In recent years, football's status as "the world's sport" has shown little sign of waning. With contributions from Europe, Asia and the Americas, this book brings together leading international researchers to survey the current state of the global football industry, exploring contemporary issues in the marketing of football around the world.

Section I: Global Football Industry 1. Contemporary Global Football Industry: An Introduction 2. European Grassroots Football: Structural and Managerial Peculiarities 3. Economic Importance of Football in Germany 4. Non-local Portuguese Football Fans and Their Love for 'The Big Three' 5. The Driving Forces of Competitive Balance in European Football: A Review of Europe's Top Leagues 6. Competitive Balance in the Chinese Football League Section II: Marketing Perspectives 7. Psychographic Profiling and Segmenting Major Indoor Football League Fans 8. When the Beautiful Game Turns Ugly: Fan Experiences of Perceived Match Fixing in Football 9. Videographic Analysis of "Weird Guys": What Do Relationships Mean to Football Fans? 10. Comparison of Marketing Approaches in Men's and Women's Football Events 11. The Equalizer: Feminist Themes in NWSL Club Marketing 12. General Game Support Programs Associated with Professional Team Sports