WSL Football and YouGov release new research about the women’s football fanbase
New fan research conducted by YouGov has revealed the huge global appeal of the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2.
The research was conducted to get a deeper understanding of the fanbase, not just within the UK, but in international markets and revealed the US has the most fans of the league.
The methodology incorporated consumption data to reflect the different ways fans engage with WSL Football. This model was able to provide a true representation of active fans and followers rather than those just claiming to be interested.
WSL Football Fandom
One area the research looked into was ‘followers’ and ‘fans’ of WSL Football globally - a ‘follower’ is defined as those with any interest in WSL Football properties, a ‘fan’ is defined as those that engage with TV, YouTube, social media or online news.
It found:
- There are 103m followers of WSL Football globally
- Of these, 79 million follow at least one team with 23% identifying as fans of the league and the players without affinity to one individual team
- Globally, there are 28.5m fans of WSL Football
- The United States is the biggest international fandom market with strong engagement with the league across broadcast, online press, social media and YouTube
- Japan has the third largest fanbase with the highest number of YouTube views of any international market in the 24/25 season
- WSL Football fans globally had an equal 50/50 gender split with 45% of fans 18-34. In comparison, 67% of English Premier League Fans are male and 35% are 18-34.
Behavioural trends and cultural relevance
Further research was conducted which looked at behavioural and cultural relevance of WSL Football in the UK and US.
It found that 24% of WSL Football fans play football (socially or competitively) and 48% played previously whilst, in comparison to the general population, fans are interested in broader culturally relevant activities. For example, WSL Football fans are 110% more likely to attend a music festival, 26% more likely to game, 20% more likely to watch YouTube and 56% more likely to watch shows and content on a smartphone.
In the UK, amongst the general population 1 in 3 agree that WSL Football is bringing something fresh and exciting to sport and culture, that rises to almost 2 in 3 amongst those aged 25-34, whilst 94% of fans agree that WSL Football is bringing something fresh and exciting to sport and culture.
In the US, WSL Football is recognised as an important cultural trend with two thirds of WSL Football fans in the US stating that they follow WSL Football to be part of a new wave of entertainment and culture.
Respondents in the UK recognise WSL Football’s role in providing more opportunities for women and girls through sport, with over half of the general population agreeing, rising to 90% of women’s football fans.
Partner sentiment
Of those surveyed, it was found that fans reacted positively to brands that invest in women’s football.
81% of WSL Football fans would like to see more brands investing in women’s football and half agree that brands who sponsor WSL Football standout in the market, demonstrating more return and value for brands.
Additionally, half are more likely to trust a brand that sponsors WSL Football, which rises to two thirds amongst 18-34s, and 58% agree that they are more culturally relevant, rising to three quarters amongst 18-34s.