Factors that determine the brand image in professional sports clubs

Football is the most known and the most favorite play in the world. Reason of that is easily understood and reached by everybody. Football which is emerged in an unprofessional way then growing became professional in 70s. Football which is changing and developing economically has created its own trademarks. Nowadays, football is no longer only simple play on the pitch, it reaches global dimension. Each tournament, each organization, each club and league have become symbol of football. With developing of football, clubs create their brand value. In the global world, clubs go beyond their country's border and reach the all world with brands. Team success, top players, football coach, club administration, stadium, colour, emblem, team kit, logo and history of club turn into concrete sporting trademark symbol. The power of brand gives chance to known by everybody in the remote world and creates a chance to have fans all the world. Football and its brand which cover all geography from the far East to South America, from Oceania to Africa turn into marketable product everywhere. In this study, the concept brand that is the secret power of football teams turning into professional company is researched. The club's brand image is growing day by day and is engraved in more people's subconscious. For that purpose, they want to know that what the factors are which make up the image of clubs and what their affects are. In founded search model, variables of brand image mentioned in three dimensional way are these: (1) Attributes,(2) Benefits and (3) Loyalty. In this study which is organized by most of university students in Istanbul is aimed to determine how the fans of Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe which are named the three powers and composed the majority of fans in Turkey perceive their clubs. In survey result making 367 participant, demographic information of students is presented; clubs which is composed the model, the attributes composed of team, the benefits of team to the fans and social life and fans' the variable loyalty feelings towards the clubs are analysed in sub-dimension way and their results are interpreted.