the fans perspective

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The Fans Perspective:

Summary findings of independent research

on the views and experiences of soccer

fans in NI


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INTRODUCTION

General

This report summarises the findings from two independent pieces of researchcarried out during the winter 2003 to spring 2004 relating to the views and

experiences of soccer fans in Northern Ireland (NI). The research was

commissioned by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in the

context of the finance that it is making available for the Soccer Strategy

initiative. It builds upon a preliminary survey conducted in 2001 entitled

Views of the Stakeholders. However, unlike the previous Views of the

Stakeholders report, this research seeks to establish the actual level of

interest in soccer amongst the Northern Ireland population, as a whole (i.e.

the proportion of fans), the numbers of fans attending local games (i.e.

regular fans) why some fans do not attend local games (i.e. armchair fans),

the gender/community background of armchair and regular fans, their views

on a range of issues etc.

The full detailed results of this fans research are set out in two separate

reports: one entitled Soccer Interest in Northern Ireland and the otherentitled Research into Attendance at Northern Ireland Soccer Matches. The

purpose of the two reports is to provide Soccers key stakeholders with

reliable data on the main issues affecting fans in NI and which warrant

attention if the sport wishes to both encourage more people to come to local

matches in the future and to effectively address the aspirations of those

currently attending.

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CHAPTER 1 SOCCER FAN RESEARCH: DESIGN AND

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The soccer fan research was designed so that an objective and reliable

determination could be made of both the level of actual interest in soccer

(whether local or otherwise) across Northern Irelands population ( the

armchair fan study ), and the actual numbers of people attending local

matches ( the regular fan study ).

The first piece of research the armchair fan study involved three key

stages: a survey of the general population to determine their level of interest

in soccer, followed by the identification of armchair fans and thirdly a survey

of gender, community background and opinions of armchair fans 1.

The second study, the regular fan study , had two key tasks attached to it:

a count of those attending soccer matches and a sample survey of the gender

and community background of regular fans and their views and experiences

of soccer in NI. The regular fan survey was conducted at First division,

Premier division, Derry City, cup competitions 2 and international matches.

1 Armchair fans defined as those interested in soccer but who do not regularly attend Irishleague and/or international matches 2 For ease of reference First division, Premiere division, and cup matches are hereafterreferred to as IFL matches or, where relevant Derry City matches.

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In order to obtain the telephone numbers of fans, researchers attended

matches in the Irish League throughout December, January, February, April

and May (2003-2004 season). Whilst there, they interviewed fans attending

the game and asked if they would be willing to participate in a telephone

survey to be completed at a later date. In total 49 matches were attended. A

full list of the matches attended is provided in Appendix 1.

At each match the team of researchers were also responsible for undertaking

a count of the crowd. The full results of this count are presented in Appendix

1 .

Piloting of questionnaires and comparative analysis

Both questionnaires were piloted to ensure suitability in terms of both content

and time taken to complete.

Using information from previous research, a comparative analysis on the data

was also conducted to assess similarities and differences between soccer,

other sports and other jurisdictions where appropriate. This is presented in

chapter 6 of this report.

Scoping Exercise on fan surveys elsewhere in UK

In addition to engaging consultants, a general scoping exercise was carried

out by DCAL and involved a literature review on fan-based surveys. Thisscoping exercise revealed that elsewhere in the UK fan based surveys had

occurred in other sports and at various levels in league soccer. Using this as

a starting point, the two research companies in conjunction with the Steering

Group designed two survey methodologies and two questionnaires, one for

armchair fans and one for regular fans.

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CHAPTER 2 KEY FINDINGS

Level of interest in soccer in Northern Ireland

The fan survey as a whole has established that interest in soccer in NI is high.

The survey of the general population found that 38% were interested in

soccer. Significantly, though, the survey found that only 3% regularly

attended local or international matches (i.e. could be categorised as regular

fans). The remaining 35% of the population were armchair fans.

Dedication to soccer

The research clearly indicates that a large number of fans (both armchair and

regular) spend considerable time and resources following soccer, providing

evidence of strong commitment to the sport.

