Rivals on the Pitch, Global Football Fans Are United and Divided in Their Passion for the Sport

New Octagon Study Shows Passion for Football Driven by Different Factors

Which Nation Has the Most Avid Fans? Who Are the Biggest Gloaters?

Throughout the FIFA World Cup, a global audience has witnessed the unrivaled exuberance that football fans have for their favorite sport. Aside from national pride, what drives the passion fans from different countries have for football?

Studies conducted in the past year by sports marketing agency Octagon quantify for the first time the key factors that ignite the passion fans have for football. Analysis from Octagon's Passion Drivers(R) study of football fans from World Cup participants Germany, France, the U.K., Australia and the U.S., the 2010 World Cup host nation South Africa, and China reveals similarities and differences.

"Fans from countries like the U.K., France and Germany, where a longstanding football tradition exists and the sport holds a dominant position, share similar motivating passions for the sport but with some differences," said Simon Wardle, Octagon's Vice President of research and creator of the study. "Why fans from Europe follow the sport differs significantly from the factors that motivate fans in countries where football is less dominant."

The fan profiles developed by Octagon are based on 12 Passion Drivers(R) factors. In varying degrees of intensity and in different combinations, these factors contribute to the passion fans have for football. "Understanding 'why fans are fans' is critical for companies who sponsor sports to engage consumers with their brands," said Wardle.

"The relationship that Europeans have to football is first and foremost driven by Team Devotion," said Wardle. "This factor truly differentiates 'the beautiful game' and its supporters from other sports. German and English football fans are very similar in the relationship they have with the sport. U.K. fans seem to be more team focused and avid than their German counterparts. The chance to Gloat over fans of rival clubs is much stronger among German fans," explained Wardle.

Compared to German and U.K. fans, the study revealed the French are more overall fans of the sport itself. For the French fan, the pure enjoyment that comes from watching football is oftentimes more important than which teams are playing and the outcome of the match.

"In European markets, Team Devotion starts almost at birth. This contrasts to Chinese fans who do not have deep rooted team affinities. They are primarily motivated by an overall love of the game," said Wardle. The skill exhibited by world-class players and strategy employed by the top clubs, regardless of where these teams come from or a players' nationality, are far more important than the outcome of the match.

In South Africa, the opportunity football provides to socialize is the dominant motivator. Football also conjures a sense of nostalgia for many South Africans who grew up with the sport and appreciate the role football played in their personal and country's history. However, the Team Devotion factor is growing more important in this developing football market as it prepares to compete as host nation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As a market influence, football remains in its formative stages in Australia and the U.S. The U.S. and Australia are unique in their passion being primarily fueled by a current or past involvement playing or coaching the sport, a Passion Drivers(R) factor called Active Appreciation.

"Australia's success in the 2006 FIFA World Cup could accelerate its transition to a developing football market," continued Wardle. "The U.S. holds the distinction as the world's least homogeneous football market in terms of the factors that drive its fans' passion for the sport. Along with Active Appreciation, U.S. football fans are strongly driven by the opportunities the sport presents to talk and socialize. Nostalgia is also important for the many fans who emigrated from Europe and Latin America," he said.

Octagon has conducted Passion Drivers(R) studies in eight countries among more than 20,000 fans of their nation's most popular sports. "With a deeper understanding of what drives their consumers' passion for sport, sponsors can truly harness the power of sports to differentiate their brands and engage consumers in meaningful, lasting ways," said Wardle.

Octagon is the world's leader in sports and entertainment marketing companies with global expertise in consulting, athletes & personalities, event management, property representation, marketing solutions, licensing and merchandising, talent procurement and television rights and production. Octagon is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) , one of the world's leading organizations of advertising and marketing services agencies. Octagon employs more than 1,000 people in 60 offices around the world. For further information please visit: http://www.octagon.com/.

Web site: http://www.octagon.com/
NORWALK, Conn., July 3, 2006 /PRNewswire/ --