Analysis Of Consumer Market In Central European Football

Spectator sports have become an integral part of entertainment industry. Football matches attract masses at the specific venue and via television broadcasts, which has given professional football significant business potential in addition to the value of sport. According to professional football’s business model, the sports consumer is in focus – whether they be present at the venue or media consumer –, as they have an effect on all additional business revenues (such as those arising from sponsorship and broadcasting rights, merchandising revenues), and therefore their behavior and attitude are key elements to be studied and understood in order to create and operate successful football in business terms. The matches of major Western European leagues are followed by tens of thousands on the average, while television broadcasts are watched by millions worldwide. In contrast, in the Central European region the average attendance figures of leagues does not even approach 10,000, and also the broadcasting rights are sold within the country borders only for a much smaller amount than in the case of Western European leagues, which generates enormous gaps in the clubs’ budget. A look at the revenues of Western European teams during the past decades shows dynamic growth, and the budgets of specific clubs exceed the revenues of Central European leagues in total. This study is seeking to answer what factors contribute to the fact that the average attendance figures of matches in Central European Leagues lag far behind that of Western European competitors, as well as what factors influence the habits of spectators and media consumers, if they have any expectations from the matches when watching it in the stadium or on television. Is it possible that the televised broadcasts of Western European top leagues withhold the supporters of Central European teams from visiting the venues of matches, focusing most of the attention to the Big Five Leagues, which trend will further increase in the future? In order to answer the questions of the research a secondary study was conducted that included the determination of the scale if European football market, as well as the processing of average attendance figures of leagues, revenues of clubs and previously created supporter motivation scales. Base on the results professional football has been concluded to be a strongly increasing product of European entertainment industry, however a huge gap has developed between the Western and Central European leagues in recent years. World-class players, quality performance and entertainment are concentrated in Western European leagues, which was further intensified by such major events in the 1990s as changes in the political regime of Central European states, Champions League series launched in 1992 or the Bosman ruling introduced in 1995. Nowadays – through broadcasting on various sports channels – Western European football matches have become part of our everyday life, and therefore these interested can encounter top football day by day, compared to which Hungarian football lags far behind in terms of quality. This is why – from among supporter motivation factors – players in this region need to focus on community building, sense of belonging to a community or team, which can generate a loyal supporter base sticking to the specific club that may serve as a foundation for business-based operation.