The Fans Perspective: Summary findings of independent research on the views and experiences of soccer fans in NI
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The Fans Perspective:
Summary findings of independent research
on the views and experiences of soccer
fans in NI
Table of contents
Chapter Page
Introduction 1
1 Soccer Fan Research: Design and Methodology 2
2 Key Findings 6
3 Armchair Fan Survey 11
4 Regular Fan Survey: Attendance Levels at Matches 17
5 Regular Fan Survey: Views and Experiences of Regular fans 19
6 Comparative Analysis 22
7 Executive Summary 25
References 28
Appendices 29INTRODUCTION
General
This report summarises the findings from two independent pieces of research
carried out during the winter 2003 to spring 2004 relating to the views and
experiences of soccer fans in Northern Ireland (NI). The research was
commissioned by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in the
context of the finance that it is making available for the Soccer Strategy
initiative. It builds upon a preliminary survey conducted in 2001 entitled
“Views of the Stakeholders”. However, unlike the previous “Views of the
Stakeholders” report, this research seeks to establish the actual level of
interest in soccer amongst the Northern Ireland population, as a whole (i.e.
the proportion of fans), the numbers of fans attending local games (i.e.
‘regular fans’) why some fans do not attend local games (i.e. ‘armchair fans’),
the gender/community background of armchair and regular fans, their views
on a range of issues etc.
The full detailed results of this fans research are set out in two separate
reports: one entitled “Soccer Interest in Northern Ireland” and the other
entitled “Research into Attendance at Northern Ireland Soccer Matches”. The
purpose of the two reports is to provide Soccer’s key stakeholders with
reliable data on the main issues affecting fans in NI and which warrant
attention if the sport wishes to both encourage more people to come to local
matches in the future and to effectively address the aspirations of those
currently attending.
-1-CHAPTER 1 – SOCCER FAN RESEARCH: DESIGN AND
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The soccer fan research was designed so that an objective and reliable
determination could be made of both the level of actual interest in soccer
(whether local or otherwise) across Northern Ireland’s population (the
armchair fan study), and the actual numbers of people attending local
matches (the regular fan study).
The first piece of research the armchair fan study involved three key
stages: a survey of the general population to determine their level of interest
in soccer, followed by the identification of armchair fans and thirdly a survey
of gender, community background and opinions of armchair fans1.
The second study, the regular fan study, had two key tasks attached to it:
a count of those attending soccer matches and a sample survey of the gender
and community background of regular fans and their views and experiences
of soccer in NI. The regular fan survey was conducted at First division,
Premier division, Derry City, cup competitions2 and international matches.
1
Armchair fans defined as those interested in soccer but who do not regularly attend Irish
league and/or international matches
2
For ease of reference First division, Premiere division, and cup matches are hereafter
referred to as IFL matches or, where relevant Derry City matches.
-2-Engagement of Independent Researchers
In order to ensure the objectivity of the research, DCAL engaged two
professional independent research companies as follows:
Pricewaterhousecoopers (PWC) were engaged to conduct the
armchair fan study
Research and Evaluation Services (RES) were engaged to conduct the
regular fan study including crowd counts at IFL, Derry City and
International matches.
These independent researchers reported directly to a steering group for the
project. Membership of the steering group included representatives of DCAL,
the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI), the Irish Football Association
(IFA), the Irish Football League (IFL), the NI Amalgamation of Official
Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs and other supporter representatives. 3
Armchair Fan Survey
The first survey, the Armchair Fan Survey, was designed to:
Determine the level of interest in soccer amongst the general
population,
Identify armchair fans,
Determine the level and extent of support for soccer amongst armchair
fans.
Describe the characteristics in terms of community background,
gender etc of armchair fans
3
Any further reference to armchair fans in this report is taken from the PWC (2004) report,
Soccer Interest in Northern Ireland: Final Report. Any other data has been taken from the
2004 RES report, Research into Attendance at NI Soccer Matches.
-3-The armchair fan survey methodology consisted of a survey of 1,101
households in 55 wards across all 26 District Council areas in Northern
Ireland. The sample was representative of the NI population as determined in
the 2001 Census with regard to age, socio-economic group and community
background. As previous research on soccer fans (PWC, 2001) had identified
more males as being interested in soccer, the gender quota was skewed
towards males to allow sufficient numbers of armchair fans to be interviewed.
