Football club insights from 18 years of search trends: read more to understand football's growing popularity and the practical benefits for top-tier clubs.
Lóránt Erős
Digital Strategist
This article is part of our Football Club DDD blog series, where we showcase key insights from our comprehensive Digital Due Diligence focusing on the top 15 European football clubs. Read on to discover the practical benefits that such an analysis can provide for top-tier football clubs.
KEY POINTS:
The world’s love and interest in football has steadily risen over the past 18 years, only taking a notable dip during the 2020 pandemic.
The English Premier League is a major force behind this growth, with 7 of the top 15 most valuable club brands.
Since 2015, search trends show a significant surge in interest for the Premier League.
Despite the pandemic dip, football's overall popularity shows a clear upward trajectory.
The World’s No. 1 Sport: Analyzing Global Trends
Football is not losing popularity – quite the contrary. Looking at the big picture, we see a steady climb in global interest over the past 18 years, with search trends reflecting this passion.
Relative popularity of football on Search (worldwide)
The Digital Due Diligence revealed that the term “football” has become increasingly popular worldwide, with the only significant drop occurring during the 2020 global pandemic. This growth trend indicates a sustained and growing interest in football globally, with major events like the World Cup further fueling the fire.
Speaking of fire, Europe's top professional leagues, particularly the English Premier League, have seen a significant rise in interest over the past decade. No wonder! 7 of the top 15 most valuable football club brands are from the Premier League, showcasing its undeniable influence and appeal in the football world.
Level of interest in TOP professional leagues from EUROPE (Yearly)
Here's an extra tidbit: The Premier League remains the most represented league within the top 50, with a whopping 18 clubs in the top 50. That's 43% of the total brand value!
In conclusion, the DDD paints a clear picture: football's global popularity is rising. Despite a temporary dip during the pandemic, search trends reveal a sustained and growing interest in the beautiful game. The English Premier League stands out as a major driver of this growth, attracting fans worldwide with some of the most valuable clubs in existence. By leveraging Digital Due Diligence, clubs can gain valuable insights into their global audience and develop targeted strategies to further engage their passionate fanbase.
The present analysis utilises data collected in July 2022. While there are other historically significant European clubs, such as AC Milan, AFC Ajax, and SL Benfica, the analysis focuses on the top 15 football clubs based on Brand Finance's Football 50 (2021) report.
While this blog series showcases the core pillars of our DDD methodology, it is important to note that it represents a snapshot based on data collected in July 2022. Our complete analysis, customised for your organisation, includes an in-depth examination of business-specific data and offers a detailed perspective of your industry landscape.
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