popular reasons are the guarantee of a ticket for every match (25%), ... One in three (34%) felt the best system ..... o
SUPPORTERS SURVEY 2010
CONTENTS
WELCOME
WELCOME
01
Welcome to The Football League Supporters Survey 2010.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
02
METHODOLOGY
04
CLUB AND COUNTRY
08
FAN FOCUS FEMALE SUPPORTERS
22
This is the third time that we have conducted this groundbreaking supporter consultation and, once again, supporters of all 72 Football League clubs have responded positively to our invitation to tell us what they think about their club, the league they play in and the state of modern football. I am delighted to report that 36,822 fans contributed their views. Thank you, all of you, for making the effort to take part. Your views are very important to The Football League and we will study them closely.
THE FOOTBALL BUSINESS
24
FAN FOCUS DISABLED FANS
32
GOING TO THE MATCH
34
FAN FOCUS ETHNIC MINORITIES
46
FOOTBALL AND TELEVISION
48
FAN FOCUS YOUNG FANS
56
THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE
58
FAN FOCUS FAMILIES
68
APPENDIX
70
As in both previous surveys, we have employed modern, online survey methods to reach a mass audience of football supporters. No other domestic sporting governing body regularly engages with such a large body of fan opinion on such a wide range of issues. I would like to thank our partners in this exercise - sports research specialist Sportswise - for their contribution. This year we asked supporters a range of questions about the football they watch and the team they support. This information will be shared with clubs, who will each receive a report detailing the views expressed by their own supporters. This will help to further develop the shared best practice culture that is taking our clubs forward. As in 2006 and 2008, we have also taken the opportunity to ask supporters about the wider issues facing the game. Views expressed by fans in previous years on issues as diverse as the role of agents, sin-bins, home grown players and smoking at matches have all helped shape Football League policy in these areas. I expect the information contained in this report to be equally influential in this regard. I hope you find this report interesting and useful.
Written and produced by
The Football League John Nagle Andrew Dodd Ralph Ellis
Greg Clarke
Chairman The Football League
SportsWise Jon Downer
Design Tobasgo Creative
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 further underlines The League’s commitment to fan consultation and market research. It represents a continuation of the process begun back in 2006 and repeated in 2008. Whilst some of the topics covered this time around are entirely new, a number help to update the findings of two and four seasons ago.
CLUB AND COUNTRY
02
Just over half of our sample described themselves as season ticket holders (52%) whilst a further one in ten (20%) attend ten or more matches per season. A further 21% attend less than ten times a season and a sizeable group (5%) did not go to games at all, a trend repeated from previous surveys. Nearly two thirds of fans (65%) were aged 11 or under when they attended their first live match. Barely one in ten were 20 or older. The main reasons why supporters began supporting their club were because it was their local team (65%) and parental influence (45%). Around eight in ten consider football to play an important part in their family’s life with that figure rising to nine in ten amongst those who actually attend matches with their family. The main motivation behind season ticket purchase is demonstrating loyalty to their club (35%), this figure increases to around 50% of those under the age of 25 compared to 29% for those 25 and older. Other popular reasons are the guarantee of a ticket for every match (25%), saving money (19%) and the ability to sit in the same seat (13%). The main barrier to season ticket purchase remains the inability of those fans to get to every match. However, price has become a more significant reason than 2 years ago (31% compared to 24%). When asked what might encourage them to go to more games, fans unsurprisingly chose cheaper tickets as the most popular answer. Interestingly, whilst better results on the pitch was the next highest placed answer it was only fractionally ahead of more entertaining playing style, indicating fans care almost as much about watching good football as actually winning. Having asked in previous surveys whether fans thought tickets were too expensive, the 2010 survey asked whether they felt tickets represented value for money. In total, 93% of season ticket holders felt they were getting good value along with 70% of match ticket purchasers.
METHODOLOGY
01
As in 2006 and 2008 this year’s survey adopted an online methodology inviting supporters that had registered on official sites to participate in this consultation. In addition, survey links and related news articles were placed on The Football League’s website and club websites to encourage further participation across the entire fanbase.
The most popular source of information on clubs were Official Club websites (55%) followed by unofficial websites (21%) and local newspapers (8%). Fans of League clubs continue to recognise the importance of their club playing a wider role in their local area with 96% considering community work to be important or very important.