In addition it sought the views of armchair fans on a range of issues such as:
Reasons for non-attendance at local games, and
Factors that would encourage attendance.
Regular fan survey
The second survey, the Regular Fan Survey, was designed to:
Determine the actual level of attendance at soccer matches in NI
Describe the characteristics in terms of community background,
gender etc of regular fans
In addition it sought the views of regular fans on a range of issues such as:
Facilities at grounds,
Experiences of anti-social behaviour at matches, and
Standard of play, refereeing, admission fees etc.
The regular fan survey consisted of three separate phases with a total of
2,000 telephone surveys undertaken. In the first phase 1,719 interviews were
completed with fans attending Irish League matches/cup matches. The
second phase entailed interviews with 227 fans attending a Northern Ireland
International match and finally the third phase involved interviews with 54 with
fans attending a Derry City match.
-4-In order to obtain the telephone numbers of fans, researchers attended
matches in the Irish League throughout December, January, February, April
and May (2003-2004 season). Whilst there, they interviewed fans attending
the game and asked if they would be willing to participate in a telephone
survey to be completed at a later date. In total 49 matches were attended. A
full list of the matches attended is provided in Appendix 1.
At each match the team of researchers were also responsible for undertaking
a count of the crowd. The full results of this count are presented in Appendix
1.
Piloting of questionnaires and comparative analysis
Both questionnaires were piloted to ensure suitability in terms of both content
and time taken to complete.
Using information from previous research, a comparative analysis on the data
was also conducted to assess similarities and differences between soccer,
other sports and other jurisdictions where appropriate. This is presented in
chapter 6 of this report.
Scoping Exercise on fan surveys elsewhere in UK
In addition to engaging consultants, a general scoping exercise was carried
out by DCAL and involved a literature review on fan-based surveys. This
scoping exercise revealed that elsewhere in the UK fan based surveys had
occurred in other sports and at various levels in league soccer. Using this as
a starting point, the two research companies in conjunction with the Steering
Group designed two survey methodologies and two questionnaires, one for
armchair fans and one for regular fans.
-5-CHAPTER 2 –KEY FINDINGS
Level of interest in soccer in Northern Ireland
The fan survey as a whole has established that interest in soccer in NI is high.
The survey of the general population found that 38% were interested in
soccer. Significantly, though, the survey found that only 3% regularly
attended local or international matches (i.e. could be categorised as ‘regular
fans’). The remaining 35% of the population were armchair fans.
Dedication to soccer
The research clearly indicates that a large number of fans (both armchair and
regular) spend considerable time and resources following soccer, providing
evidence of strong commitment to the sport.
Just over a third of armchair fans (36%) and almost two thirds of IFL fans
(65%) spent at least 6 hours a week following soccer. ‘Following soccer’ was
defined as including all time spent watching on TV, listening or reading about
soccer (including time spent on internet chat-rooms, soccer websites etc).
However, it excluded time spent playing soccer, attending live matches, or
being involved in soccer clubs. It was common amongst soccer fans to
support more then one team (typically an English and/or Scottish team), and
alongside their following of local soccer, this contributed to a significant
amount of their leisure time.
For those who regularly attended IFL matches, many had been doing so for
more than a decade (65%). Almost two-thirds of fans (64%) attended all their
club’s home matches and 33% all away matches.
-6-Fans also spent time attending matches in the English premiership, with 31%
of IFL fans and 28% of armchair fans doing so at least a few times a year.
Whilst 21% of IFL fans and 49% of armchair fans attended matches in the
Scottish league.
Community background and gender characteristics of fans
The community background and gender characteristics of armchair fans was
notably different from that of regular fans. Whilst 38% of armchair fans were
from the Catholic community, only 17% of regular IFL fans and 6% of regular
International fans described themselves as being from the Catholic
community. In terms of Derry City, the overwhelming majority of fans were
from the Catholic community, although due to the small number of fans
interviewed from Derry City (n=54) caution should be exercised when
interpreting results from this section of respondents (see figures a1 and a2 in
appendix 2).
Furthermore, in terms of gender, the research found that 17% of armchair
fans are female, more than twice the level of female fans at IFL matches (7%)
and considerably more than that at both International and Derry City matches
(both 4%).
