Fan survey for the KNVB

KNVB Expertise is a joint initiative of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), Eredivisie CV (ECV), Coöperatie Eerste Divisie (CED), and Federatie van Betaald voetbal Organisaties (FBO). It is a knowledge center for Dutch professional football and is committed to further developing and professionalizing professional football.

In order to take the right steps toward professionalization, it is important to gain insight into the wishes, needs, and satisfaction of fans with regard to topics such as appreciation of the atmosphere in the stadium, catering, communication, safety, and the club's social involvement. For this reason, KNVB Expertise conducts an annual fan survey, which we have been carrying out since 2020. This survey maps the match experience of all soccer fans in the Netherlands on an annual basis.

However, the 2020–2021 season is an exception due to the COVID-19 situation. The first survey, in which virtually all clubs participated, has therefore become a Corona edition of the fan survey. In order to make the survey as valuable as possible for all participating football clubs, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research was chosen. The qualitative research served as a preliminary study. Eight exploratory interviews were conducted with supporters of clubs from both the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie to find out what is going on and thus determine the starting point.

Based on these interviews, an online questionnaire was drawn up in collaboration with KNVB Expertise and all professional football organizations (BVO's) in the Netherlands, which the clubs distributed among their own fan base. Between February 1, 2021, and March 28, 2021, a total of 42,956 fans participated in the survey. We developed an online dashboard for all clubs, allowing them to dive into the results at any time and make their own cross-references and analyses. The dashboard includes a benchmark of all professional football organizations in the Netherlands and a benchmark per division for the clubs, so that the results can actually be given a value.

“With the help of Markteffect we Markteffect able Markteffect take the next step in providing feedback on the results of the fan survey. The new dashboards give professional football clubs even better insight into the needs of their fans. The qualitative groundwork also ensured that we were able to conduct a valuable survey even during the coronavirus pandemic.” 
Tijn Koolen, Junior Club Advisor Professional Football

During this season, which was played under strict measures to curb the pandemic, many matches were played without an audience. It appears that fans miss the atmosphere in the stadium the most, but that the excitement of the match can also be felt at home on the couch and that most people can follow the excitement of the match at home on the couch. Despite only a handful of matches being open to the public, a large majority say they are likely or certain to renew their season tickets. The fans understand the situation and remain confident in their club. According to the majority of fans, the club is doing everything it can to keep them involved.

In recent years, we have all been confronted with a great deal of uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Because soccer clubs are heavily dependent on the support of their fans, this uncertainty was greater in soccer than in many other sectors. As a researcher and sports enthusiast, it is therefore special when you can use research to alleviate this uncertainty. We are therefore proud that we have been able to use these insights to provide KNVB Expertise with tools to advise clubs during these difficult times."
Krijn Vugts, Research Consultant, Markteffect

Starting in the 2021–2022 season, the fan survey will be set up as a monitor so that developments can be tracked over time.