Sports fans are positive about a return to stadia

The UK Prime Minister intends for fans to return to stadia from October 1. Hearing this instantly stirs memories of live sport attendance as it once was – the excitement, the unpredictability, the passion, the singing, the smell… even the away fans. But, this is swiftly overshadowed by a sense of realism, and with it, a host of questions, which Goodform duly posed to its Sports Fan Panel.

Do fans want to return? Who should return first? What will encourage them to purchase tickets? UK-based Goodform – a company that partners with sports organisations to help them understand, engage and grow their audience through the power of Data and Insight – asked their Sports Fan Panel these questions to help its partners and other sports rights holders begin to strategise for a return to stadia.

Many sports fans are ready to return to outdoor sports venues

The UK Government’s Stage Five: Return to Competition – Safe Return of Spectators, sets out how to begin opening-up sport’s closed doors. The piloting of spectators, although previously paused, resumed successfully with over 300 fans seated at the Crucible in Sheffield this weekend. Goodform’s latest Sports Fan Panel findings reveal that two thirds of fans across 50 different sports are happy to continue their return, albeit at outdoor sports venues. Therefore, it is paramount that sports and clubs understand how best to coordinate this – soon.

We posit that a one-size fits all model will not be successful, as fandom for every sport and club is diverse and unique. For example, fans are three times less likely to feel comfortable attending indoor sports venues, spotlighting stricter safety measures around entrances/ exits or transport options, as food for thought for indoor sports. However, communication is clearly key to easing these anxieties in the first place, and fan insights should be taken into account to inform this.

Goodform’s findings also highlight that readiness to return decreases amongst older fans, further evidencing the need for targeted return-to-stadia communications. Additional reassurances around safety protocols will be needed to lure older fans back, with clear messaging around alterations to stadium configurations and specific safety measures helping to achieve this in the long-term.

Demand may exceed supply, calling for the fan voice to be heard

If reports of 17% – 33% fan attendance are to become reality, then the demand of two thirds of fans will outweigh supply where there are a high number of season ticket holders and/or stadiums are routinely near to capacity. While supply exceeding demand is nothing new to sports and clubs, this is the first time that so many avid fans will be excluded from attendance. Therefore, who should be prioritised and how can rapport with fans be sustained?

Three quarters of the Sports Fan Panel agree that season ticket holders should get priority access to tickets. However, research shows that 75% of Premier League fans are season ticket holders – a percentile likely to be a lot greater than the proportion of fans permitted through stadium gates under Government guidelines.

Within fan-base analysis must therefore be conducted before clubs decide any processes around ticketing. Amplifying the fan voice and placing resultant insights at the heart of strategy, will make rapidly approaching tough decisions around ticketing, seating, safety measures, communications, etc., much more likely to be successful.

For example, how will fans be selected? Balloting, first-come first serve, fan loyalty measures? And how will those who are inevitability disappointed be communicated with, to manage this disappointment and maintain their loyalty in the long term? Rights holders will need to work in line with Government guidelines, but what fans want should also steer decisions over the next two months.

What DO fans want the most?

Club fandom and event goers often fit very different profiles, and for this reason, different strategy for generating ticketing revenue under the imposition of COVID-19 is required. For event organisers, the number one offering that needs to be in place is a guaranteed refund policy, with nearly the entire Sports Fan Panel agreeing that this tops their criteria for return. A refund policy is not previously something that any event organiser would have mentioned much, let alone shouted about – but selling tickets in this new normal is far from normal, so mention it we must.

There are hugely positive signs for event organisers. Given that fan re-attendance piloting is underway, 69% of sports fans are happy to buy event tickets in 2020. This is an exciting figure, as the next three years will go down in Britain’s major sporting event history, owed to the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021), the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the UEFA European Championships, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2022 and the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Like a guaranteed refund policy, social distancing guidelines, zoned and distanced seating and access to hand sanitiser would not have been a consideration this time last year. In a sporting world still rocked by COVID-19, these factors are now deemed essential to the majority of sports fans.

The sporting comeback has begun, and returning fans provides the special ingredient needed to make sport… well, sport. Listening to them ensures that this is done properly.

Source & imagery, courtesy: goodformgroup.co.uk

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The 2020 edition of ALSD International – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector, focused on increasing revenue via new builds, renovations, service expansions & technology – will be a hybrid affair, with the physical event, being hosted at the home of the newly crowned Premier League champions, Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium, October 12-13, to be virtualised to ensure no one misses out!

ALSD International 2020 – organised by the Association of Luxury Suite Directors and Sports Venue Business – will feature a high-level conference, an exhibition hall showcasing the latest products, services & solutions, behind-the-scenes tours of Anfield, Goodison Park and M&S Bank Arena, as well as numerous networking events, ensuring optimised opportunities to knowledge-share, network and do business, whether in person or virtually.

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