Women’s sport is blazing hot – a huge market for sponsors. The 2023 Women’s World Cup set attendance records for FIFA, with nearly two million fans in the stadiums and two billion watching around the world. Australia’s own Matildas, have kicked aside records in attendance, broadcast audience, and merchandise sales. In Stadium Australia, 75,784 fans saw the Matildas win their opener over the Republic of Ireland, a record home crowd. Broadcast numbers have been record-breaking too, with 5.32 million watching their victory over Canada, making it the most watched program in 2023for the Seven network. And Matildas’ jerseys for this world cup – they’re out of there – outselling by two to one the Socceroos’ jersey for the FIFA Men’sWorld Cup.
The women’s sport market is growing fast, with Deloitte predicting that the "women’s sports industry will generate more than US$1 billion in revenue in the years ahead, while other studies claim women’s sports are a better long-term bet than their male equivalents.”
This growing market may point to the future of traditional sports because of the way its fans engage with their favourite sports and players.
Characteristics of Fans
The audience for women’s sport is estimated to be 55 percent female and 45 percent male. These fans spend more than other sports fans and are more loyal to brands that support their favourite teams and players. In fact, companies like DoorDash, Nike, and State Farm who sponsor both men’s and women’s sport have seen the rate of purchase from sports marketing is 30 percent higher for fans of women’s sport. This audience also spends more money on streaming subscriptions.
According to Future Vision and The Fan Project Report, other characteristics of this fan base include:
- Skewing younger
- Using digital platforms to watch games, buy merchandise, and connect with favourite players
- Using second screen devices (SSD)
- Moving collectively on social issues they care about, like sustainability and equity in sport
- Wanting to watch games together.
Reaching Fans via Digital Engagement
What may distinguish these fans the most is their embrace of the digital world and comfort in it. Sport franchises can reach this audience and engage them with a digital platform. A smartphone app, for example, customised with their branding (referred to as white labelling),works as an SSD for these digitally savvy fans. It serves as a one-stop hub of information and interaction that also promotes and sells the team’s products.
A digital platform can build fan connection and loyalty by providing content all the time, not just on Game Day. The kind of content that engages these fans includes:
- Promotions of the upcoming game and where/how to watch it
- Player profiles, statistics, team standings, and information about the sport
- Stories of players as real people that show their personalities, not just their skills
- Personal stories from players, coaches, and fans, using behind-the-scenes or Q&A formats
- The team’s or players’ initiatives that align with the social values of the audience
- A variety of shorter-form and longer-form content
- Game Day elements such as fantasy contests, interactive games, predictors, quizzes, giveaways, and trivia
- Game highlights
- Opportunities to buy team products, such as tickets, membership, merchandise, and digital collectibles
- Opportunities for fans to connect with each other.
Harnessing digital fan engagement is undeniably the pathway to reaching fans of women’s sport – and sports fans in general as well. By partnering with a platform like Tiparra and launching a bespoke team app, sports franchises can effectively meet the demands of their audiences, while simultaneously expanding their fan base.