A total of 314,522 e-mails were sent out to registered supporters via the FL Interactive database and 36,822 completed the survey between December 2009 and January 2010.
Following the national team was also important to supporters with 92% following the England team in person or on television. Hopes are high for the summer’s World Cup with 51% believing England will make it to the semi-finals at least and 11% believing they will lift the famous trophy.
Overall 42% of respondents support Championship clubs, 43% League 1 clubs and 15% League 2 clubs. Leeds United delivered the largest sample with 5,312 fans taking part. Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Southampton and Watford all provided more than 1,000 respondents. All Football League data has been weighted to reflect the average attendance at each club and it is therefore a truer reflection of Football League support.
2
On the whole fans felt valued by their club giving them an average rating of 6.3 on a one to ten scale. The number having reason to complain to their club remained identical to 2008 at 12%.
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
THE FOOTBALL BUSINESS
03
All of The League’s key commercial partners showed an increase in supporter awareness with Coca-Cola leading the way (67%) and Johnstone’s Paints enjoying a rise from 35% in 2008 to 47% this time around. Supporters demonstrated a high awareness of their club’s shirt sponsor with almost 9 in 10 (87%) being able to recall the name of their club’s main commercial partner unprompted. And as many as one in three fans indicated that they would be more likely to buy a company’s products or services over those of its competitors if they had a financial arrangement with their club. Fans also indicated an interest in club affinity schemes (46%) and hospitality packages (51%).
GOING TO THE MATCH
04
Seven out of ten fans were positive about their club’s ticketing operation. Their attitudes to a range of factors such as pricing, ease of purchase, attitude of ticket office staff and range of ticket options were all more positive than negative. These results underline the good work League clubs are doing in terms of raising the standards of customer service. In terms of ticket purchase, there has been a sharp increase in the use of the internet since 2008 with 27% of fans buying tickets online compared to 17% two years ago. This is now more popular than any other method including buying tickets on the day (21%). For some individual clubs the figure was as high as 71% for online purchasing. This time around, fans were also asked what methods of ticket purchase they would be interested in using and six in ten expressed an interest in online, print at home tickets. The average number of matches attended was 17 home games and 6 away games per season (up from 16 and 5 in 2006 and 2008). The most important elements of the match day experience to fans were entertaining football (8.6 out of ten), a good atmosphere (8.5), clear sightlines (8.5), safety (8.2) and winning (8.2). Fans were generally complimentary about the facilities that clubs provide on match days although there would still appear to be room for improvement in the standards of food and drink. There is a strong level of awareness for The League’s ‘Enjoy the Match’ campaign which seeks to eradicate anti-social behaviour in family areas of grounds. Almost half of supporters are aware of the campaign (47%), a figure that rises to 62% amongst those who watch matches in family areas. The rationale for Enjoy the Match is demonstrated by the fact that bad language deters one in five people with children under six from taking their kids to football.
FOOTBALL AND TELEVISION
05
Unsurprisingly fans of Football League clubs have an insatiable desire to watch football on television too. The vast majority (91%) watch matches at home but many (53%) go to the pub for matches too. The preferred times for watching live matches are Sunday afternoon (43%), Saturday evening (35%) and Monday evening (31%), with fans being more open to more flexible scheduling the younger they are. As many as 1 in 8 supporters (13%) would be deterred from watching their clubs matches if they clashed with a televised match. This figure underlines the challenge facing Football League clubs in filling their grounds for midweek matches against a backdrop of more and more televised matches in European competitions. The 2010 Survey records an interesting development in viewing habits with nearly one in five (17%) fans now watching matches via the internet. The survey also asked whether fans would be interested in a subscription service that would give them the opportunity to watch their club’s away matches online. Whilst it should be stressed that The League has no current plans to introduce such as a service it was notable that 41% of fans expressed an interest.
THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE
06
The majority of fans (55%) believe The Football League does a good job, up by 4% since 2008. And 44% believe it has the interests of supporters at heart, although 22% remain unconvinced. Seven in ten fans agree or strongly agree that league matches provide good family entertainment. Asked to identify what The League’s priority for the future should be fans indicated ensuring the long term financial survival of its 72 member clubs (45%) should be the focus, something they view as being distinct from just raising revenue, with just 6% believing this should be its main aim. Elsewhere 18% felt that The League’s key role should be ensuring fair competition between clubs and 13% developing young playing talent for the future. The 2010 survey took the opportunity to ask fans about salary and squad caps and 56% of supporters indicated that they would support the use of such a system in league football. One in three (34%) felt the best system would be a set financial figure (e.g. £3m), whilst 29% preferred a licensing system in which clubs demonstrate they are ‘fit to trade’ and 25% favoured a system based on a percentage of turnover. This season The Football League introduced its new Home Grown Players Rule requiring clubs to field 4 players in their 18 man match day squads that have been registered domestically for at least three seasons before their 21st birthday. The results of the survey reveal that supporters continue to back the policy and, on average, would like to see this threshold increased to five players. Asked to assess the performance of their own club in the area of Youth Development there was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a range of views. Whilst some clubs had 99% of their fans rating their efforts as either good or very good others had less than a third doing so. The number of fans who feel that the standard of refereeing is either good or very good has increased to 26% (from 20% in 2008) and 21% of fans feel the standard is improving with a similar number believing it is not. Once again fans support the use of technology by match officials with 86% in favour although there remains considerable disagreement over what form that assistance should take. A similar proportion (88%) would also support the use of retrospective action by the game’s authorities against players that have been shown on television replays to have dived. And 48% would like to see the use of sin-bins trialled.
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
3
METHODOLOGY
01
01 METHODOLOGY The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 takes forward the work done in 2006 and 2008 to consult the people who matter most for clubs - their fans. For the third time The League has engaged sports research specialists Sportswise as its survey partner. This means the methodology remains consistent, and the motive behind the project unchanged - to monitor and chart the relationship between Football League clubs and their supporters. The questions asked continue to build on those of the two previous surveys in order to help The League continue tracking opinion over time. There are also a number of new questions and topics to help us establish the most comprehensive picture of The Football League, its 72 member clubs and their supporters. The original survey in 2006 concentrated on The League itself (following the re-branding which had taken place shortly before), and the 2008 project looked in more detail at the clubs themselves. This time we have sought to find out more about different sections of the supporter base.The aim being to establish trends and patterns to help clubs more closely focus on how they can meet the diverse needs of the groups who make up their overall following. As in 2008, each club will also be given its own report detailing the views submitted by its own supporters, thus continuing the ‘Best Practice’ culture which has been developed in recent seasons
The groundwork for the Survey was done in two ‘workshop’ sessions, held in 2009. The first, with clubs, took place at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium, and the second, with fans, in London at The Football League Commercial Office. The workshops focused on the subjects the Survey should cover, how it would be used by clubs and how its results should be presented. The following club representatives and fans attended the workshops and The League is enormously grateful for their contribution: Clubs: Adam Pearson - Chairman of Football - Derby County (now Hull City)
Notes to reader:
Club Samples Championship
League 1
League 2
Barnsley
390
Brentford
306
Accrington Stanley
171
Blackpool
140
Brighton & Hove Albion
852
AFC Bournemouth
468
Bristol City
855
Bristol Rovers
518
Aldershot Town
176
Cardiff City
485
Carlisle United
397
Barnet
210
Coventry City
474
Charlton Athletic
1140
Bradford City
458
Crystal Palace
605
Colchester United
217
Burton Albion
150
Derby County
678
Exeter City
258
Bury
229
Doncaster Rovers
228
Gillingham
616
Cheltenham Town
255
Ipswich Town
462
Hartlepool United
112
Chesterfield
94
Leicester City
746
Huddersfield Town
1014
Crewe Alexandra
138
Middlesbrough
635
Leeds United
5312
Dagenham & Redbridge
131
Tom Glick - President & Chief Executive Officer - Derby County
Newcastle United
1060
Leyton Orient
426
Darlington
148
Anthony Emmerson - Head of Supporter Services - Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest
1410
Millwall
226
Grimsby Town
275
Peterbrough United
398
Milton Keynes Dons
361
Hereford United
396
Plymouth Argyle
