Patrons in German lower league football: a qualitative case study

Club patrons in German lower-league football are a largely under-researched social phenomenon. The aim of this article is to address this gap in the literature by focusing on their motivation for involvement in football at this level and the important function that they perform. A patron is defined as an individual who provides financial support for club without expecting a direct financial return on their investment. Using a Bourdieuian methodology, however, we argue that patrons do indeed receive a return on their investment. They achieve this by converting economic capital into social capital, thereby enhancing their stock of symbolic capital. Using qualitative interviews, this article offers a categorization of club patrons in order to shed light on how they exert their influence within the club itself and in the wider community.