In order to understand fan behaviour and trends in ever more granular detail, we have undertaken a detailed research project: The Future of the Sports Fan
Our research takes an in-depth look at the make-up of fan bases, the motivations behind fandom and distils the key trends affecting fan behaviour.
Developed in partnership with behavioural insights agency, Canvas8, the research revealed eight key trends that will shape the future of sports fans. These range from the Priced Out fan who will have to spend more money to stay a fan, the Game Changers who pioneer new sports and the 24/7 fan who wants to enjoy sport anywhere and everywhere.
In addition to interviews with academics, rights holders such as Team Sky, The FA and Formula E and global sponsors Nissan and AIG, 500 fans were surveyed about their sporting passions.
The research highlighted some interesting stats which bring to life the importance of sport. For example the majority of people surveyed (64%) believe sport is a more powerful route to social change over religion (39%) and politics (28%). 66% of fans see athletes as role models and 43% want teams to punish discriminatory behaviour.
Our desire for content shows no sign of abating: 73% want to access content ‘whenever they want’, with a quarter of fans having accessed content on the toilet, 52% at work and 14% at a wedding or funeral.
For more information on sport-specific trends or for ideas on how to prepare your business for the future fan, please fill in your details below:
