Researchers from the University of Debrecen found out why otherwise potential spectators do not go to NB I football matches. The results of a recently published study show that more than 40 percent of respondents have never been to a football match.
The business success of a sports club is greatly influenced by the number of people visiting matches, as spectators not only buy tickets or passes but also generate income through the buffet and other services. Moreover, the value of the advertisements placed in the stadium is adjusted to the number of players, and the television broadcasts also depend on the on-site viewership. Therefore, it is in the interest of every sports club to attract as many spectators as possible to its matches.
– After the change of regime, the number of viewers continuously decreased in Hungary. While in the 1980s the average number of spectators at a NB I football match exceeded 7,500, by the beginning of the 2000s this had dropped below 3,400. Neither the modernization of outdated stadiums nor the Hungarian Football Association’s strategy to increase spectator numbers significantly changed the data. That’s why we were curious about what keeps potential spectators away from attending matches – informed Éva Bácsné Bács.
The director of the Institute of Sports Economics and Management of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Debrecen, together with assistant professor Renátó Balogh, began to deal with the question four years ago of the reasons behind the decision of those who have stayed away from matches. The survey was carried out in cities where clubs competing in the first division of the Hungarian football championship (NB I) operate.
– We shared our questionnaire on the closed social media pages and groups of the cities hosting the NB I men’s football team. More than a thousand people filled it out, and it turned out that 40 percent of the respondents had never been to a Hungarian football match in their lives, and one-third of them last visited a Hungarian team match more than ten years ago, explained Renátó Balogh. He added: the main reason for their absence is not what public opinion believes, i.e. the quality of the game.
The results of Ms. Földesiné’s research before the regime change were also confirmed by the current investigation by the two economists, that is, the parental pattern and the lack of fan commitment across generations is one of the reasons for the low interest. But not the most important thing.
– Among those who have never been to a football match, most of them justified their absence by saying that they spend their free time with someone else, prefer to choose other leisure activities, or that they cannot identify with the team. But the fact that a significant part of the respondents are not sports fans, or they cannot go to a match with anyone, because they do not have a family member, friend, or acquaintance who regularly attends, also plays a role, explained the assistant professor.
The results, therefore, show that the success of the clubs and the quality of the game are not enough for more people to become fans. Football clubs have to build a community, which should start by addressing the children. Based on international best practices, the researchers also propose to the clubs and the municipalities of the respective cities how to create or strengthen the passive sports consumption culture and the local embedding of the teams.
(unideb.hu)
