Wednesday, 6/5/2024
The article “Why are stadiums empty in Portugal? An examination of costs associated with being a fan of Premier League football in Portugal” by Ângela Monteiro and Paulo Reis Mourão, published in ‘Soccer & Society’, examines the costs that soccer fans face and how these impact on stadium attendance. The research involved questionnaires answered by 249 fans from 11 of the 18 clubs in the Portuguese Premier League and found that the main factors that discourage stadium attendance are the cost of tickets, the unsuitable times of matches and the physical distance to the stadiums.
In addition, the reduced competitiveness of the
leagues and the television broadcasting of all matches discourage physical
presence in the stadiums. To reverse this trend, clubs and organizers need to
consider strategies to make the match-going experience more accessible and
attractive to fans.
The article, published in Soccer & Society,
highlights several dimensions that keep fans away from stadiums: high ticket
prices, travel costs and membership fees. These factors, when analyzed in the
light of the national average income and compared internationally, highlight
the problem even more. In addition, discomfort in stadiums, unsuitable times
for families and people with work responsibilities, and the lack of empathy
from clubs, such as the absence of gifts for fans, are also relevant.
Despite the evolution of soccer and fans' expectations, Portuguese stadiums continue to offer conditions that date back two or three decades, highlighting the urgent need for modernization. The study suggests that improvements in the clubs' offerings, such as additional benefits and reduced transportation costs, could increase attendance.
Paulo Reis Mourão is an Associate Professor in
the Department of Economics at the University of Minho. He is one of the NIPE
researchers with the largest number of publications, highlighting the breadth
of topics, where Sports Economics stands out, being one of the most referenced
national researchers in this area, with articles in the Journal of Sports
Sciences, Journal of Sports Economics, or International Journal of Sport
Finance. He is the author of a book that has become a reference in motorsport economics,
“The Economics of Motorsports” (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2017).
Gabinete de Comunicação
Escola de Economia e Gestão
Universidade do Minho
Telefone: 253 604541
Email: gci@eeg.uminho.pt
