Having answered a few queries pertaining to the model I suggested for Indian football, a point to note in this regard is that denouncing a plan is easy, however, one must bear in mind that a policy/ project is better placed to be judged when researched thoroughly.
The objective of the model and the research is to study the possibility of change. Not only by commenting on what should be done and what shouldn’t, but by digging deep into the mindset of an Indian consumer who demands sports in his consumption bundle, in our case the game of soccer.
Before I divulge into details of the results so far, I would like to thank each and every respondent for filling in the questionnaire and to those who have taken the trouble to reply through the website or by e-mail. Your inputs have been extremely useful and for long hours have kept me engaged in thought.
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A special mention for the Sportskeeda team and a few groups on facebook must be made for hosting and publicizing the article on the internet.
Less than a week has passed since I posted the link to the survey and so far 300 respondents have filled in the questionnaire. I will not be analyzing the data in depth for the time being as it is too less a number to come to a concrete conclusion. Analytics will be dealt with towards the end of March, wherein I will be submitting my final report.
- Till date, 252 male participants and 48 female participants have taken the survey, which does form a gender bias regarding interest for the game. Hence, I would urge more female fans of the game (knowing there are quite a few) to please fill in the survey!
- West Bengal outdoes the rest in terms of respondents (49%) by far; notable proportions include states like Maharashtra (19%), Kerala (7%) and Tamil Nadu (7%). Responses from football hotbeds such as Goa, Delhi, Punjab and Haryana have been poor. Hence, an earnest request on my part, to fans from the rest of India, to spare a few minutes to fill in the questionnaire please. There have been responses from Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom as well, making the research ever more interesting!
- European football has no dearth of support in this part of the world with the majority being Manchester United fans (27%). Barcelona (18%), Arsenal (12%) and Liverpool (11%) are catching up. There are quite a few Blackburn Rovers supporters too and Chelsea fans need to show up!
- Most fans attribute the style of play (47%) and the club’s history of success (26%) to the reasons for supporting their favourite clubs.
- Moving on to Indian football, 31% of the respondents regularly watch Indian football. 21% do so often and 37% rarely do. A very small number of the respondents absolutely don’t, which is healthy!
- Those who don’t or rarely do watch Indian football cite poor quality of stadia, broadcast and players in majority. Other reasons have been put forward which I shall sum up in the final report.
- The print media, social networking sites and television form the majority of the sources of information for those following the game in India.
- The Kolkata giants lead the pack with 34% of the respondents expressing their support for East Bengal and 27% for Mohun Bagan. Pune FC and Mumbai FC are a distant third with 6%, impressive for two recently formed clubs. The Indian Arrows (AIFF XI), FC Kochin and Dempo SC each have 4% of the respondents supporting them.
- In pertinence to the ALL STAR LEAGUE, the presence of star players both Indian and foreign are extremely important in influencing viewership. So is the quality of broadcast and stadia. The presence of high profile sponsors and the European club attached to each city are determining factors for viewership as well.
- Expected demand for related merchandise for the ASL is substantial compared to the closeness with which official and unofficial merchandise compete in the case of European Clubs. However, forecasting is always subjected to change when considering a number of socio-economic factors which may prevail if and when the league is implemented.
- Television /game timings too play an important role in determining viewership, mostly due to comfort and convenience rather than willingness to view a sport. Respondents in majority would prefer the 7:30-9:30 slot with some agreeing with a couple of hours before or after.
I have touched on some important aspects of the questionnaire and would be doing a more detailed report in subsequent articles. In the meantime, I would urge more football fans to take some time out to fill in the questionnaire. I really need to reach a sample size of 1000 or preferably more to draw solid conclusions.
Please do follow the link. Moderators of football groups/pages on facebook, twitter or Linkedin, your effort would be of great help if you could post the link on your wall or send it as a message to fans in your group for them to fill in. Thank you!
http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=IJHMJO_41c12f20
