SOCIOS.COM DELVES INTO FOOTBALL FANDOM IN BRAZIL
Last year, we commissioned Nielsen Sports & Entertainment to provide an in-depth look at football fandom in 6 key markets — Brazil, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. We wanted to understand the potential for Socios.com amongst football fans, but we also wanted to take a closer look at the football landscape including how fans interact with their clubs. We surveyed 2793 football fans in total (488 in Brazil), all of whom support a football team.
Here we take a look at the findings in Brazil. Football is the most prominent and most popular sport in Brazil. A hugely successful footballing nation, Brazil has produced many footballing superstars including Pelé, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and of course, Neymar, and have won countless awards, including 5 FIFA World Cups. Indeed, they are the only national team to have never missed World Cup participation.
Football is an integral part of Brazilian culture, with 62% of the population claiming interest in football. 57% of our respondents claimed they were interested or very interested in football over any other sport and not surprisingly, 75% participate in football. In all cases, Brazilian fans reported the highest percentages than any other country.
In terms of favoured clubs, the top 5 supported clubs are as follows:
- Corinthians
- Flamengo
- San Paulo
- Palmeiras
- Vasco
91% of those surveyed say they have one favourite team that they support above all others. Location is important, with 79% of respondents stating that ‘real’ football fans support closest team. 6% say that they support a second team — 53% of those with a second team say they support a team in the domestic league, while 40% state that their second club plays in an international league.
More than other country, familial influence is strong in Brazil, with 40% of participants claiming that they were introduced to football by a parent. Inherited support for a particular club is also strong, with 72% say they were introduced to their favourite club by a family member — both statistics were the highest above all other markets.
In terms of support for a club, 40% of fans are members of an official fan club, once again the highest amongst the surveyed markets. Brazilians claim to spend 85 BRL annually on club membership — this cost is nearly 5 times less than in markets such as Spain or the UK. Fans state that a more affordable joining fee, first access to game tickets and and better benefits would encourage more fans to join. However, they spend more or merchandise (120.6) than other markets, but spend the least on betting (50.6). In general they spend more than any other market.
When it comes to how much fans would be willing to spend on fan tokens, Brazilian fans said that they would spend 35BRL equivalent to €8.
Passion for the beautiful game continues when it comes to watching football, with 96% interested in watching matches on TV and 83% claiming to watch live matches in stadia. In general, Brazilian fans claim to engage more with their clubs than other markets. 59% follow club news on social media, and 41% engage in competitions. 71% share their opinions across social media and 60% would happily pay for additional content.
In terms of club perceptions, 73% of fans believe the primary role of a football club is to keep fans happy and 50% believe their only goal should be to win trophies. Half of fans believe that clubs could engage with them on other platforms and 84% believe new technology could improve the fan experience. Almost three quarters believe clubs focus too much on making money and 65% of fans believe clubs could engage better by keeping ticket prices stable.
However, despite their passion, 35% of fans felt alienated by their club (the highest across all markets), and 33% felt that their views were not valued. 42% believe fans should be given more autonomy and there’s a big demand for fans to have more influence over club decisions — 70% of respondents.
In terms of fans voicing their opinions, 81% would be interested in voting on club matters, which equates to 46 million people across the nation. 69% want to have a say in how clubs are run and 68% would quite happily pay for the privilege. 79% would like to interact directly with club owners and 81% would welcome a platform to share their views.
