ForSoccer shares YouGov data highlighting soccer gamers as a prime marketing segment

The GIST: Last week, ForSoccer highlighted data from a recent YouGov dataset on the marketing potential of soccer fans that play video games. The insights illustrate how these avid fans are savvy and uniquely receptive to brands active in the space — something to consider as new titles like Rematch gain popularity. We got this.

🎮 Many active gamers are here for sports, especially soccer. Among those who have bought or played video games in the last six months, 28% consider sports their preferred gaming genre compared to the 10% national average. Among this gaming audience, 17% considers soccer a core sport they follow compared to 9% nationally.

⚽ Soccer fans are primed to pick up the controller. They’re more likely to be avid gamers than the general population: 53% of them have played video games in the last six months compared to 44% nationally, and 44% of footy fans bought at least one video game in that period compared to 35% overall.

🚀 The overlap between soccer fans and gamers should be a core audience for marketers. There’s an estimated audience of 8.1M that checks off all the boxes above: People who play and purchase games, consider soccer a core sport, and prefer sports video games.

• This audience skews younger, more male, more diverse, and wealthier than the general population: 89% are Gen Z or millennials, and there are higher percentages of Black and Hispanic gamers relative to the general population. This aligns with ForSoccer’s 2024 data on soccer’s diversifying fandom.

• Among these hyper-invested soccer fans, 62% view brands that sponsor their leagues and teams more favorably compared to 23% nationally. That’s a 170% boost in brand favorability, making it arguably one of the most primed audiences in sports marketing. The pitch sells itself.