Just over a third of armchair fans (36%) and almost two thirds of IFL fans(65%) spent at least 6 hours a week following soccer. Following soccer was

defined as including all time spent watching on TV, listening or reading about

soccer (including time spent on internet chat-rooms, soccer websites etc).

However, it excluded time spent playing soccer, attending live matches, or

being involved in soccer clubs. It was common amongst soccer fans to

support more then one team (typically an English and/or Scottish team), and

alongside their following of local soccer, this contributed to a significant

amount of their leisure time.

For those who regularly attended IFL matches, many had been doing so for

more than a decade (65%). Almost two-thirds of fans (64%) attended all their

clubs home matches and 33% all away matches.

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Fans also spent time attending matches in the English premiership, with 31%

of IFL fans and 28% of armchair fans doing so at least a few times a year.

Whilst 21% of IFL fans and 49% of armchair fans attended matches in the

Scottish league.

Community background and gender characteristics of fans

The community background and gender characteristics of armchair fans was

notably different from that of regular fans. Whilst 38% of armchair fans were

from the Catholic community, only 17% of regular IFL fans and 6% of regular

International fans described themselves as being from the Catholiccommunity. In terms of Derry City, the overwhelming majority of fans were

from the Catholic community, although due to the small number of fans

interviewed from Derry City (n=54) caution should be exercised when

interpreting results from this section of respondents (see figures a1 and a2 in

appendix 2).

Furthermore, in terms of gender, the research found that 17% of armchair

fans are female, more than twice the level of female fans at IFL matches (7%)

and considerably more than that at both International and Derry City matches

(both 4%).

International matches

The research further found that 67% of armchair fans and 41% of regular fans

never attended an international match.

Both armchair fans and IFL fans had a range of reasons as to why they did

not attend International matches more often. As illustrated in Figure 1 below,

these included issues surrounding the quality of soccer being played, the

facilities at Windsor Park and concerns about anti-social behaviour (including

perceived hooliganism and sectarianism).

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Fans from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds, both armchair and regular,

were likely to be discouraged from attending for different reasons. For

instance amongst armchair fans, the standard of play (15%) and recent

results (23%) were more important factors for Protestants, while Catholics

were less likely to be interested (24%) or support (26%) the Northern Ireland

team. In addition, a larger proportion of Catholics (27%) cited

bigotry/sectarianism as an important factor in their non-attendance.

Figure 1 Reasons for non attendance at International matches

27

17

22

16

19

6

6

6

12

10

9

9

33

11

7

15

1

4

1

6

3

1

2

14

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

I dont like the standard of play

Recent match results

Im not interested in international football

I dont support the NI team

I dont like bigotry/sectarianism

I dont like hooliganism

I dont feel safe at Windsor Park

I dont like offensive language

I don't like location of the ground

I dont like the facilities

Its not family friendly/child friendly

None of my friends/family go to matches

The timing of matches doesnt suit me

percentage of respondents

Armchair fans (n=440) IFL Fans (n=696)

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Experience of anti-social behaviour at IFL and international matches

As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 below, there is evidence of respondents

having experienced a range of different types of anti-social behaviour whilst

attending Irish League and International matches.

Results indicate that whilst only 26% of respondents had experienced

hooliganism at Northern Ireland International matches, over half of IFL fans

(54%) had experienced some degree of hooliganism at matches. There was

also evidence of fans at International and IFL matches experiencing

sectarianism (46% international fans, 67% of IFL fans) and racism (15%

international fans, 24% of IFL fans). The vast majority of both sets of fans

heard offensive language at matches.

Figure 2 Experience of anti-social behaviour at IFLmatches

3

9

2

16

21

5

25

34

37

18

12

46

34

76

5

58

0 20 40 60 80 100

hooliganism

sectarianism

racism

offensive

language

percentage of IFL fans

A lot Some A little Not at all

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Figure 3 Experience of anti-social behaviour atInternational Matches

2

4

1

8

12

2

25

16

31

12

22

74

54

85

10

43

0 20 40 60 80 100

hooliganism

sectarianism

racism

offensivelanguage

percentage of International fans

A lot Some A little Not at all

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CHAPTER 3 THE ARMCHAIR FAN SURVEY

As detailed in the previous chapter the research found that 38% of thegeneral population were soccer fans. However 93% of these fans (35% of the

general population) did not attend local or International soccer matches on a

regular basis. In order to determine the reasons for irregular or non-

attendance at matches armchair fans were asked a series of questions

relating to attendance including factors which would encourage them to

attend more often.

