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Comprehensive Study Provides Eye-Opening Insights into Female Interest in Soccer in the U.S.

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The Female Passion Report: A Deep Dive Into Female Interest and Engagement in Soccer in the U.S. shows that female soccer fans have an almost equal interest in the men’s and women’s game

Chicago, IL – Nov. 18, 2019 (PRNewswire) Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing, the leading soccer-specific brand marketing agency, today released proprietary findings on female interest and engagement in soccer in the United States. Insights provide brand marketers with a greater appreciation for soccer’s unique connection to the female consumer.

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Among its many findings, the Female Passion Report revealed that:

  • 28 percent of female soccer fans prefer the women’s game over the men’s game, while 26 percent prefer the men’s game
  • Female soccer fans watch 4.1 games on average a week
  • 40 percent of female soccer fans have become interested in the game in the last five years. The equivalent statistic for male interest is 24 percent
    Women tend to find their soccer passion later in life with 38 percent indicating they became a fan after the age of 18
  • Females fans regularly follow or have interest in more than four clubs
  • 61 percent are more interested in women’s soccer as a result of 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup
  • 75 percent believe female soccer players should be paid the same as male players

The report is based on findings from the seventh annual study conducted by the agency in an annual exploration of soccer fandom in United States. The online survey hosted by Qualtrics included general market and Hispanic consumers aged 13 and older who indicate at least a casual interest in soccer. The study took place during a one-week window in August 2019 with a nationwide sample size of 1,650 respondents.

Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing President John Guppy believes the attention garnered this summer by the U.S. Women’s National Team has helped put the female sports fan firmly in the spotlight.

“Female interest in soccer has historically indexed higher than most of the other major sports. Our hope is the findings of this study further help brands develop a deeper comprehension for the special connection soccer has with the female consumer,” said Guppy.

Access to an expanded set of survey insights including analysis of the following is available at www.giltedgesoccer.com/female-passion-report.

  • Female fan demographics
  • What women think about men’s soccer compared to women’s game
  • Factors that influence female interest in soccer
  • Interest in major professional men’s leagues
  • How women self-categorize their interest in soccer
  • Perspectives on the U.S. Women’s & Men’s National Teams
  • The legacy impact of the FIFA Women’s World Cup

About Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing

Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing is the leading soccer-specific marketing agency purposefully built to help brands understand and connect with American soccer consumers. For more than 10 years, GESM has provided over 50 clients with consumer insights, strategic guidance, experiential and promotional resource and digital marketing expertise. For more information please visit www.giltedgesoccer.com and follow @SoccerMarketing on Twitter.

Media Contact:

Michael Koeshartanto
229171@email4pr.com
(312) 600-9710

Skipping Work, Shelling Out Big Bucks, Stalking Talent and More: Fan Experience Index™ Shows Just How Obsessed Americans Have Become with Live Events

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New report commissioned by FanDragon Technologies shows what fans are willing to pay — professionally, personally and financially — and the risks they’re willing to take to remain active on the live event circuit

Fans are increasingly concerned about ticket fraud, with 61 percent favoring government regulation

Los Angeles, CA – Oct. 23, 2019 (PRNewswire) Even as new forms of digital entertainment compete for audiences’ attention, attending live events continues to be the pinnacle experience for most Americans. This year, nearly every American (99 percent) will attend at least one live, shared, or experiential event, and over half (52 percent) will attend up to 10 such events, including concerts, festivals, sports, theater performances and more.

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That’s according to the Fan Experience Index™, a study commissioned by FanDragon Technologies, the leading innovator in blockchain-powered SaaS ticket delivery solutions, The Fan Experience Index™ surveyed 1,200 U.S. adults (age 18+) to better understand how event costs, engagement and ticketing processes impact the overall audience experience.

Overall, the report shows that Americans love attending live events and see them as a crucial part of their social life. In fact, they are more willing to spend money on attending a live event versus jet setting on a vacation (74 percent), have taken time off from work or lied about being sick to attend or “recover” from a live event (67 percent), and use live events to hook up or make new connections (46 percent). Additionally, the report uncovers how far fans will go to “cheat the system” to stay connected to live events, and exposes consumers’ fears of ticketing fraud and demand for greater government regulation.

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“The Fan Experience Index packed a bunch of surprises. Yes, the magic of live events is real. But it’s a delicate balance of many elements — talent, venues, technology and fans — all coming together for a memorable experience. If any element is out of balance, the magic can be lost — replaced with disappointment and lost revenue,” said FanDragon Technologies’ founding CEO Robert Weiss. “The Index discovered that while audiences are dedicated to live events — venues, teams and artists must reimagine how they engage with fans. To encourage greater loyalty, they must protect fans from a host of issues negatively impacting their experience.”