International matches
The research further found that 67% of armchair fans and 41% of regular fans
never attended an international match.
Both armchair fans and IFL fans had a range of reasons as to why they did
not attend International matches more often. As illustrated in Figure 1 below,
these included issues surrounding the quality of soccer being played, the
facilities at Windsor Park and concerns about anti-social behaviour (including
perceived hooliganism and sectarianism).
-7-Fans from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds, both armchair and regular,
were likely to be discouraged from attending for different reasons. For
instance amongst armchair fans, the standard of play (15%) and recent
results (23%) were more important factors for Protestants, while Catholics
were less likely to be interested (24%) or support (26%) the Northern Ireland
team. In addition, a larger proportion of Catholics (27%) cited
bigotry/sectarianism as an important factor in their non-attendance.
Figure 1 Reasons for non attendance at International matches
The timing of matches doesn’t suit me 14
9
None of my friends/family go to matches 2
9
It’s not family friendly/child friendly 1
10
I don’t like the facilities 3
12
I don't like location of the ground 6
I don’t like offensive language 1
6
I don’t feel safe at Windsor Park 4
6
I don’t like hooliganism 1
6
I don’t like bigotry/sectarianism 15
19
I don’t support the NI team 7
16
I’m not interested in international football 11
22
Recent match results 17
I don’t like the standard of play 33
27
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
percentage of respondents
Armchair fans (n=440) IFL Fans (n=696)
-8-Experience of anti-social behaviour at IFL and international matches
As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 below, there is evidence of respondents
having experienced a range of different types of anti-social behaviour whilst
attending Irish League and International matches.
Results indicate that whilst only 26% of respondents had experienced
hooliganism at Northern Ireland International matches, over half of IFL fans
(54%) had experienced some degree of hooliganism at matches. There was
also evidence of fans at International and IFL matches experiencing
sectarianism (46% international fans, 67% of IFL fans) and racism (15%
international fans, 24% of IFL fans). The vast majority of both sets of fans
heard offensive language at matches.
Figure 2 Experience of anti-social behaviour at IFL
matches
5
offensive 12
language 25
58
76
racism 18
5
2
34
sectarianism 37
21
9
46
hooliganism 34
16
3
0 20 40 60 80 100
percentage of IFL fans
A lot Some A little Not at all
-9-Figure 3 Experience of anti-social behaviour at
International Matches
10
offensive 22
language 25
43
85
12
racism 2
1
54
31
sectarianism 12
4
74
16
hooliganism 8
2
0 20 40 60 80 100
percentage of International fans
A lot Some A little Not at all
- 10 -CHAPTER 3 – THE ARMCHAIR FAN SURVEY
As detailed in the previous chapter the research found that 38% of the
general population were soccer fans. However 93% of these fans (35% of the
general population) did not attend local or International soccer matches on a
regular basis. In order to determine the reasons for irregular or non-
attendance at matches armchair fans were asked a series of questions
relating to attendance including factors which would encourage them to
attend more often.
Factors discouraging attendance by armchair fans
The main reason given for not attending IFL matches more often was a lack
of interest in IFL soccer (see Appendix 2, figure a3). Those that gave this
reason are more likely to be the younger fans aged under 30 (42%-44%),
females (63%) and those from a Catholic background (46%).
Another important reason for not attending more often was the standard of
play. Competition from soccer on television, work and family commitments
also affected instance of attendance.
Interestingly, 10% mentioned that they did not go more often because their
friends and family were not interested and 7% considered the experience not
to be family friendly.
One in ten (11%) cited sectarianism as their reason for not going more often
and this view was slightly more prevalent among those from a Catholic
community background (15%).
- 11 -In addition over two thirds of armchair supporters who had been to an IFL
match in the last two years consider that there was a least some hooliganism
and sectarianism at matches. Experience of racism appears to be less
prevalent although only one of our respondents was from an ethnic minority.
Almost half (43%) considered that there was ‘a lot’ of offensive language at
IFL matches.
Factors that would encourage attendance by armchair fans
Improving the standard of play was viewed as the major factor in encouraging
increased attendance (see Figure 4 below). This was followed by ‘better
promotion of IFL soccer’, making it more family friendly and reducing the
amount of hooliganism and sectarianism. Of less concern was the standard of
refereeing and match times.