Factors discouraging attendance by armchair fans

The main reason given for not attending IFL matches more often was a lack

of interest in IFL soccer (see Appendix 2, figure a3). Those that gave this

reason are more likely to be the younger fans aged under 30 (42%-44%),

females (63%) and those from a Catholic background (46%).

Another important reason for not attending more often was the standard of

play. Competition from soccer on television, work and family commitments

also affected instance of attendance.

Interestingly, 10% mentioned that they did not go more often because their

friends and family were not interested and 7% considered the experience not

to be family friendly.

One in ten (11%) cited sectarianism as their reason for not going more often

and this view was slightly more prevalent among those from a Catholic

community background (15%).

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In addition over two thirds of armchair supporters who had been to an IFL

match in the last two years consider that there was a least some hooliganism

and sectarianism at matches. Experience of racism appears to be less

prevalent although only one of our respondents was from an ethnic minority.

Almost half (43%) considered that there was a lot of offensive language at

IFL matches.

Factors that would encourage attendance by armchair fans

Improving the standard of play was viewed as the major factor in encouraging

increased attendance (see Figure 4 below). This was followed by betterpromotion of IFL soccer, making it more family friendly and reducing the

amount of hooliganism and sectarianism. Of less concern was the standard of

refereeing and match times.

Nearly a fifth (17%) of armchair fans reported that they would not attend an

IFL match under any circumstance.

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Figure 4: Factors that would encourage attendance at IFL matches

Fans who thought it very important to

%4

Armchair fans(n=364)

Improve facilities generally 40

Improve the seating facilities 35

Improve the toilet facilities 41

Improve the catering facilities 27

Improve the standard of play 59

Reduce admission prices 29Make it more family friendly 45

Changes to the match times 18

Improve the standard of refereeing 21

Reduce the amount of sectarianism 43

Reduce the amount of hooliganism 44

Reduce the amount of racism 38

Reduce the amount of bad language 46Better promotion of IFL soccer 47

Times of matches

For armchair fans the most popular time for matches was given as the current

arrangement, i.e. Saturday afternoon (30% of responses). Sunday afternoon(11%) and Friday evening (10%) were the next most popular options. A large

percentage (43%) expressed no preference.

4 Total greater than 100 due to multiple responses

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Respondents were asked if matches were played in the summer how this

would affect their attendance. The majority of respondents (31%) said that

they would be more likely to attend and 19% stated that they would not

attend or would be less likely to attend (see Figure 5). Similar support was

found for introducing a winter break to the soccer season.

Figure 5: Impact on attendance if IFL matches were played in the

summer

% Armchair fans

(n=440)Would not attend 24

Be less likely to attend 6

Be more likely to attend 31

Would attend 8

Dont know 30

Armchair fans support for international team and attendance at

international matches

In total 35% of armchair fans supported the NI soccer team. As illustrated in

Figure 6 below, the vast majority of fans of the NI team were Protestant

(85%), whereas those who supported the Republic of Ireland tended to comefrom the Catholic community (80%). When looking at each community and

the team they supported the results indicate that 53% of Protestant armchair

fans supported NI, 17% supported England, 7% supported the Republic of

Ireland and 18% supported no national team. In contrast for Catholic armchair

fans 11% supported NI, 6% supported England, 60% supported the Republic

of Ireland and 21% supported no national team.

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Figure 6 Armchair fans- International team supported bycommunity background

12

80

19

18

39

85

13

79

82

49

3

7

2

0

11

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

NorthernIreland (n=155)

Republic of Ireland (n=128)

England (n=52)

Scotland (n=11)

no team (n=89)

percentage

Catholic Protestant other/no community background

The relatively low level of support for the international team would obviously

be a factor in armchair fans non-attendance at NI matches. However other

factors were also identified and these are summarised in Figure 7, below.

