If you build it, they will buy it: Women’s soccer fans desire more team apparel
Authors: Sveinson, K., Clarkson, B., Parry, K.D. and Richards, J.
Publisher: Sport Business Journal
eISSN: 1938-386X
Abstract:The Canadian women’s national soccer team won Olympic gold in 2020 and took second in the 2022 Concacaf W Championship. Despite these incredible successes, fans struggled to secure clothing to represent their team. While “supply chain issues” were to blame, our research suggests it’s not that simple.
Wearing team clothing is one of the most visible ways consumers show love to their favorite team. But for fans of women’s sport, merchandise is often limited and unavailable.
Studies show that fans of men’s professional sports are not always pleased with the merchandise available. Yet the demand for women’s sport, and soccer in particular, is skyrocketing. For example, the October 2022 match between the Lionesses and the U.S. women’s national soccer team sold out within 24 hours.
During the FIFA Women’s World Cup, consumers around the world were glued to their screens cheering on their favorite teams, but many weren’t wearing any gear.
For The Collective Think Tank -- focused on women’s equity in sport -- we surveyed fans from Australia, England, and the United States who voiced opinions and satisfaction with fan merchandise for their national (Matildas, Lionesses, and USWNT) and league-based (A-League, FA WSL, and NWSL) women’s soccer teams.
We found that when it comes to fan clothing for women’s sport, there is more demand than supply. But in other cases, fans did not want to purchase what is supplied based on the style, fit and sizing.
Fans want to spend their money to show their love of the sport and support for their teams. By not meeting consumer needs, organizations and distributors are missing the opportunity to convert plentiful inventory into long-term loyalty.
There are simple steps that must be taken to meet demand and opportunity.
Source: Manual