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Birkbeck Sport Business Centre research into motivations for attending the Women’s Super League

The Birkbeck Sport Business Centre has released its latest report looking at the motivations for attending the Women’s Super League (WSL). Recent attendances in England have shown that demand for the league is growing rapidly.

a soccer match with women players

The Birkbeck Sport Business Centre has released its latest report looking at the motivations for attending the Women’s Super League. Authored by Birkbeck alumna, Milica Okicic, the report looks at recent attendance growth in the WSL and seeks to better understand the motivational factors that have contributed to this.

Recent attendances in the Women's Super League (WSL) in England have shown that demand for the league is growing rapidly. The average attendance in the WSL this season (2022-23) is over 6,000, significantly more that last season’s average of 1,898. This growth in attendance in the WSL comes off the back of a successful UEFA European Championships, hosted in England, in which the tournament welcomed the largest ever women’s EURO crowds. The final at Wembley also set a new record, not only for a women’s international match in Europe, but also for a women’s or men’s EURO finals match.

This recent evidence demonstrates that Women’s football, and the WSL in particular, is an emerging market with demand to attend live games growing rapidly. This was recognised in the Women's Professional Game Strategy in which the FA targeted an average attendance across the WSL of 6,000 by 2024 – a target they look set to achieve a year early. However, there is little understanding as to why attendances have risen and in particular what motivates people to attend the Women’s Super League (WSL). This report presents the findings from survey research that sought to identify the motivations for attending the WSL. Analysis showed that six motivational factors explained a significant proportion of variance in attendance of the WSL matches. These were: an interest in football; interest in the team; vicarious achievement; entertainment value; an interest in a player; and role models. Analysis also revealed that there is a difference in gender, age and attendance frequency when it comes to certain motivational factors. This research, as far as we are aware, is the first academic study of spectator motivation in the WSL. The findings provide further insight and analysis into why people attend the WSL which will be of value to those responsible for the development and marketing of the league.

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