Nearly a fifth (17%) of armchair fans reported that they would not attend an
IFL match under any circumstance.
- 12 -Figure 4: Factors that would encourage attendance at IFL matches
Fans who thought it “very important” to…
%4
Armchair fans
(n=364)
Improve facilities generally 40
Improve the seating facilities 35
Improve the toilet facilities 41
Improve the catering facilities 27
Improve the standard of play 59
Reduce admission prices 29
Make it more family friendly 45
Changes to the match times 18
Improve the standard of refereeing 21
Reduce the amount of sectarianism 43
Reduce the amount of hooliganism 44
Reduce the amount of racism 38
Reduce the amount of bad language 46
Better promotion of IFL soccer 47
Times of matches
For armchair fans the most popular time for matches was given as the current
arrangement, i.e. Saturday afternoon (30% of responses). Sunday afternoon
(11%) and Friday evening (10%) were the next most popular options. A large
percentage (43%) expressed no preference.
4
Total greater than 100 due to multiple responses
- 13 -Respondents were asked if matches were played in the summer how this
would affect their attendance. The majority of respondents (31%) said that
they would be ‘more likely to attend’ and 19% stated that they would ‘not
attend’ or would be ‘less likely to attend’ (see Figure 5). Similar support was
found for introducing a winter break to the soccer season.
Figure 5: Impact on attendance if IFL matches were played in the
summer
%
Armchair fans
(n=440)
Would not attend 24
Be less likely to attend 6
Be more likely to attend 31
Would attend 8
Don’t know 30
Armchair fans support for international team and attendance at
international matches
In total 35% of armchair fans supported the NI soccer team. As illustrated in
Figure 6 below, the vast majority of fans of the NI team were Protestant
(85%), whereas those who supported the Republic of Ireland tended to come
from the Catholic community (80%). When looking at each community and
the team they supported the results indicate that 53% of Protestant armchair
fans supported NI, 17% supported England, 7% supported the Republic of
Ireland and 18% supported no national team. In contrast for Catholic armchair
fans 11% supported NI, 6% supported England, 60% supported the Republic
of Ireland and 21% supported no national team.
- 14 -Figure 6 Armchair fans- International team supported by
community background
11
no team (n=89) 49
39
0
Scotland (n=11) 82
18
2
England (n=52) 79
19
Republic of 7
13
Ireland (n=128) 80
Northern 3
85
Ireland (n=155) 12
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
percentage
Catholic Protestant other/no community background
The relatively low level of support for the international team would obviously
be a factor in armchair fans non-attendance at NI matches. However other
factors were also identified and these are summarised in Figure 7, below.
- 15 -Figure 7 Armchair fans reasons for non attendance at
International matches
The timing of matches doesn’t suit me 9
None of my friends/family go to matches 9
It’s not family friendly/child friendly 10
I don’t like the facilities 12
I don’t like offensive language 6
I don’t feel safe at Windsor Park 6
I don’t like hooliganism 6
I don’t like bigotry/sectarianism 19
I don’t support the NI team 16
I’m not interested in international football 22
Recent match results 17
I don’t like the standard of play 27
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
percentage of respondents
It is also noteworthy that fans from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds were
likely to be discouraged from attending for different reasons. For instance
amongst armchair fans the standard of play (15%) and recent results (23%)
were more important factors for Protestants, while Catholics were less likely
to be interested (24%) or support (26%) the Northern Ireland team. In
addition, a larger proportion of Catholics (27%) cited bigotry/sectarianism as
an important factor in their non-attendance.
- 16 -CHAPTER 4 REGULAR FANS SURVEY: ATTENDANCE
LEVELS AT MATCHES
Regular fans represent 3% of the general population of NI, i.e. 7% of soccer
fans. In order to determine objectively the actual numbers going to local
games researchers undertook a crowd count at matches from December
2003 through to May 2004. These counts were carried out at varying types of
soccer competitions including league, cup and an International game.
Furthermore follow up interviews with selected attendees were completed to
determine regular fans views on a range of issues and to establish trends in
terms of community background and gender. As illustrated in Figures 8 and
9 below it is clear that the vast majority of fans attending matches are male
Protestants.