509
Norwich City
689
Lincoln City
146
Preston North End
423
Oldham Athletic
311
Macclesfield Town
58
Queens Park Rangers
447
Southampton
1513
Morecambe
238
Reading
815
Southend United
160
Northampton Town
225
Scunthorpe United
277
Stockport County
277
Notts County
295
Sheffield United
1085
Swindon Town
377
Port Vale
259
Kevin Davies - Bristol City
Sheffield Wednesday
638
Tranmere Rovers
286
Rochdale
175
Kevin O’Brien - Crystal Palace
Swansea City
531
Walsall
169
Rotherham United
333
Watford
1198
Wycombe Wanderers
119
Shrewsbury Town
438
West Bromwich Albion
851
Yeovil Town
192
Torquay United
168
Total
5634
Tom Bettles - Customer Insight Executive - Leicester City Fleur Robinson - Club Secretary and Commercial Director - Burton Albion
Fans:
Ian Bamford - Sheffield Wednesday Tim Allman - Norwich City
Total
15340
Total
15848
Self-completion surveys are subject to selfselection, which means that some respondents’ views may not be fully reflected. This, in turn, may result in undervaluing certain sections of the supporter base. Data in this report has been weighted to reflect the relative size of each club’s supporter base. This is based upon average attendance at Football League matches in the 2009/10 season (up to December 2009). In addition, we have weighted the data to reflect the known basic demographic profile of Football League supporters (age and sex) based upon a survey of supporters registered on official club databases. Our sample profile of respondents can be found in the appendix of this document. Findings are reported as percentages or average ratings (either on a 10 point or 5 point scale). Where percentages do not add to 100%, this is due to the exclusion of ‘don’t know’ responses, rounding of figures, or ‘other’ responses that have not been presented. Sample sizes are indicated on every chart and table and will vary based upon question filtering. Statistically significant differences are common in a survey containing this volume of response. For this reason they are not highlighted in this document.
Brian Norris - Leyton Orient Jon Keen - Reading
Given the requirement to reach supporters from all 72 League clubs, an online approach was again deemed the best, if not the only, way to efficiently conduct this survey. This is an area in which The League is well equipped, with its new media arm, FL interactive, holding a database of 1.2m supporters’ e-mail addresses, all of whom had registered on their club’s official website. In total, around 314,522 invitations to take part were sent out by e-mail Supporters were also given the opportunity to partake, via homepage buttons and articles on The Football League and club websites that raised awareness and prompted participation in the survey across the entire fanbase. In total, 36,822 completed surveys were returned, a remarkable response from supporters. In an effort to share knowledge of Best Practice this report also highlights clubs that are setting the standard in certain fields and includes a closer look at a handful of these clubs. This exercise remains a genuine fan consultation about the current state of the game. On both previous occasions it has brought forward insight from supporters for the football authorities into what can be improved both on and off the field. Clubs and The League did much to implement suggestions from the 2006 and 2008 Surveys, and this information will again help The League to define its strategic direction going forward.
6
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
7
CLUB AND COUNTRY
02
02 CLUB AND COUNTRY Overview The overriding aim of The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 is to help clubs understand more about their supporters. Communicating with such a large sample of football fans from every level of The Football League allows us to answer some important questions about why they began following their club, why they do or don’t go to matches and what clubs can do to attract more fans. We also explored the area of pricing and whether fans considered Football League matches offer them value for money. The survey examines the relationship between clubs and their supporters, firstly, in terms of the importance of clubs’ contribution to their local community and, secondly, through the ways in which they communicate directly with their fanbase, be it through their own media channels or in response to supporter complaints. Finally, in World Cup year, we took the opportunity to find out more about the relationship between supporters of Football League clubs and the England team, how important is the National Team to them and how do they think they’ll get on in the forthcoming World Cup.
Supporter Involvement The 2010 survey is similar to its 2008 counterpart in having participants that show a range of different levels of involvement with the club they support. The most common respondents were season ticket holders (52%), followed by those who attend ten or more matches a season (20%) and occasional attendees who watch less than ten matches per season (21%). As in previous surveys, there is also a sizeable group (5%) who do not attend matches but still follow their team’s progress in other ways. There is also a marked difference in the make up of crowds at different clubs with clubs like Huddersfield Town, Bradford City and Port Vale which have slashed season ticket prices in recent seasons having noticeably higher numbers of respondents that attend all matches. Proof that their ambitious schemes have been successful in getting occasional attenders to make that extra commitment.
