The demand for women's league soccer in Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACTResearch question: Given growing skepticism regarding the future of women's soccer in Germany, research presented here aims to fill a gap in research and explores demand functions for the German women's top division, the Frauen-Bundesliga (FBL).Research methods: FBL attendance data for 1848 matches from the seasons 1998/1999 to 2011/2012 are analyzed by employing fixed effects panel regressions.Results and findings: Aggregate attendance has increased substantially over the period examined. However, there is no continuous growth of attendance at the club level. Consumers’ loyalty appears to play a dominant role for FBL attendance but consumer demand responds to the quality of the involved teams, the relevance of matches for championship outcomes as well as costs and weather conditions. Host site characteristics appear to play a minor role. Moreover, women's soccer might represent an inferior good. While national team performance does not affect league attendance, the more aggressive marketing strategy for the home World Cup in 2011 might have served to create a short-term boost in attendance.Implications: More aggressive marketing strategies might be able to increase attendance. However, given the dominant role of habit persistence for FBL attendance, such marketing strategies have to be accompanied by efforts of FBL teams to build and expand a sustainable fan base.