Figure 8 Community Background of fans at matches
2
Derry City fans
(n=54) 98
9
International 85
fans (n=227)
6
6
IFL fans
78
(n=1719)
17
0 20 40 60 80 100
percentage of respondents
Catholic Protestant Other/none
- 17 -Figure 9 Gender Profile of Respondents
Derry City fans 4
(n=54) 96
International 4
fans (n=227) 96
IFL fans 7
(n=1719) 93
Armchair Fans 17
(n=440) 83
0 20 40 60 80 100
percentage of respondents
male female
Whilst dedication to IFL soccer is evident amongst regular fans, the number
of individuals attending local soccer matches varies considerably.
Attendance levels reached from 18 at a junior game to 11,000 at an
international game. The average attendance at matches is detailed in Figure
10, below.
Figure 10 Average Attendance at matches (December 2003 – May 2004)
Match Type Number of Matches Average Crowd
Attended
First Division 11 88
Intermediate Cup 1 350
International 1 11,000
Irish Cup 11 1,256
Junior Cup Final 1 350
League of Ireland 1 1,700
Premier League 23 1,142
Total 49 1,111
- 18 -CHAPTER 5 –REGULAR FAN SURVEY: VIEWS AND
EXPERIENCES OF REGULAR FANS
As noted in chapter 4, the Regular Fan Survey also incorporated a series of
follow-up interviews, carried out by telephone, to determine regular fans’
views on a range of issues. At these interviews fans were asked for their
opinions on such matters as match times, standard of facilities, standard of
play, refereeing and admission fees to grounds. As there were no discernable
differences in results between the three types of regular fans (IFL,
International and Derry City) aside from the community background of Derry
City fans (98% Catholic), the focus in this chapter will be on IFL fans.
Times of matches
The vast majority of regular IFL fans (79%) stated that their first preference
for match times would be Saturday afternoon. In total 10% thought that Friday
evening would be the best time for matches and 5% thought Sunday
afternoon. Respondents were also asked if match times were changed to
either Friday night or Sunday, what impact this would have upon their
attendance: 52% of fans said they were more likely to attend matches on a
Friday night and 32% were less likely to attend. In terms of Sunday matches
40% were more likely to attend and 47% were less likely to attend matches
played on a Sunday.
Respondents were asked if matches were played in the summer how this
would affect their attendance. The majority of respondents (77%) said that
they would be ‘more likely to attend’ or would attend, and 19% stated that
they would ‘not attend’ or would be ‘less likely to attend’.
- 19 -Opinion of facilities at IFL grounds
Levels of satisfaction with facilities at grounds were generally low with more
than half of all respondents stating that a range of facilities were ‘poor’. These
included toilet facilities (67%), child / family facilities (58%), pre match / half-
time entertainment (56%), facilities for people with disabilities (56%) and the
public address systems (53%).
Access to the grounds was viewed to be ‘good’ by 35% of the respondents
and safety of the grounds was viewed to be ‘good’ by 33% of the
respondents.
Figure 11: IFL fans - Levels Of Satisfaction With Facilities At
Home Grounds
% IFL regular fans
(n=1719)
Good Neither Poor Don’t N/A
know
Toilet facilities 10 22 67 1 -
Catering facilities 13 37 46 2 1
Safety of grounds 33 43 23 1 1
Access to grounds 35 37 26 1 -
(turnstiles)
Child/family facilities 13 24 58 4 2
Facilities for people with 15 21 56 6 2
disabilities
Pre match / half-time 13 26 56 2 3
entertainment
Public address systems/ 15 30 53 1 2
electronic scoring
- 20 -Respondents were then asked to give their opinion on the standard of
refereeing at matches. Nearly half of all respondents (49%) felt that the
standard of refereeing was ‘poor’ with 36% stating that it was ‘neither good
nor poor’ and 14% stating that it was ‘good’. As detailed in Figure 12 below,
respondents expressed mixed views in relation to the standard of play at IFL
matches.
Figure 12 Opinion on standard of play
%
IFL regular fans
(n=1719)
Very good 6
Quite good 47
Neither / nor 29
Quite poor 14
Very poor 4
Don’t know -
Admission fee at IFL matches
The majority of respondents (68%) felt that the admission fee at IFL matches
was ‘about right’. In total 23% thought that it was ‘expensive’ and 9% thought
that it was ‘cheap’.