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Figure 7 Armchair fans reasons for non attendance atInternational matches

27

17

22

16

19

6

6

6

12

10

9

9

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

I dont like the standard of play

Recent match results

Im not interested in international football

I dont support the NI team

I dont like bigotry/sectarianism

I dont like hooliganism

I dont feel safe at Windsor Park

I dont like offensive language

I dont like the facilities

Its not family friendly/child friendly

None of my friends/family go to matches

The timing of matches doesnt suit me


It is also noteworthy that fans from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds were

likely to be discouraged from attending for different reasons. For instance

amongst armchair fans the standard of play (15%) and recent results (23%)were more important factors for Protestants, while Catholics were less likely

to be interested (24%) or support (26%) the Northern Ireland team. In

addition, a larger proportion of Catholics (27%) cited bigotry/sectarianism as

an important factor in their non-attendance.

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CHAPTER 4 REGULAR FANS SURVEY: ATTENDANCE

LEVELS AT MATCHES

Regular fans represent 3% of the general population of NI, i.e. 7% of soccer

fans. In order to determine objectively the actual numbers going to local

games researchers undertook a crowd count at matches from December

2003 through to May 2004. These counts were carried out at varying types of

soccer competitions including league, cup and an International game.

Furthermore follow up interviews with selected attendees were completed to

determine regular fans views on a range of issues and to establish trends interms of community background and gender. As illustrated in Figures 8 and

9 below it is clear that the vast majority of fans attending matches are male

Protestants.

Figure 8 Community Background of fans at matches

2

6

98

17

85

78

9

6

0 20 40 60 80 100

IFL fans(n=1719)

Internationalfans (n=227)

Derry City fans(n=54)


Catholic Protestant Other/none

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Figure 9 Gender Profile of Respondents

93

96

96

4

4

8317

7

0 20 40 60 80 100

Armchair Fans(n=440)

IFL fans(n=1719)




male female

Whilst dedication to IFL soccer is evident amongst regular fans, the number

of individuals attending local soccer matches varies considerably. Attendance levels reached from 18 at a junior game to 11,000 at an

international game. The average attendance at matches is detailed in Figure

10, below.

Figure 10 Average Attendance at matches (December 2003 May 2004)

Match Type Number of MatchesAttended

Average Crowd

First Division 11 88Intermediate Cup 1 350International 1 11,000Irish Cup 11 1,256Junior Cup Final 1 350League of Ireland 1 1,700Premier League 23 1,142Total 49 1,111

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Opinion of facilities at IFL grounds

Levels of satisfaction with facilities at grounds were generally low with more

than half of all respondents stating that a range of facilities were poor. These

included toilet facilities (67%), child / family facilities (58%), pre match / half-time entertainment (56%), facilities for people with disabilities (56%) and the

public address systems (53%).

Access to the grounds was viewed to be good by 35% of the respondents

and safety of the grounds was viewed to be good by 33% of the

respondents.

Figure 11: IFL fans - Levels Of Satisfaction With Facilities AtHome Grounds

% IFL regular fans(n=1719)

Good Neither Poor Dont

know

N/A

Toilet facilities 10 22 67 1 -

Catering facilities 13 37 46 2 1

Safety of grounds 33 43 23 1 1

Access to grounds

(turnstiles)

35 37 26 1 -

Child/family facilities 13 24 58 4 2

Facilities for people with

disabilities

15 21 56 6 2

Pre match / half-time

entertainment

13 26 56 2 3

Public address systems/

electronic scoring

15 30 53 1 2

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Respondents were then asked to give their opinion on the standard of

refereeing at matches. Nearly half of all respondents (49%) felt that the

standard of refereeing was poor with 36% stating that it was neither good

nor poor and 14% stating that it was good. As detailed in Figure 12 below,

respondents expressed mixed views in relation to the standard of play at IFL

matches.

Figure 12 Opinion on standard of play

%IFL regular fans

(n=1719) Very good 6

Quite good 47

Neither / nor 29

Quite poor 14

Very poor 4

Dont know -

Admission fee at IFL matches

The majority of respondents (68%) felt that the admission fee at IFL matches

was about right. In total 23% thought that it was expensive and 9% thought

that it was cheap.