SUPPORTER INVOLVEMENT WITH CLUB Which of the following best describes your level of involvement with your club? 100% 90% 80%
1% 1% 5%
1% 1% 6%
1% 1% 5%
21%
22%
22%
20%
16%
52%
54%
All Fans
CC
1% 2% 4% 16%
70% 60%
27% 23%
50% 40% 30% 20%
48%
50%
LG1
LG2
10% 0%
Base: All suporters: All = 36,820, CC = 21,450, LG1 = 10,838, LG2 = 4,532
10
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
Not involved in anyway described
Occassional match attender (fewer than 10 matches a season)
Proffessional involvement with my club
Regular match attender (10 or more matches a season)
Non-attending supporter
Season ticket holder
The Football League Supporters Survey 2010
11
02 CLUB AND COUNTRY
CLUB AND COUNTRY 02
A Family Game Across the last decade, The Football League and its clubs have focussed on initiatives aimed at encouraging younger supporters to attend matches, and the results of the survey suggest that this is a sound approach. Although there are wide variations between clubs, generally speaking nearly two thirds (65%) of supporters were aged 11 or younger when they first attended a live match and it is clear that once allegiance to a team is established it is rarely broken. Barely one in ten supporters were 20 or older when they started following their team. Getting youngsters into grounds early would also seem to have long term benefits for clubs with 67% of current attenders having gone to one of their games before the age of 11 compared to just 46% of those who follow the club but don’t go to matches. In short, those who go to games as youngsters are more likely to continue going as adults.
A new question attempted to dig deeper into the importance of football in the lives of supporters, and found eight in ten considered the game played an important part in their family’s life - rising to nine in ten of those who attend matches with their family. Interestingly, the number of female supporters who strongly agreed with the statement “Football is an important part of my family’s life” was 53%, significantly higher than males among whom 36% strongly agreed.
ROLE OF FOOTBALL IN FAMILY LIFE Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the statement ‘Football is an important part of my Family’s life’
6%
10%
14%
AT WHAT AGE DID YOU FIRST WATCH A LIVE MATCH AT YOUR CLUB?
1% 2%
Football League Championship League 1 League 2 Male Female (n=36822) (n=21453) (n=10838) (n=4532) (n=28,353) (n=8649)
Under 5
10% 10% 9% 10% 10% 9%
5 to 11 yrs
55% 56% 54% 52% 59% 39%
12 to 20 yrs
24% 24% 23% 24% 22% 31%
20+ yrs
11% 10% 14% 14% 9% 21%
40% 49%
39%
Supporters were also asked to list the main reasons they began supporting their club, and geographical and parental influences were the two strongest motivating forces. Some 65% began because it was the local club, more so among fans of League 2 clubs, while 45% made their decision through parental influence. Again this suggests that attracting new supporters will help secure support from future generations to come.
39%
Why did you start supporting your team?
Football League (n=36822)
Season ticket holders (n=19014)
Regular attenders (n=7248)
Occasional Attenders (n=7875)
It’s my local club
65% 70% 67% 58% 44%
Parental influence
45% 49% 47% 39% 28%
The matchday experience
23% 25% 27% 20% 12%
Friends influence
19% 20% 20% 19% 16%
Family influence
19% 20% 20% 20% 12%
Moved to the local area
6% 6% 6% 7% 6%
Club’s on-pitch success
6%
Good stadium facilities
5% 5% 6% 4% 3%
5%
6%
6%
8%
Ticket promotion
4% (9%1) 5%
4%
3%
2%
Good value compared to other sports
4% (9%2) 4%
4%
2%
2%
Through my school
4% (8%3) 3%
4%
3%
3%
More free time My children influenced me
2% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% (7%4) 3%
2%
Outer Ring: All Football League Fans (n=36,820) Inner Ring: Fans that attend with their children (n=6,542)
Non-attenders (n=1967)
1%
2%
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Please tell us how much you agree with the statement “Football is an important part of my Family’s life”
Football League (n=36,820)
Season ticket holders (n=19,014)
Regular attenders (n=7,248)
Occasional attenders (n=7,875)
Non-attenders (n=1,967)
Male (n=28,351)
Female (n=8,469)
Strongly agree
40% 48% 38% 26% 21% 36% 53%
Agree
39% 38% 42% 42% 34% 40% 36%
Neither agree nor disagree 14% 10% 14% 21% 24% 16% 7%
A club Community project
2% 2% 2% 1% 1%
Disagree
6% 3% 5% 10% 14% 7% 2%
Other
7% 5% 6% 11% 20%
Strongly disagree
1% 1% 1% 2% 6% 1% 1%
1, 2, 3 Supporters aged
