Consumer Insights report
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the European Football Benchmark from a Bundesliga 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 Bundesliga and packaged it in an easily digestible format.
This report focusses on the domestic fans of the Bundesliga (Germany), as well as Bundesliga fans from the emerging markets of China and the U.S.
Topics include
The Premier League is the fans' favorite; Bundesliga must catch up
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. Bundesliga has yet to raise interest outside of Germany. Among the surveyed countries, interest in Bundesliga among football fans is around 25% each, with China being highest; 50% of Chinese football fans follow the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are the dominant forces in the Bundesliga
With the outstanding success over the past few seasons, Chinese and U.S. fans have fallen in love with Bayern Munich; 48% and 39% of fans respectively, who stated the Bundesliga was their favorite league, say they love Bayern Munich. Chinese fans also rate Bayern and Borussia Dortmund as best in class for two of the club image attributes each, including; exciting football and ambition. Munich are also the most polarizing club in Germany; as they are rated as the most loved and hated at the same time. However, overall, Borussia Dortmund are the fans favorite club, with 53% of fans saying they either like or love them, just beating Bayern at 50%.
eSports is an essential part of a modern football club
Interest in eSports is getting bigger and bigger, in Germany nearly half (46%) of football fans are now interested in or play eSports. But outside Europe these numbers are even larger, in China 88% and the U.S. 78% of Bundesliga followers 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.
Fans love automotive and beverages brands, but show concern about betting sponsors
In Germany, automotive and beverages appear as the top industries that fans of every club would want to see sponsor their team. On the other hand, there is a concern among German fans about the amount of betting sponsors, with gambling being among the least preferred sponsor industries, and already 23% saying there are too many betting sponsors.
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, almost half (43%) of German Bundesliga 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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