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CHAPTER 6 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

In order to further inform the research, DCAL examined the results of asoccer survey conducted by the Norman Chester Centre for Football

Research (at the University of Leicester) on attendance at English FA Premier

League matches. Further material was also provided by UK Sport with

respect to attendance characteristics at a range of other sports.

The following comparison of surveys with the 2004 Irish League Regular Fan

Survey must be treated with caution due to the different methodologies

employed. The Irish League research used a telephone survey, the UK sport

survey used a questionnaire and the Scottish and English soccer surveys

used a postal questionnaire.

Gender, age and ethnicity profile of fans

As illustrated in figure 13 the gender profile of IFL fans is male dominated and

in contrast to gender profile of soccer elsewhere in UK as well as amongst

other sports.

Figure 13 Gender characteristics of sports fans

Male Female

% %

Irish League Soccer 93 7

Rugby League 85 15

Rugby Union 82 18

Cricket 89 11

Soccer 80 20

Golf 75 25

Tennis 52 48

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The age profile of the English FA fans and Glasgow fans compare to the IFL

fans as follows:

Figure 14 Age profile of fans from Scottish Premiership,

English Premiership and IFL15-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 Over

60

Rangers/Celtic

2000

5 18 32 26 11 7

FA Premier

League 2000

6 15 27 25 13 10

16-19 20-29 30-59 60+Irish League

Soccer 2004

10 16 55 18

The Irish League fan survey (2004) had a broadly similar age profile as the

English and Scottish fan surveys (2000). It did, however, have less 30-59

year olds (55% compared to 69% in Scotland and 65% in England), and more60+ year olds (18% compared to 7% and 10% respectively).

In terms of ethnicity 97.6% of the English FA survey (2000) described

themselves as white British. In Northern Ireland, 100% of Irish League fans

described their ethnic background as white.

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Crowd Counts Local Soccer

The Irish League fan survey (2004) revealed that between 18 and 10,000

fans attended matches. In comparison, between 80 and 79,383 fans attended

all-Ireland hurling matches in 2003; and between 500 and 79,391 attended

all-Ireland Gaelic football matches (www.gaa.ie). It is, however, difficult to

compare the football statistics with the GAA statistics, as the Irish League

figures were collected over 49 matches (over part of the season), and the

GAA matches were collected over an entire season.

Crowd Counts International Soccer

The Northern Irish soccer fan research (2004) counted 11,000 fans at the

international match that they attended. This is similar to the estimate given by

the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Ulster Branch. They estimate that

between 7,000 and 12,000 fans attend Ulster rugby matches. The UK Sport

Rugby Conduct Survey (2002) states that they expected between 15,000 and

70,000 spectators at matches in England.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. This report summarises the results of two pieces of independent

research conducted during the 2003-2004 soccer season on the views

and experiences of soccer fans throughout Northern Ireland (botharmchair and regular).

2. The first piece of research involved a general population survey to

determine the level of interest in soccer and seek the views of armchair

fans on issues affecting their attendance at NI games. The second

piece of research involved regular attendees at NI matches and was

conducted at various matches throughout Northern Ireland including

league, cup and international levels. Alongside a crowd count at

matches researchers also sought the views of regular fans on issues

ranging from experience of anti-social behaviour to their views on

admission fees. Previous surveys in other jurisdictions and amongst

other sports were also used to enable some comparisons to be made

with the gender and age characteristics of sports fans in the UK.

3. The research found that 38% of the general population in NI wereinterested in soccer, although only 3% attended local and NI

international soccer matches on a regular basis. The remaining 35% of

fans were categorised as armchair fans.

4. For a large number of people in NI considerable time and resources is

spent following soccer, providing evidence of fans strong commitment to

the sport. Just over a third of armchair fans (36%) and almost two thirds

of regular IFL fans (65%) spent at least 6 hours a week following soccer.

