Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Impact of COVID-19 on professional football
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- Figure 1: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on professional football, 6 April 2020
- The market
- COVID crash ends golden era of growth
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- Figure 2: Forecast of English professional football* club revenues, 2015/16-2025/26
- Premier League sustains commercial appeal
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- Figure 3: Premier League revenues, by segment, 2015/16-2019/20
- Free access draws record crowds
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- Figure 4: Television audiences for selected Premier League matches played during COVID-19 restrictions, 2020 and 2021
- Companies and brands
- Top flight in a league of its own
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- Figure 5: English professional football club revenues, by division, 2018-19
- Shared screens save social experiences
- The consumer
- Stadiums well set for social leisure boom
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- Figure 6: Higher priorities since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 4-12 February 2021
- Pandemic profile keeps football top of the table
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- Figure 7: Sports followed, February 2021
- Football writing still in the game
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- Figure 8: Methods of following football, February 2021
- Amazon achieves impressive early results
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- Figure 9: Broadcast channels used to watch live football, February 2021
- Strategic sharing needed to reach social media’s silent majority
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- Figure 10: Football follower typologies, February 2021
- Fans looking forward to summer of sport
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- Figure 11: Major sports event viewing intentions, February 2021
- Mostly home games for EURO 2020
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- Figure 12: EURO 2020 viewing intentions, February 2021
Issues and Insights
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- £2bn down – but football still sports market’s COVID winner
- High visibility proves a lifesaver
- Summer of broadcast sport advertises autumn attendance
- Has the pandemic taken media interest into extra time?
- Reading and listening shoot past the post
- Social media a signpost, not just a destination
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- Golden age of growth ends in COVID crash
- Cost of pandemic heads for £2bn
- Commercial appeal looks resilient
- Free access draws record TV crowds
- Women’s game earns higher profile
Market Size and Forecast
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- COVID curtails golden era of growth
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- Figure 13: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on professional football, 6 April 2021
- Broadcast boom starting to soften
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- Figure 14: English professional football* club revenues, 2015/16-2019/20
- COVID closures end five-year run of attendance growth
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- Figure 15: Premier League and EFL attendances, by division, 2015/16-2019/20
- A rapid rebound but slower growth to follow
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- Figure 16: Forecast of English professional football* club revenues, 2015/16-2025/26
- Market drivers and assumptions
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- Figure 17: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast (prepared on 6 April 2021), 2015-25
- Learnings from the last recession
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- Figure 18: English professional football* club revenues, 2007/08-2011/12
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Break in play cuts key revenue streams
- Broadcast income hit by deferments and rebates
- Matchday spending slashed as stadiums shut
- Commercial appeal stays strong
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- Figure 19: Premier League revenues, by segment, 2015/16-2019/20
Market Drivers
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- Free screenings set new viewing records
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- Figure 20: Television audiences for selected Premier League matches played during COVID-19 restrictions, 2020 and 2021
- Investment in stadiums can drive long-term COVID comeback
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- Figure 21: Capital investment by English professional football clubs, by division, 2014/15-2018/19
- Football and technology: accelerating demand but slowing supply
- Women’s game brings new fans, attitudes and opportunities
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- Figure 22: Women’s sports watched, July 2019
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Top-flight value overshadows lower leagues’ growth
- Virtual tickets generate real revenue
- Shared screens save social experiences
- Strong Euro performance pushes up pounds
Market Share
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- Lower league clubs at greatest COVID risk
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- Figure 23: English professional football club revenues, by division, 2018-19
- The best of the best are the richest of the rich
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- Figure 24: Premier League clubs’ average revenues, by participation in UEFA competition, 2018-19
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Fans club together for virtual tickets
- You’ll never watch alone
- Reality of 5G offers augmented experiences for fans
- Clubs get into the gaming game
Leading Clubs
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- Top six gets more competitive
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- Figure 25: Leading Premier League club revenues, by segment, 2018-19
- Desperate times spark calls for radical measures
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Demand for social experiences plays to football’s strengths
- Pandemic profile maintains sports market dominance
- Television a lifeline while stadiums stay shut
- Core fans and customers navigate to Amazon
- Strategic sharing needed to reach social media’s silent majority
- Financial pressures give EURO 2020 home advantage
Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour
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- Close season could help open more cautious eyes
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- Figure 26: Football fans’ willingness to return to sports stadiums, August 2020
- Stadiums at home to friends reunited
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- Figure 27: Higher priorities since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 4-12 February 2021
Football Fans
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- Getting back on the pitch keeps football ahead of the game
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- Figure 28: Sports followed, February 2021
- Younger market needs careful management
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- Figure 29: Football followers, by generation, February 2021
Following Football
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- COVID breaks the attendance habit
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- Figure 30: Methods of following football, February 2021
- Social listening pushes players’ podcast opportunity
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- Figure 31: Methods of following football, by social-media activity, February 2021
Watching Football
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- Core fans flood over to Amazon
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- Figure 32: Broadcast channels used to watch live football, February 2021
- YouTube crashes broadcasters’ highlights party
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- Figure 33: Broadcast channels used to watch non-live football video/programming, February 2021
- TV still the biggest and the best
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- Figure 34: Devices used to watch broadcast coverage of football, February 2021
Football and Social Media
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- Seen but not shared?
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- Figure 35: Football follower typologies, February 2021
- Instagram for players, Facebook for teams
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- Figure 36: Social-media channels used to follow football, February 2021
Watching EURO 2020
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- Fans ready to welcome back sport’s biggest occasions
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- Figure 37: Major sports event viewing intentions, February 2021
- Stay home, watch the EUROs, save money
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- Figure 38: EURO 2020 viewing intentions, February 2021
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 39: Forecast of English professional football* club revenues, 2020/21-2025/26
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