{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T05:04:38Z","timestamp":1789707878022,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Drawing on the Stimulus\u2013Organism\u2013Response (SOR) framework, this study developed a theoretical model linking key opinion leader (KOL) characteristics,perceived value, perceived fit, participation intention, and participation behavior to examine how key opinion leaders influence women\u2019s participation in soccer referee training.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data were collected through a questionnaire survey, yielding 744 valid responses. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analysis were used to test the proposed hypotheses and mediating effects.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The results showed that KOL characteristics were positively associated with both perceived value and perceived fit, which were, in turn, positively associated with women\u2019s participation intention. Participation intention further has a positive influence on actual participation behavior. However, the direct path of KOL characteristics, perceived value, and perceived fit on participation behavior are not significant, suggesting that women\u2019s participation behavior is primarily shaped through the formation of participation intention. Bootstrap results further confirm that perceived value and perceived fit significantly mediate the relationship between KOL characteristics and participation intention, with 95% confidence intervals excluding zero.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study extends the application of SOR theory to women\u2019s sports participation and soccer refereeing, offering a new perspective on the psychological mechanisms underlying women\u2019s engagement in referee training.The findings also provide practical implications for soccer governing bodies seeking to improve female referee training systems, strengthen the role of influential role models, and promote the sustainable development of women\u2019s soccer refereeing.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1938303","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T04:36:15Z","timestamp":1789706175000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["How key opinion leader characteristics influence women\u2019s participation in soccer referee training"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Kun-Feng","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Football College, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]},{"name":"China Football Development Strategy Research Center, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chao","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football College, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]},{"name":"China Football Development Strategy Research Center, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi-Chi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football College, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]},{"name":"China Football Development Strategy Research Center, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kai","family":"Hua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football College, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]},{"name":"China Football Development Strategy Research Center, Wuhan Sports University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbusres.2021.03.067","article-title":"Understanding influencer marketing: the role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers","volume":"132","author":"Belanche","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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