Distinguishing between short-term and long-term commitment in football shirt sponsorship programmes: towards a matrix of management implications

Sponsorship literature is deficient in terms of its failure to consider the process of managing sponsorship programmes, in particular the problem of commitment that has been identified in many relationships. Employing football shirt sponsorship dyads (football clubs and shirt sponsors) as a focus, this paper sets out to investigate the determinants of sponsorship commitment. Using quantitative and qualitative techniques, three important determinants are identified: shared values, perceived benefits and opportunistic behaviour. Following validation of these findings, structured interviews revealed a distinction between short-term and long-term 'committers'. This paper therefore concludes by proposing a matrix of football shirt sponsorship commitment which explores the implications of engaging in a relationship with the different 'committer' types.