- 21 -CHAPTER 6 – COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
In order to further inform the research, DCAL examined the results of a
soccer survey conducted by the Norman Chester Centre for Football
Research (at the University of Leicester) on attendance at English FA Premier
League matches. Further material was also provided by UK Sport with
respect to attendance characteristics at a range of other sports.
The following comparison of surveys with the 2004 Irish League Regular Fan
Survey must be treated with caution due to the different methodologies
employed. The Irish League research used a telephone survey, the UK sport
survey used a questionnaire and the Scottish and English soccer surveys
used a postal questionnaire.
Gender, age and ethnicity profile of fans
As illustrated in figure 13 the gender profile of IFL fans is male dominated and
in contrast to gender profile of soccer elsewhere in UK as well as amongst
other sports.
Figure 13 Gender characteristics of sports fans
Male Female
% %
Irish League Soccer 93 7
Rugby League 85 15
Rugby Union 82 18
Cricket 89 11
Soccer 80 20
Golf 75 25
Tennis 52 48
- 22 -The age profile of the English FA fans and Glasgow fans compare to the IFL
fans as follows:
Figure 14 Age profile of fans from Scottish Premiership,
English Premiership and IFL
15-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 Over
60
Rangers/Celtic 5 18 32 26 11 7
2000
FA Premier 6 15 27 25 13 10
League 2000
16-19 20-29 30-59 60+
Irish League 10 16 55 18
Soccer 2004
The Irish League fan survey (2004) had a broadly similar age profile as the
English and Scottish fan surveys (2000). It did, however, have less 30-59
year olds (55% compared to 69% in Scotland and 65% in England), and more
60+ year olds (18% compared to 7% and 10% respectively).
In terms of ethnicity 97.6% of the English FA survey (2000) described
themselves as “white British”. In Northern Ireland, 100% of Irish League fans
described their ethnic background as “white”.
- 23 -Crowd Counts – Local Soccer
The Irish League fan survey (2004) revealed that between 18 and 10,000
fans attended matches. In comparison, between 80 and 79,383 fans attended
all-Ireland hurling matches in 2003; and between 500 and 79,391 attended
all-Ireland Gaelic football matches (www.gaa.ie). It is, however, difficult to
compare the football statistics with the GAA statistics, as the Irish League
figures were collected over 49 matches (over part of the season), and the
GAA matches were collected over an entire season.
Crowd Counts – International Soccer
The Northern Irish soccer fan research (2004) counted 11,000 fans at the
international match that they attended. This is similar to the estimate given by
the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Ulster Branch. They estimate that
between 7,000 and 12,000 fans attend Ulster rugby matches. The UK Sport
Rugby Conduct Survey (2002) states that they expected between 15,000 and
70,000 spectators at matches in England.
- 24 -EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This report summarises the results of two pieces of independent
research conducted during the 2003-2004 soccer season on the views
and experiences of soccer fans throughout Northern Ireland (both
‘armchair’ and ‘regular’).
2. The first piece of research involved a general population survey to
determine the level of interest in soccer and seek the views of ‘armchair’
fans on issues affecting their attendance at NI games. The second
piece of research involved regular attendees at NI matches and was
conducted at various matches throughout Northern Ireland including
league, cup and international levels. Alongside a crowd count at
matches researchers also sought the views of regular fans on issues
ranging from experience of anti-social behaviour to their views on
admission fees. Previous surveys in other jurisdictions and amongst
other sports were also used to enable some comparisons to be made
with the gender and age characteristics of sports fans in the UK.
3. The research found that 38% of the general population in NI were
interested in soccer, although only 3% attended local and NI
international soccer matches on a regular basis. The remaining 35% of
fans were categorised as ‘armchair’ fans.
4. For a large number of people in NI considerable time and resources is
spent following soccer, providing evidence of fans strong commitment to
the sport. Just over a third of armchair fans (36%) and almost two thirds
of regular IFL fans (65%) spent at least 6 hours a week following soccer.
5. For those who regularly attended IFL matches, many had been doing so
for more than a decade (65%). Almost two-thirds of fans (64%) attended
all their club’s home matches and 33% all away matches.
