Survey: Accessibility could boost women’s football viewing
April 22, 2021
A survey of more than 5,000 football fans, to understand their viewing habits and interest levels when it comes to women’s professional league football, carried out by sports footwear specialist RunRepeat, suggests that if it is easily accessible on TV, the viewership could increase by 300 per cent-350 per cent.
Interestingly, male football fans are more interested than female fans in women’s football in the UK. This doesn’t hold true for the US and the EU. In the US, the viewership is equally divided, and in the EU, female fans are more likely to watch women’s football than male ones.
Male football fans contribute 61.9 per cent of total numbers in the UK, but 46.5 per cent in the EU. Looking at both genders separately, 9.6 per cent of UK male fans and 5.9 per cent of female football fans watch women’s league football. In the EU, 6.1 per cent of male fans and 7 per cent of female fans said that they watch women’s football leagues. In the US, this figure is 6.4 per cent for both male and female fans.
Overall, only 7.7 per cent of UK football fans, 6.56 per cent of EU fans, and 6.4 per cent of US football fans watch women’s football leagues.
As per the survey, 30.70 per cent of UK football fans said that they would watch women’s leagues if they are live on TV. 30.07 per cent of EU fans and 29.4 per cent of US football fans answered the same.
Once again, the gender divide is visible in the UK, but not in the US; 34.4 per cent of UK male football fans are ready to watch women’s leagues, but only 27.10 per cent of female fans show interest in watching women’s leagues in future. In the US, 29.60 per cent of male football fans and 29.10 per cent of female fans are interested in watching women’s football in the future.
In the EU, 29.60 per cent of male fans and 29.10 per cent female fans are interested in watching women’s leagues if they are on TV.
Considering the survey numbers, women’s league football should witness a 296.70 per cent increase in the UK if it’s on TV. In the EU, the increase could be as high as 358.70 per cent, and in the US, 304.6 per cent.
Looking at gender-specific numbers, the lowest increase is expected among UK male fans at 258 per cent. This is down to the fact that a higher percentage of this demographic is already watch women’s leagues.
The numbers suggest that the highest increase should take place among EU male fans at 398 per cent.