The Collective® Economy Part II: Her Fandom, Her Buying Power - New study reveals how women fans are shaping sports fandom

The global sports landscape, worth hundreds of billions, has been built on a traditional model of fandom. With the more recent understanding of women’s economic and financial dominance, brands, leagues, and rights holders are now shifting strategies to account for women fans, but it is not fast – or vast – enough. Women drive household purchasing, lead the family’s youth sports engagement, and over index on brand loyalty rooted in values – yet many sports marketing strategies continue to relegate women fans as an add-on or niche segment to please. As women fans actively shape the future of fandom, the majority feel overlooked and misunderstood by the teams and leagues of which they are fans. 

Building on the success of The Collective® Economy: A Global Understanding of Women’s Buying Power, which explored women’s broader consumer power, this new instalment focuses on the evolving influence of women sports fans, the time scarcity they face daily, how that affects their sports fandom, and what leagues, teams, and brands may be able to do to capture her attention. Based on custom survey data from more than 7,100 women across 10 countries, the report provides one of the most comprehensive views to date of how women engage with sports and the untapped economic opportunity that brands, leagues, and rights holders are still missing. 

“This research provides an in-depth, global understanding of what we’ve always known – that women of multiple generations possess an undeniable power across the sports landscape,” said Thayer Lavielle, Managing Director of The Collective®. “Women are both powerful consumers and avid sports fans, and have a fraction of the time men fans do to participate in the fan ecosystem. Rights holders and brands need to begin to consistently cater to ‘her’ for long-term loyalty that can span generations.” 

Key Findings: Women are the engine of future sports growth 

• 66% of women sports fans say sports organisations don’t understand or appeal to them 
• 39% say brands fail to completely understand them as fans of sport 
• 50% of non-mothers feel especially misrepresented by current brand marketing strategies 
• 84% of women sports fans are key decision-makers in sports-related purchases Nearly half (48%) are the primary decision-makers, while
• 36% share purchasing responsibility – indicating a significant commercial opportunity for brands and rights holders alike 
• 91% of women sports fans who are mothers are actively involved in their children’s sporting activities, making them a driving force in the US$77 billion global youth sports industry 
• 91% of women sports fans believe it’s important for brands to support social issues 

The study challenges the industry to keep pace with the evolving expectations of today’s woman fan of sports, and to meet her in various aspects of her complex and nuanced life. It paints a modern, global portrait of women as financially independent, culturally engaged, time-starved, and deeply passionate about sports competition, while encouraging brands and rights holders to work together to redesign fandom with women sports fans at the center. The Collective says that it is time that the global ecosystem recognises and responds to the full complexity of her identity – not only as a fan, but as a consumer and cultural force. 

The study is about bringing women out from the margins and building an entirely new framework that is inclusive, data-driven, and centered in how real women engage with sports today. 

A call to action: Design with women in mind from the start 

The Collective Economy Part II: Her Fandom, Her Buying Power makes it clear: women are the driving force shaping the future. 

Brands, leagues, media companies, and investors have an opportunity to design entire fan experiences – at venues and beyond, from product innovation and fan experience; through media representation and investment priorities with merchandise and ticket purchases; and via content and other communications with women at the core. 

 Download the full report:  https://www.wearethecollective.com/thecollectiveeconomypart2