Beyond the social importance of live events, the report revealed:

  • Americans shell out enormous sums of cash for their favorite experience. Three in four Americans (72 percent) are willing to spend between $51 to $500 on a single live event ticket, and nearly one in six (12 percent) spend up to $1,000. It’s clear that fans are willing to shell out big bucks to attend live events they feel emotionally connected to; however, they hate being price gouged on venue-related costs. Fans say their biggest live event spend frustrations include the cost of food and beverage at the venue (31 percent), hidden ticketing fees (24 percent) and cost of parking (24 percent).
  • Fans are demanding government regulation to stop ticket fraud and scalping. Ticket fraud and more high-tech forms of scalping are becoming more common and worrisome to fans. Nearly one in six (14 percent) say they’ve purchased a fake ticket to a live event, and of those, over half (58 percent) say they missed the event because their ticket was fake. In fact, fans favor government regulation to address the issue (61 percent), saying they wish the government would do more to regulate event ticketing and protect them from scalping or ticketing fraud. The idea of falling victim to ticketing fraud is also influencing fans’ purchasing behaviors with two in three (68 percent) willing to pay extra to guarantee their ticket isn’t fake and three in five (59 percent) saying they prefer to purchase tickets directly from a primary ticket site to ensure they’re buying an authentic ticket.
  • If the price is not right, fans will cheat the system to see their favorite talent. Even if fans can’t afford to attend a live event, it won’t stop them from “cheating the system” to avoid live event FOMO. Fans admit that if they can’t afford to buy a ticket, they’ve tried sneaking into the event (23 percent), re-using another ticket (21 percent), screenshotting another ticket (19 percent) or bribing event staff to let them in (18 percent). This type of behavior not only underscores fans’ devotion to live events, but also shows that venues are losing out on revenue due to lax ticketing and crowd control procedures.
  • Mobile devices are supercharging event engagement and promiscuous behavior. Two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans currently have an app downloaded on their phone for purchasing and storing event tickets. Perhaps unsurprisingly, mobile-first Millennials are leading the mobile evolution of live events with three in four (78 percent) using mobile pay at an event and four in five (84 percent) using their phone to access their ticket (84 percent). Even those who don’t have a dedicated app still rely on their phone to get into events, as more than half (52 percent) say they prefer to use digital tickets, including 43 percent of Baby Boomers who are becoming more technologically-dependent event goers. While most fans are using mobile devices to make purchases and store tickets, fans are also supercharging their love life at live events with nearly half of all fans (46 percent) admitting they’ve used their device to find a hookup or make new connections.
  • Fans will resort to stalking if they’re aren’t noticed. Today’s fans are engaging in extreme behavior to get attention from the artists and talent they idolize with nearly one in four admitting they’ve stalked the talent (23 percent) and thrown intimate apparel on a stage or field to get noticed (24 percent). With half (50 percent) admitting they’ve done something to try and get the attention of an artist or player during an event — including more innocent acts such as shouting at and professing their love for the talent (56 percent) and splurging on backstage passes for in-person meetings (47 percent) — it’s clear that today’s fans need personalized engagement options to satisfy the connections they crave.
  • Live events are the gift that literally keep on giving (and being gifted). Take note for the holidays — the experience of a live event is something that most people want others to experience as well. In fact, nearly three in four (69 percent) say they’ve gifted someone with a live event ticket, and half (52 percent) say they plan to give someone a ticket to a live event this holiday season.

“The ticketing ecosystem is clearly in need of fixing. Fans are demanding a government solution to fix the problems, but I feel very strongly that technology is a huge part of the solution. FanDragon is looking forward to drilling down even deeper on these critical issues in future Fan Experience Index studies,” said FanDragon Technologies’ founding CEO Robert Weiss.

For more information on the Fan Experience Index™, please visit: www.FanExperienceIndex.com

About FanDragon Technologies
Your Tickets, Your Rules, Our Tools. FanDragon Technologies is reimagining the global ticket distribution business with a revolutionary SaaS platform that brings control and transparency back to ticket rightsholders. Leveraging open blockchain technology, FanDragon Technologies’ unique mobile ticket delivery system relieves the most frustrating and costly burdens faced by venues, promoters, musicians, sports teams, and most importantly — the fans. With offices in Los Angeles, New York and London, FanDragon Technologies is led by industry experts with decades of first-hand experience in global-scale ticketing. For more information, visit FanDragon.com.

Press Contact
Lori Niquette, FanDragon Technologies, Inc.
press@fandragon.com