6. Fans also spent time attending matches in the English premiership, with
31% of IFL fans and 28% of armchair fans doing so at least a few times
- 25 -a year. Whilst 21% of IFL fans and 49% of armchair fans attended
matches in the Scottish league.
7. Whilst dedication to soccer is evident, the number of individuals
attending local soccer matches varies considerably. Attendance levels
reached from 18 at a junior game to 11,000 at an international game.
8. Thirty eight percent of armchair fans were from the Catholic community,
but only 17% of IFL fans and 6% of International fans described
themselves as being from the Catholic community. In terms of Derry
City, the overwhelming majority of fans were from the Catholic
community (98%).
9. Seventeen percent of armchair fans are female, more than twice the
level of female fans at IFL matches (7%) and considerably more than
that at both International and Derry City matches (both 4%). Research
conducted by UK Sport indicates that elsewhere in the UK 20% of
soccer fans at matches are female.
10. There was clear evidence of fans at International and IFL matches
experiencing sectarianism (46% of international fans, 67% of IFL fans)
and racism at matches (15% of international fans, 24% of IFL fans).
11. Forty six percent of armchair fans had never attended an IFL game.
Improving the standard of play was viewed as the major factor in
encouraging increased attendance (59%). This was followed by ‘better
promotion of IFL soccer’ (47%), making it more family friendly (45%) and
reducing the amount of hooliganism (44%), sectarianism (43%), and
racism (38%). Armchair fans also wanted to see improvements generally
in facilities at grounds. Of less concern was the standard of refereeing
(21%) and match times (18%).
12. Nearly a fifth (17%) of armchair fans reported that they would not attend
IFL matches under any circumstance.
13. Sixty one percent of armchair fans and 41% of regular IFL fans said they
had never attended an international game.
- 26 -14. A comparative analysis of other jurisdictions and other sports suggests
that, in terms of gender in particular, females are underrepresented
amongst IFL and international fans. Comparative data from other
jurisdictions and other sports should however be treated with caution
due to the different methodologies employed in gathering the data.
- 27 -CHAPTER 7 – REFERENCES
Norman Chester Centre for Football Research (2000) Fact Sheet 13: A Profile
of FA Premier League Club Supporters in 2000. University of Leicester
PWC (2004) Soccer Interest in Northern Ireland: Final Report
PWC, (2001) Creating a Soccer Strategy for Northern Ireland
RES (2004) Research into attendance at soccer matches in NI
UK Sport (2002) Rugby Conduct. A Survey of Spectators’ Perceptions of the
Values and Norms of Professional Rugby League and Rugby Union
www.gaa.ie Annual Report 2004. Accessed 07/09/04
- 28 -APPENDIX 1 LIST OF MATCHES ATTENDED/ CROWD COUNT
18/02/2004 19:45 Northern Ireland vs Norway 11000 International
26/12/2003 14:00 Glentoran vs Linfield 10000 Premier League
01/05/2004 15:00 Glentoran vs Coleraine 8000 Irish Cup (Final)
10/01/2004 15:00 Linfield vs Portadown 4500 Premier League
29/05/2004 19:30 Derry City vs Drogheda United 1700 League of Ireland
24/01/2004 15:00 Cliftonville vs Linfield 1500 Premier League
01/01/2004 15:00 Ballymena Utd vs Larne 1500 Premier League
03/04/2004 15:00 Coleraine vs Limavady 1500 Irish Cup (Semi-Final)
24/04/2004 15:00 Ballymena vs Coleraine 1300 Premier League
24/04/2004 15:00 Glenavon vs Portadown 1250 Premier League
26/12/2003 15:00 Portadown vs Glenavon 1200 Premier League
17/01/2004 15:00 Linfield vs Carrick Rangers 1100 Irish Cup (5th Round)
