Football and its Communities Research

1
Football and its Communities Research

• Adam Brown
• (with Tim Crabbe, Gavin Mellor)
• Supporters Direct National Conference
• British Library, London 2006

2
Outline

• Research Outline
• Rethinking Footballs Communities
• Key Final Report Findings
• Implications for Supporters
• Mapping Communities

3
Research Outline

• Funded by Football Foundation
• 3 years 2002-2005
• MMU and SHU
• Aims
• To analyse the relationship between professional
  football clubs and communities of various types
• To clarify and better understand who football
  clubs communities are
• To analyse the responsibilities that football
  clubs have
• To analyse football clubs formal policies
  towards community groups
• Based on case studies at Man City, Leeds, Sheff
  Utd
• Research conducted at MMU, SHU

4
Rethinking Footballs Communities

• 19th century Football clubs emerge to provide
  focus for common identities with names linked to
  place
• 1970s/80s decline in relations between football
  and local communities.
• Attempts to revive relationships between clubs
  and communities 1985-present Football in the
  Community Schemes (FFEVTS - 94 FITC schemes)
• Football clubs now - broader, more responsible
  roles
• Government view sport as a key deliverer of
  social, crime, economic and health objectives.
• Creation of Football Foundation 2000
• Little understanding of who footballs
  communities are.

5
Findings

• Interim Reports
• Interim Report 1 - full survey of the community
  activities of the three case study clubs and
  cities.
• Interim Report 2 - thorough and extensive mapping
  of the communities of the case study clubs.
• Interim Report 3 - analysis of community issues
  associated with stadium moves.
• Final Report Recommendation based, reports to
  Football Foundation, August 2006.
• Available from www.substance.coop

6
Key Findings Final Report

• Report Sections
• Strategic Frameworks
• Club Organisation
• Partnerships
• Stadia and Facilities
• Supporters
• Social Inclusion
• Skills and Knowledge
• Next Steps

7
Findings - Supporters

• Detailed Mapping and Qualitative Research
• Fans rarely seen by clubs as communities.
• Now more often seen as customers
• Range of possibilities for clubs and trusts
• how supporters can be mobilised - community
  volunteers,
• how clubs and English football can support
  generation and maintenance of fan communities
• Centrality of stadium policies, ticketing,
  bridging gaps between fans and other communities

8
Findings Fans and Communities

• Regard fans as collectives and part of myriad of
  supporter communities and as individual customers
• Create physical space for expression/deepening of
  fan communities (e.g. stadium regulations,
  facilities)
• Encourage and benefit from involvement and
  initiative of fans in creating the match day
  spectacle
• Encourage and benefit the involvement and
  initiative of fans in the running of community
  initiatives,
• Promote fan volunteering and fan ambassadors
• Involve fans as owners and in running clubs
  trusts
• Fan friendly ticketing / means of bridging gaps
  with local residents

9
Mapping Communities - Questions

• What do you know about your own clubs
  communities, fans?
• What do you want to know about your own clubs
  communities and your own members?
• Why do you want to know this and how might it be
  useful to your trust / club.
• What access to data do you have?

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Football and Its Communities Mapping Exercises

• Digital Mapping of Club Data
• Season ticket holders
• Members
• Juniors
• Digital Mapping of social data
• Indices Multiple Deprivation
• Census 2001
• Localised sources (e.g. health, crime)
• Mapping Businesses, Residents
• Qualitative Research
• Documentary
• Interviews
• Observations (community, match etc.)

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Overall Findings

• Digital mapping of Season Ticket, Members,
  Juniors
• Majority of fans from areas which
• are relatively affluent
• are ethnically white
• had high employment
• had good education and health
• Few fans from
• areas of high multiple deprivation
• large minority ethnic/religious populations
• close proximity to their stadiums

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SUFC Season Ticket Holders National (2003/04)
13
SUFC Members National (2003/04)
14
SUFC Season Ticket Holders Sheffield (2003/04)
15
SUFC Members Sheffield (2003/04)
16
Greater ManchesterMCFC Season Tickets (2003/04)
17
Greater Manchester Index of Multiple
Deprivation (2000)
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Uses Fan maps

• General interest and publicity
• Membership drives
• Ticket promotions/advertising
• Merchandise distribution/targeting
• Locating consultation meetings
• Locating soccer schools

19
Uses Business maps

• Identification of local business resources
• Identification of match day market gaps/business
  opportunities
• Identification of facility needs
• Joint marketing opportunities
• Allaying conflicts/concerns
• Local regeneration

20
Uses IMD/census

• Knowing the neighbourhood
• Understanding the kind of areas fans come from
• Addressing the ethnic profile of supporters
• Identifying areas to run inclusion/community
  programmes

21
Uses Raising cash

• Recruitment of new fans/increased sales through
  fan mapping
• Match day income generation through business
  mapping
• Identification of new governmental/ charitable
  funding streams through map analysis
• Football Mapping Services Substance
  (www.substance.coop)

22
Overall Conclusions

• Need better understanding of who footballs
  communities are need to map.
• Need to broaden range of activities from coaching
  to social inclusion initiatives very different
• Need better understanding of new social agendas
  and how to engage
• Create new opportunities (funding) and new ways
  of working at club and national level
• Big opportunities for Supporters Groups and Trusts