Singapore – With many Singaporeans following international leagues such as the English Premier League, a majority indicated they could also be encouraged to watch local football, given the right motivation. This was revealed in a recent survey from Yahoo and YouGov, conducted as part of the Season 2 launch of Yahoo’s Footballing Weekly.
While this is a widely held belief amongst Singaporeans (40%) in the study with 40% remaining neutral, there are slight differences amongst generations with older cohorts such as baby boomers (45%) and Gen X (43%) particularly standing tall as advocates of football’s significance, believing that football is important and influential to the culture and identity of Singapore.
Meanwhile, younger generations such as millennials (35%) and Gen Z (37%) trail slightly behind their older counterparts in this sentiment.
The study also revealed that while only 35% say they currently support local football clubs or the national team, 70% would be encouraged to support a local football club or the national team if at least one of their criteria was fulfilled; the top three criteria identified were talented and skilled players (35%), their hobby or interest (30%); and a strong team spirit (28%).
Moreover, while existing support for local football is equal across generations (Gen Z 36%; Millennials 35%; Gen X 26%; Baby Boomers 34%), younger generations may be key to further fuelling the flames of the country’s passion towards the sport. Gen Z (80%) and Millennials (72%) lead the pack, above the national average (70%), in being potentially interested in local football, citing personal interest as the top criteria.
The survey also showed that Singaporeans who support the national team or local clubs are more optimistic about the country’s aspirations for the Unleash the Roar! project – a bid to develop a national squad that could qualify for the 2034 World Cup. Local football fans (39%) believe that Singapore will be represented at the world’s biggest sporting event within the next 10 years, while only 9% of those who identify as non-supporters agree.
Fans who indicated their support for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) have a different take: 45% of SPL supporters believe that their partner, spouse, or family should support the same football team, compared to fans of other leagues such as Serie A (35%), UEFA Europa League (34%), Bundesliga (31%), UEFA Champions League (29%), La Liga (29%), and EPL (26%).
Aligning with this sentiment that football, especially local football, is a friends and family affair, respondents indicated that strong community engagements (26%), friend and family support (21%), and a strong team spirit (28%) are amongst the factors that will encourage them to support the local football scene.
Despite their love for the beautiful game, fans are split when it comes to paying to attend live matches. Nearly half (45%) of Singaporeans will not want to attend a live match if they have to pay, whether it involves a top European football club or the Singapore national team at the Singapore National Stadium.
Out of those that were willing to pay to attend a match, respondents were willing to pay more to attend a match involving a top European football club as compared to the Singapore national team: 16% would be willing to pay more than $100 for a top European football club, while only 7% would be willing to pay the same price for the Singapore national team.
The study also revealed that Singaporeans are mixed when it comes to catching the action away from the sidelines: 45% said they tune in to watch live matches online or on TV, with almost a third of respondents (32%) spending up to three hours a week catching up on the game and reliving each important aspect. Meanwhile, 55% said they do not watch live football matches online or on TV.
Chia Han Keong, co-host of Yahoo’s Footballing Weekly and Yahoo editor, said, “Football, after all, is a team sport requiring every player to understand their roles and help his teammates. In Singapore, whether you watch or play football, it builds a community bond that few other sports can manage, and that passion and camaraderie shows up in the findings of this survey.”
He added, “As the first whistle blows on this year’s Yahoo Footballing Weekly, we wanted to take a deeper dive into the perspectives, behaviours, and attitudes of Singaporeans towards football. The insights uncovered are enlightening especially as we ponder on the current state and future fortunes of Singapore football. As a nation, we have always loved the sport, but there is clearly a long way to go before the national team can taste sweet success.”
