Research by the SBF Group also pointed out that 56% of the public believe that a football match is more than ‘just a game’
Research commissioned by Grupo SBF, Futebol and Gerao Z: which match? investigated the habits and the way young people relate to the sport, especially compared to previous generations. Born between 1995 and 2010, 76% of the Zs heard by the survey support a team and 42% believe that the success of the Brazilian team in the World Cup is the reason Brazil is considered the country of football.
Among the notes, the research shows that these young people are more interested in football when the sport addresses issues of contemporary society, making it clear that for them football should be for everyone.
In the same sense, another piece of information that draws attention is that generation Z seeks ways to watch matches for free, demonstrating that football is not a necessity, but a choice and, therefore, it needs to be accessible. Data like these reveal a generation that is less passionate (definitive) and more pragmatic (contextual) in relation to football.
At the same time, the study makes it clear that the sport has gained more space in the lives of these young people: 56% of generation Z believe that a football match goes beyond being ‘just a game’. Football is seen and consumed as content and entertainment, far beyond the sport itself, which amplifies the possibilities of interaction in the various touch points of the digital world.
Social context
Research data show that for Generation Z, football cannot be disconnected from issues dear to society. The study showed that 64% of respondents believe that football should be more committed to issues related to homophobia, racism and machismo, while 63% defend that players should not hide their essence for reasons of prejudice.
Engagement in this regard is so significant that 27% say they would stop supporting their team in case of involvement in issues of gender, racial or political scandal. Among Millennials (currently between 26 and 40 years old), this number is 17% and in Generation X (between 42 and 57 years old), 20%.
Women
The relevance of social agendas as an aspect of the modality’s connection with Gen-Z is also proven when it comes to women’s football. With a closer look at gender equity, 72% of respondents say that seeing women in the field, in an environment still portrayed as male, has great significance for political struggle and representation.
In this context, 32% of respondents support a female team; 48% are neutral when choosing the best team, male or female, in terms of technique; and 55% see the Brazilian women’s team still underestimated in relation to men.
However, the scenario is still about them for them. Z-girls support women’s soccer more than boys: 67% of them say they should invest more in women’s teams, while 57% of them say the same; 35% of girls disagreed preferring to watch men’s football – 22% in the case of boys; 21% of them accompany the female Brazilian and 27% support a specific player – against 7% respectively for boys, in both topics.
(Credit: Zana Latif on Unsplash)
