It’s game day, so what’s the first thing sport fans do? Throw on some team gear. Studies have found that sport fan clothing is an essential product to show identification with and attachment to favourite teams and players. But what if they don’t like the style, design, or fit of the clothing? My research has shown this is often the case for women fans. Using qualitative approaches, including in-depth interviews, text analysis, and open-ended surveys, I found that sport fan clothing is underwhelming for women consumers. This is a crucial issue as not only are the number of women sport fans growing, but they also carry significant purchasing power.
There are two major issues with team apparel for women: availability and design.
In a previous study (with Dr. Larena Hoeber and Dr. Kim Toffoletti), I conducted in-depth interviews with women who were fans of men’s major league teams. A reoccurring theme was dissatisfaction with the clothing. The women expressed a dislike for items that were pink, bedazzled, sequined, low-cut, or too fitted. Though women wanted to demonstrate their authentic fandom, they often felt that feminising clothing made their gender identity (women) seem more important than their fan identity. Specifically, when items were not the same colour as the team’s colours, they felt disconnected. Since these women were unhappy with the few options available, it often drove them to reluctantly purchase limited items in the “men” or “youth” categories.
In another study, my collaborator Dr. Rachel Allison and I explored language choices of consumers in their responses to a now-deleted tweet from U.S. Soccer promoting girls’ apparel. The tweet included clothing that was pink, sparkly, and included the term “cutie.” Out of 307 tweets analysed, 99% were negative in tone. Through text analysis, we found consumers argued the items suggested women and girls lacked athletic skills and emphasised physical appearance as the most valuable, and therefore, the organisation engaged in sexist marketing practices. These findings show clothing are not just items fans wear but are products that have symbolic meanings beyond identification. Since the clothing did not align with consumers’ values in relation to gender equity and equality, the negative reaction transferred onto the organisation itself. For a summary of this study, watch this video.
Along with poor design, the lack of availability of fan clothing is a more significant issue for women’s sports. Specifically, consider women’s soccer which has taken off on a global scale. Not only did the historic Lionesses win at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final reach record-breaking attendance, but the recently announced October 2022 match between the Lionesses and the United States women’s national team (USWNT) sold out within 24 hours. What does this tell us? The demand for women’s sport is constantly growing. Yet, the supply of fan clothing is lacking. The Canadian women’s national soccer team won gold in the 2020 Olympics and came second in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, however fans have struggled to get their hands on any type of clothing to represent their team. While it was said that supply chain issues are to blame, my research suggests it is not that simple.
In my current international collaborative research project (with Dr. Beth Clarkson, Dr. Keith Parry, and Dr. Jessica Richards), we created an open-ended survey for fans of women’s national soccer teams and professional soccer leagues in three locations: England, Australia, and the United States. Women fans who responded said the worst aspect about their soccer team’s apparel is the lack of options and availability. These fans were often frustrated as they wanted to show their identity in supporting women’s sport, and even encourage others to become fans, but frequently found many items out of stock. One participant even said: “I’m trying to spend money and not being able to because items go out of stock very rapidly.” They were also looking for a broader range of sizes, designs, cuts, and fit in their apparel.
Overall, these issues can be related back to supply and demand. When it comes to fan clothing for women’s sport, there is more demand than supply. This is a major issue that can impact the growth of women’s sport, as these items create visibility, exposure, support, and investment in the players and teams. In other cases, there is no demand for what is being supplied. Meaning, the clothing items that are available are not what women sport fans want to wear to show their fandom. Recently, these issues have been addressed through strategies, such as that from the USWNT players association creating their own online store, independent of U.S. Soccer. The new site provides items with a range of designs and sizes, and showcases a support for women’s sport (a good strategy as suggested by these research findings).
To meet the needs of women consumers, organisations must realise that women fans are not “one-size-fits-all” and have varying needs and wants. This starts with recognising that sport fan clothing goes beyond the functional aspect (i.e., wearing clothing to show identification with a team or player), and should be considered a valuable item that communicates meanings about the organisation, and consumers identities and values. Organisations should provide gender neutral items simply designed with the team colour and logo. Items should also come in a wide variety of sizes and fits, as well as embrace a variety of body types in marketing strategies. This presents opportunities to include real fans modelling the clothing items, building a deeper connection and loyalty to the team. Lastly, conduct market research to ask women what they want in their fan clothing and ensure manufacturers can supply desirable items while meeting demand. Organisations must speak with a variety of women that represent the diversity within their fanbase.
So, what do women sport fans want? To feel and look good as fans by their own standards, not a limited, predefined appearance created by the organisations. They want to feel empowered as consumers to show their fandom without having to put their gender first.
This article is part of the 2022 SportBusiness Postgraduate Rankings. To browse the entire report and view the overall tables, click here.