5. For those who regularly attended IFL matches, many had been doing so

for more than a decade (65%). Almost two-thirds of fans (64%) attended

all their clubs home matches and 33% all away matches.

6. Fans also spent time attending matches in the English premiership, with

31% of IFL fans and 28% of armchair fans doing so at least a few times

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a year. Whilst 21% of IFL fans and 49% of armchair fans attended

matches in the Scottish league.

7. Whilst dedication to soccer is evident, the number of individuals

attending local soccer matches varies considerably. Attendance levelsreached from 18 at a junior game to 11,000 at an international game.

8. Thirty eight percent of armchair fans were from the Catholic community,

but only 17% of IFL fans and 6% of International fans described

themselves as being from the Catholic community. In terms of Derry

City, the overwhelming majority of fans were from the Catholic

community (98%).

9. Seventeen percent of armchair fans are female, more than twice the

level of female fans at IFL matches (7%) and considerably more than

that at both International and Derry City matches (both 4%). Research

conducted by UK Sport indicates that elsewhere in the UK 20% of

soccer fans at matches are female.

10. There was clear evidence of fans at International and IFL matches

experiencing sectarianism (46% of international fans, 67% of IFL fans)

and racism at matches (15% of international fans, 24% of IFL fans).

11. Forty six percent of armchair fans had never attended an IFL game.

Improving the standard of play was viewed as the major factor in

encouraging increased attendance (59%). This was followed by better

promotion of IFL soccer (47%), making it more family friendly (45%) and

reducing the amount of hooliganism (44%), sectarianism (43%), and

racism (38%). Armchair fans also wanted to see improvements generally

in facilities at grounds. Of less concern was the standard of refereeing

(21%) and match times (18%).

12. Nearly a fifth (17%) of armchair fans reported that they would not attend

IFL matches under any circumstance.

13. Sixty one percent of armchair fans and 41% of regular IFL fans said they

had never attended an international game.

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14. A comparative analysis of other jurisdictions and other sports suggests

that, in terms of gender in particular, females are underrepresented

amongst IFL and international fans. Comparative data from other

jurisdictions and other sports should however be treated with caution

due to the different methodologies employed in gathering the data.

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CHAPTER 7 REFERENCES

Norman Chester Centre for Football Research (2000) Fact Sheet 13: A Profileof FA Premier League Club Supporters in 2000. University of Leicester

PWC (2004) Soccer Interest in Northern Ireland: Final Report

PWC, (2001) Creating a Soccer Strategy for Northern Ireland

RES (2004) Research into attendance at soccer matches in NI

UK Sport (2002) Rugby Conduct. A Survey of Spectators Perceptions of the

Values and Norms of Professional Rugby League and Rugby Union

www.gaa.ie Annual Report 2004. Accessed 07/09/04

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APPENDIX 1 LIST OF MATCHES ATTENDED/ CROWD COUNT

18/02/2004 19:45 Northern Ireland vs Norway 11000 International

26/12/2003 14:00 Glentoran vs Linfield 10000 Premier League

01/05/2004 15:00 Glentoran vs Coleraine 8000 Irish Cup (Final)

10/01/2004 15:00 Linfield vs Portadown 4500Premier League

29/05/2004 19:30 Derry City vs Drogheda United 1700 League of Ireland

24/01/2004 15:00 Cliftonville vs Linfield 1500 Premier League

01/01/2004 15:00 Ballymena Utd vs Larne 1500 Premier League

03/04/2004 15:00 Coleraine vs Limavady 1500 Irish Cup (Semi-Final)

24/04/2004 15:00 Ballymena vs Coleraine 1300 Premier League

24/04/2004 15:00 Glenavon vs Portadown 1250 Premier League

26/12/2003 15:00 Portadown vs Glenavon 1200 Premier League

17/01/2004 15:00 Linfield vs Carrick Rangers 1100 Irish Cup (5th Round)

03/04/2004 15:00 Glentoran vs Omagh 1000 Irish Cup (Semi-Final)

10/01/2004 15:00 Lisburn Distillery vs Glentoran 850 Premier League

17/01/2004 15:00 Portadown vs Glenavon 675 Irish Cup (5th Round)

