dec 2024; Accepted: 24 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hernández-Hernández, Allec Londoño Pineda, Henao, Macías-Franco and Cano. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Abraham Allec Londoño Pineda, Universidad de Medellín, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Jose Alejandro Cano, Universidad de Medellín, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
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