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Women’s Super League: How to increase fan engagement


Jodie Cormack - 27th April 2017 - 0 comments

The Women’s Super League has seen an overall increase in match attendance since 2015, but three top-flight teams saw a decrease, including the recently liquidated Notts County Ladies. One of the potential reasons for this problem could be the limited fan engagement clubs offer on match day, or any other day throughout the week.

One of the first and most simple ways of engaging WSL fans would be to increase the respective clubs social media and Internet presence. In 2013, the Football League partnered with ScribbleLive in order to transform the online experience for fans, the club, and the media. ScribbleLive created a fan “Wall” for all things related to each respective club, increasing online fan engagement. After the initial trial, ScribbleLive found that fans spent almost three times as long on their club’s page than before the introduction of “The Wall”. So, if the WSL partnered with ScribbleLive or other related services, fan engagement could possibly increase.

The second way for the WSL to see a potential rise in fan engagement would be to create ticket packages. Teams could run promotions that could include a discount on a ticket to the affiliated men’s club match. Another option could be to include a free item from concessions with the purchase of a ticket, for example, a pint of beer, cup of tea, or a pie. Tickets could include a 10-15% off discount at the team store, or offer a free club t-shirt for the first 500 fans. Clubs need to make the matches more desirable for the average fan, and offering promotional deals could just do the trick.

Finally, adopting the American “Day at the ballpark” idea could increase fan engagement. Hours before the match is set to begin, fans could funnel into the stadium concourse for various events. Clubs could host autograph signings in order to increase player-fan interactions, possibly creating a more amicable relationship between the fan and their club. Club sponsors could host events that range from giving out free merchandise (i.e., a t-shirt, mini ball, golf towel) in exchange for an email address to send promotional mail to, to 50/50 raffles where the fan has a chance to win something specific to the sponsor (free airline tickets from Etihad, or Emirates for Manchester City Women and Arsenal Ladies respectively). Competitions like shooting on a mini-goal or kick-up contest could be held outside the stadium before the match, with the winner taking home a prize. Clubs could also offer a “tailgate” type of event where food and drinks are served, granting fans access with the purchase of a ticket for the occasion.

Adam Goldsmith, Activation Account Director at Snack Media, spoke about the importance of fan engagement at sporting events, “More and more, we are working with brands and sports clubs whose major objective amongst supporters – alongside brand awareness and customer loyalty – is interaction before games. These offer the perfect opportunity for companies to connect with a captive audience and offer some entertainment before they watch their team. Fans enjoy it because it gives them something different to do from the routine of following their side. Clubs also benefit because their supporters have another reason to enjoy the match day experience. Brands are delighted because there is that instant association between fan, club and themselves.”

It is clear fans need an incentive to attend Women’s Super League games. If clubs take small steps to make sure fans feels included in the match day experience, the Women’s Super League may see more annual visitors and may garner a bigger following.

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