24/01/2004 15:00 Coleraine vs Ards 500 Premier League

17/01/2004 15:00 Coleraine vs HW Welders 450 Irish Cup (5th Round)

10/01/2004 15:00 Glenavon vs Institute 450 Premier League

10/01/2004 15:00 Omagh Town vs Coleraine 400 Premier League

13/04/2004 19:45 Linfield vs Newry Town 400 Premier League

17/01/2004 15:00 Lurgan Celtic vs Bangor 350 Irish Cup (5th Round)

15/04/2004 19:30 Larne Tech vs Linfield Swifts 350 Intermediate Cup (Final)

03/05/2004 14:30 West Belfast vs Irvinstown 350 Junior Cup (Final)

24/01/2004 15:00 Larne vs Omagh Town 300 Premier League

24/01/2004 15:00 Newry vs Glenavon 300 Premier League

19/01/2004 19:45 Ards vs Donard Hospital 300 Irish Cup (5th Round)

10/01/2004 15:00 Ards vs Cliftonville 300 Premier League

10/01/2004 15:00 Crusaders vs Newry Town 300 Premier League

10/01/2004 15:00 Limavady vs Larne 300 Premier League

17/01/2004 15:00 Newry Town vs Ballymoney United 250 Irish Cup (5th Round)

24/01/2004 15:00 Dungannon vs Crusaders 230 Premier League

24/01/2004 15:00 Institute vs Lisburn 200 Premier League

24/04/2004 14:30 Lurgan Celtic vs Loughgall 200 First Division

13/04/2004 15:00 Lisburn Distillery vs Larne 170 Premier League

03/04/2004 14:30 Loughgall vs Armagh City 155 First Division

17/01/2004 15:00 Loughgall vs Killyleagh 150 Irish Cup (5th Round)

01/04/2004 19:45 Newry vs Institute 130 Premier League

24/01/2004 15:00 Carrick Rangers vs Donegal Celtic 120 First Division

24/01/2004 15:00 Bangor vs Ballinamallard 100 First Division

12/04/2004 15:00 Omagh Town vs Cliftonville 100 Premier League

12/04/2004 15:00 Armagh City vs Bangor 90 First Division

13/04/2004 15:00 Crusaders vs Institute 90 Premier League

17/04/2004 14:30 Ballinamallard vs Ballymoney 90 First Division

31/01/2004 14:00 Donegal Celtic vs HW Welders 80 First Division

17/04/2004 15:00 Ballyclare Comrades vs Lurgan Celtic 50 First Division

24/04/2004 14:30 H&W Welders vs Donegal Celtic 40 First Division

17/01/2004 14:00 Tobermore vs Nortel 36 Irish Cup (5th Round)

17/04/2004 14:30 Moyola Park vs Carrick Rangers 20 First Division

24/04/2004 14:30 Brantwood vs Moyola Park 18 First Division

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Appendix 2 Additional Figures

Figure a1 Community Background ofRespondents

6 85

6

9

98

38

17

48

78

56

45

2

6

6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Not Interested(n=619)

Armchair Fans (n=440)

IFL fans(n=1719)


Derry City fans (n=54)


Catholic Protestant Other/none

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Figure a2 Gender Profile of Respondents

83

93

96

96

7

4

4

57

17

43

0 20 40 60 80 100

Not Interested(n=619)

Armchair Fans(n=440)

IFL fans(n=1719)




male female

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Figure a3 Armchair fans reasons for non-attendance

at IFL games*

38

32

13

9

9

12

12

11

7

10

0 10 20 30 40

Im not interested inIFL soccer

I dont like the

standard of play

Work commitments

The timing of matches doesnt suit

me

Family commitments

Watching other soccer on TV

Do not like thefacilities

I dont likebigotry/sectarianism

Its not familyfriendly/child friendly

None of myfriends/family go to

matches

percentage of armchair fans

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Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Interpoint20-24 York StreetBelfastBT15 1AQ

Tel: +44 (0) 28 9025 8825Fax: +44 (0) 28 9025 8906Textphone: +44 (0) 9052 7668email: [email protected]

Report produced December 2004
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

the fans perspective

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