Docs and creator-led content essential for Gen-Z football fans

Footballco Insights has released a report focusing on the behaviours, motivations and barriers of Gen-Z football fans.

It reveals their focus isn’t on the 90 minutes on the pitch, but that the wider football narrative, and especially football documentaries, plays a key role in their enjoyment of the game.

The Footballco Future of Fandom Report surveyed 4,432 fans aged 16-65 across 11 markets, including UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, the US, Brazil, Japan, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Gen-Z fans (aged 16-24) made up 2,000 of the respondents.

According to the report, three-quarters of fans became fans before the age of 18, while 55 per cent of those who identify as ‘super fans’ started before the age of eleven.

Gen-Z’s motivations for engaging with football are driven by a mix of factors.

Andrew Baker, head of strategy at Footballco, says: “As shown by the interest in narrative-driven football documentaries, such as Welcome to Wrexham, the All or Nothing series, Sunderland Till I Die (pictured above), and disruptive creators and organisations such as The Sidemen, The Kings League, Hashtag United and others, Gen-Z are drawn to the stories around football more than any other demographic.

“While not to the same level, it is no coincidence that brands like WWE that place narrative at the centre of their sport are so popular with this age group. It also highlights the importance of creating fandom at an early age, even pre-teen.”

The Footballco research reveals that video games are a pastime for 75 per cent of Gen-Z football fans, with EAFC (previous FIFA) being the preferred video game for 65 per cent of fans surveyed, followed by the Call of Duty series (45 per cent).

The love of gaming is less a threat and more of an opportunity to football, according to the report. It actually played a significant role in the initial fandom of football for young fans, especially boys.

Of the Gen-Z male football fans taking part in the research, 29 per cent said playing football video games was responsible for making them fans, making it the fourth most important driver for this demographic - placing it below playing football, their friends and watching on TV/online.

The only market to place video games as the most dominant fandom driver for young fans was Saudi Arabia.

Accessing football content

The preferred platforms for Gen-Z fans to consume football content are creator-led, with YouTube and Instagram tied for first place (chosen as preferred platforms by 63 per cent), followed by TikTok (49 per cent) and Twitter/X (35 per cent).

Facebook and WhatsApp fell outside the top five and were less likely to be chosen by Gen-Z fans than those in other age groups.

Gen-Z’s preference for creator-led platforms mirrors their preference for football content that entertains them, rather than informs. When asked what type of football content is most important to them, entertainment was top with 83 per cent, followed by inspirational content with 78 per cent.

Baker said: “While young fans said entertainment was most important for them in their football content, when we looked at the qualitative research we saw that these same fans wanted a connection with the creator and to feel inspired. These fans are looking for more than silly memes.”

Teams or Players?

For 36 per cent of Gen-Z fans, their team or teams are more important than individual players, compared to 29 per cent who say the contrary. However, this doesn’t mean the importance of players as personalities isn’t hugely important for this demographic, as Gen-Z are more invested in players than any other age group.

Regions where player fandom is the strongest include the UAE (40 per cent choose players over teams), Saudi Arabia (38 per cent) and the USA (34 per cent). Fans in these three markets are also the most likely to say they would change team allegiance if their favourite player left.

When asked how they would feel about a brand if it were to sponsor their favourite player, 67 per cent of player-first supporters said they would feel positive about the brand, compared to 47 per cent of team-first fans.

When choosing the players to follow, fans are attracted to their footballing ability, with it being the most desired characteristic by 78 per cent of fans. However, having a strong work ethic, good moral values and being an authentic/genuine person all rank joint second with 73 per cent of the vote.

These four characteristics are cited as the most important by all age groups across all markets and fan types.

The Footballco Future of Fandom Report is available to download now from the Footballco website.