Consumer Insights report
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the European Football Benchmark from a Premier League fan’s point of view, while at the same time showcasing the wealth of information the study has to offer. We have picked out the key aspects of the study that relate to the Premier League and packaged it in an easily digestible format.
This report focusses on the domestic fans of the Premier League (UK), as well as Premier League fans from the emerging markets of China and the U.S. In total, we surveyed more than 8,200 football fans aged 16 to 64 in the three countries.
Topics include
The Premier League is the fans' favorite
Despite being off and on again during the pandemic, the Premier League is either the most followed league or second most followed league in each country surveyed. More importantly for its brand is that it is the most followed league outside of Europe: It is the favorite European league among Chinese (50%) and U.S. (63%) football fans.
Fans love clothing and accessory brands, but show concern about betting sponsors
In the UK, clothing and accessories appear as the top industry that fans of every club would want to see sponsor their team. On the other hand, there is a concern among fans about the amount of betting sponsors, especially UK fans, where 37% believe there are just too many.
Social media and missed opportunities
There is still untapped potential when it comes to social media, for clubs and traditional media alike. In the UK, where almost all fans use social media generally, there are a considerable number of fans (27%) who do not obtain their football information from these platforms. However, worryingly Chinese fans, who are the highest users of social media for football, are not impressed with the way clubs utilize their social media channels. Over half of fans (51%) express that clubs need to improve their social media output.
eSports is an essential part of a modern football club
Interest in eSports is getting bigger and bigger, in the UK nearly half (46%) of football fans are now interested in or play eSports. But outside Europe these numbers are even larger, in China 85% and the U.S. 71% either play or are interested in eSports. Further to this, around a third of fans from each country now expect a modern football club to have an eSports team. So, any club looking to increase sponsorship opportunities or fan engagement in the Chinese or U.S. markets, eSports could provide the perfect vehicle.
Clubs should stand up for progressive values, but must avoid being ”political”
There is a fine balance when trying to do the right thing. Clubs must not shy away from standing up for progressive values, a majority (56%) of UK Premier League fans want to see clubs take a stronger stance on issues such as discrimination. However, particularly among the older generation, fans do not want to see clubs conflate these values with political ideologies. Fans also want social media companies to make an effort and stand up to discrimination rather than it just being left up to the clubs and players to take a stand.
Introduction
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