Football is increasingly losing fans in the stadiums

Everyone knows it from television - football lives from its fans. It is not uncommon for a team that is lagging behind to make progress by chanting and singing from fans. After the match, football players often reveal in interviews that the support of the fans in the stadium has once again released the last reserves of strength - but this important backing could soon dwindle further and further. In many stadiums, even at important Bundesliga matches or matches between national teams, numerous ranks are already completely empty. Often the occupancy rate of individual stadiums is significantly less than 50%. What are the reasons for this? It is not one single cause but a sum of various factors that have occurred in recent years. More information here.

Pay TV is using licences from the various leagues to win over fans In recent years almost all major football leagues have been shown live on Pay TV. Through gigantic advertising campaigns, it is psychologically suggested to football fans that they don't miss a thing and can experience all the matches from home. "All games, all goals" is a slogan that many will know. Yet this is no longer completely correct, because the licences for the transmission of the individual leagues and football matches are postponed again and again. For the consumer, it is becoming increasingly unclear which provider will broadcast the desired games. Sky as well as competitors from the streaming sector via the internet have competed for licences. The fan at home is relatively indifferent. Depending on which Pay TV provider they choose, they are given the opportunity to follow all important games live. The whole thing can be done comfortably from the living room or bedroom at home without having to leave the house. This is a convenience that used to be available on public television, but the technology has changed more and more.

Viewers and fans prefer to sit in front of the TV at home The development of being able to enjoy a large-screen television within one's own four walls for relatively little money brings the stadium atmosphere into the living room. In addition, there is the improvement of the television signal to High Definition - HD TV for short - and various types of reception and transmission for conurbations as well as rural areas. Nowadays, football matches can be enjoyed in crystal clear quality from the comfort of your home couch via cable, satellite or the internet. Depending on your personal preference, you can add an audio system to your home setup. The spectator is at home with all-round sound and fan choirs in the background almost as "live" as in the stadium. This picture certainly does not apply to all football fans, and for many there is nothing comparable to being present at the stadium. However, the development of technology has contributed to the fact that fans no longer actually go outside in every weather and every game. The possibilities are manifold and you can really feel like you're right in the middle of the action thanks to the most modern cameras and always new possibilities to move the spectator from at home felt right into the stadium.

The costs for a visit to the stadium must be paid for One of the reasons that seems banal but actually plays a role is the cost of visiting the stadium. Depending on the club, up to €70 must be spent on a seat in the first Bundesliga football league in Germany. Tickets for standing room are much cheaper and cost between €10 and €20. But no matter which category a fan goes for, one must consider the total costs. Nobody lives right next to the stadium, so there are travel costs and of course the costs for food. The bottom line is that a visit to the stadium in one evening can cost between $50 to €100 or more. Many cannot afford this regularly. Even with sworn-in fans it remains therefore rather on single days or weekends on which one can treat oneself to such an event. There are season tickets, true, but even the season tickets can be afforded by only the fewest fans. If you take a look at the costs of season tickets, you can see that in the past season eight Bundesliga clubs increased their costs significantly. On average that was more than €30, which was to be borne by the fans as a price increase. The tendency is rising - the costs for the fans increase slightly annually. It is therefore not surprising that more and more spectators are staying away from the stadium and watching the match in front of their TV sets at home.