Examination of football product collectors' accumulation indicators and fanaticism levels from different variables perspectives

Football is an intense passion for its supporters and is one of the most popular sports worldwide. With the commencement of football fans collecting items such as jerseys, scarves, and footballs, football product collecting has become a significant leisure activity. Literature review indicates an increase in direct football-related research over the past twenty years; however, there has been almost no study conducted on football product collecting. Therefore, our research aims to examine the levels of fanaticism and collecting symptoms among football product collectors in terms of variables such as age, educational status, marital status, income level, and duration of engagement in collecting. The study utilized the quantitative research method of relational survey. Data were collected online using survey and scale techniques. The sample of the study consists of individuals aged 18 and over, residing within the borders of Turkey, who have been engaging in football product collecting as a serious leisure activity for at least one year and can be reached online. Participants were asked to fill out the personal information form, the "Hoarding Inventory-Revised Form," and the "Football Fanaticism Scale" with their permission. The data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Upon examining the results, it was observed that among football product collectors, there is a decrease in tendencies towards violent thoughts and actions as age increases; an increase in personal income leads to a decrease in tendencies towards violent thoughts or actions; individuals who collect both their own team's and other teams' merchandise exhibit a higher sense of institutional belonging; those who exhibit more acquisition behavior allocate a higher portion of their personal income to collecting; individuals with more clutter allocate a higher portion of their family income to collecting; and individuals who struggle to discard worthless objects engage less in buying and selling for new products. The findings were discussed in conjunction with the literature, and limitations were identified. This study, serving as a comprehensive preliminary investigation for future research, is expected to contribute to the literature. Key words: Collecting, Football Products, Fanaticism, Hoarding, Serious Leisure Time