03/04/2004 15:00 Glentoran vs Omagh 1000 Irish Cup (Semi-Final)
10/01/2004 15:00 Lisburn Distillery vs Glentoran 850 Premier League
17/01/2004 15:00 Portadown vs Glenavon 675 Irish Cup (5th Round)
24/01/2004 15:00 Coleraine vs Ards 500 Premier League
17/01/2004 15:00 Coleraine vs HW Welders 450 Irish Cup (5th Round)
10/01/2004 15:00 Glenavon vs Institute 450 Premier League
10/01/2004 15:00 Omagh Town vs Coleraine 400 Premier League
13/04/2004 19:45 Linfield vs Newry Town 400 Premier League
17/01/2004 15:00 Lurgan Celtic vs Bangor 350 Irish Cup (5th Round)
15/04/2004 19:30 Larne Tech vs Linfield Swifts 350 Intermediate Cup (Final)
03/05/2004 14:30 West Belfast vs Irvinstown 350 Junior Cup (Final)
24/01/2004 15:00 Larne vs Omagh Town 300 Premier League
24/01/2004 15:00 Newry vs Glenavon 300 Premier League
19/01/2004 19:45 Ards vs Donard Hospital 300 Irish Cup (5th Round)
10/01/2004 15:00 Ards vs Cliftonville 300 Premier League
10/01/2004 15:00 Crusaders vs Newry Town 300 Premier League
10/01/2004 15:00 Limavady vs Larne 300 Premier League
17/01/2004 15:00 Newry Town vs Ballymoney United 250 Irish Cup (5th Round)
24/01/2004 15:00 Dungannon vs Crusaders 230 Premier League
24/01/2004 15:00 Institute vs Lisburn 200 Premier League
24/04/2004 14:30 Lurgan Celtic vs Loughgall 200 First Division
13/04/2004 15:00 Lisburn Distillery vs Larne 170 Premier League
03/04/2004 14:30 Loughgall vs Armagh City 155 First Division
17/01/2004 15:00 Loughgall vs Killyleagh 150 Irish Cup (5th Round)
01/04/2004 19:45 Newry vs Institute 130 Premier League
24/01/2004 15:00 Carrick Rangers vs Donegal Celtic 120 First Division
24/01/2004 15:00 Bangor vs Ballinamallard 100 First Division
12/04/2004 15:00 Omagh Town vs Cliftonville 100 Premier League
12/04/2004 15:00 Armagh City vs Bangor 90 First Division
13/04/2004 15:00 Crusaders vs Institute 90 Premier League
17/04/2004 14:30 Ballinamallard vs Ballymoney 90 First Division
31/01/2004 14:00 Donegal Celtic vs HW Welders 80 First Division
17/04/2004 15:00 Ballyclare Comrades vs Lurgan Celtic 50 First Division
24/04/2004 14:30 H&W Welders vs Donegal Celtic 40 First Division
17/01/2004 14:00 Tobermore vs Nortel 36 Irish Cup (5th Round)
17/04/2004 14:30 Moyola Park vs Carrick Rangers 20 First Division
24/04/2004 14:30 Brantwood vs Moyola Park 18 First Division
- 29 -Appendix 2 – Additional Figures
Figure a1 Community Background of
Respondents
2
Derry City fans
(n=54) 98
9
International
85
fans (n=227) 6
6
IFL fans 78
(n=1719) 17
6
Armchair Fans 56
(n=440)
38
6
Not Interested
45
(n=619)
48
0 20 40 60 80 100
percentage of respondents
Catholic Protestant Other/none
- 30 -Figure a2 Gender Profile of Respondents
Derry City fans 4
(n=54) 96
International 4
fans (n=227) 96
IFL fans 7
(n=1719) 93
Armchair Fans 17
(n=440) 83
Not Interested 43
(n=619) 57
0 20 40 60 80 100
percentage of respondents
male female
- 31 -Figure a3 Armchair fans reasons for non-attendance
at IFL games*
None of my
friends/family go to 10
matches
It’s not family
friendly/child friendly 7
I don’t like
bigotry/sectarianism 11
Do not like the
facilities 12
Watching other
soccer on TV 12
Family commitments 9
The timing of
matches doesn’t suit 9
me
Work commitments 13
I don’t like the
standard of play 32
I’m not interested in
IFL soccer 38
0 10 20 30 40
percentage of armchair fans
- 32 -Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Interpoint
20-24 York Street
Belfast
BT15 1AQ
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9025 8825
Fax: +44 (0) 28 9025 8906
Textphone: +44 (0) 9052 7668
email: dcal@dcalni.gov.uk
Report produced December 2004
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