How does spectator marketing in women's leagues differ from that in men's leagues?

Women's sport has been receiving increasing attention internationally. However, only a few studies have examined the differences in effective marketing strategies for men's versus women's leagues or teams. Most research assumes that women's and men's teams are marketed in the same manner. This study's purpose is two-fold: first, to compare the men's and women's league's spectator demographic variables emphasising the uniqueness of spectators in women's sport; and second, to compare the spectator motivation between gender-based leagues. A series of questionnaire surveys were conducted at the Women's and Men's V. Premium Leagues, Japan's top-level volleyball leagues. This study uses a 2,405 dataset and implies that differentiating spectators by combining spectator and athlete gender will enable sport marketers and researchers to understand a sport's consumer more intimately. Additionally, even though both sports are the same, it is crucial to devise completely different marketing strategies for different leagues.