Brand extension in integrated clubs: a case study of women’s football in Spain

Purpose The visibility and popularity of women’s sports have surged in recent years. Many football clubs in Europe, in particular Spain, have extended their clubs to include women’s football. While existing literature has recognized this trajectory of growth in women’s sports, limited scholarship has examined the brand extension strategies of those football clubs and how they maintain consistency while establishing uniqueness for women’s teams. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how the branded house strategy functions in the context of Spanish women’s football. Design/methodology/approach Using two Spanish women’s football teams, Atlético Madrid Femenino and Valencia CF Femenino, as the case study research context, the authors conducted ten semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was conducted in NVivo 14 to identify meaningful themes and subthemes from the interview scripts, following a phronetic iterative analysis approach that includes primary-cycle coding and secondary-cycle coding, using theoretical frameworks of brand architecture and brand authenticity. Findings Our thematic analysis identified three themes and nine subthemes and suggested the brand extension approach within Spanish football followed the house of brands perspective, as both teams have built their women’s brands consistently with the club brands’ elements and identity. Our findings also supported that those two Spanish women’s football teams have established their own brand identities through brand ambidexterity strategies that emphasize the uniqueness of women’s sports. Originality/value Our case study contributes to the brand architecture and brand ambidexterity literature and provides practical branding strategies for women’s sports teams. Our findings suggest that practitioners go beyond treating women’s football as adjuncts of men’s football clubs and pursue long-term development pathways to create distinctive brand identities.