The accessibility of grassroots football is built for Gen Z Engagement 📈
This week we're looking at why Premier League ticket price increases will drive Gen Z fans to grassroots teams as they look for a new home.
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Working in football I’m privileged to have experienced some crazy live games. However, before I worked in the industry watching these events was a myth. I'm not from a background where I had ticket access through family. And I didn’t come from a place where I could justify spending mad amounts of money on tickets.
Premier League ticket prices have risen by an average of 6.7% according to the Football Supporters’ Association. Crystal Palace are the only club out of last seasons Premier League members who did not raise prices for the 24/25 season. Whilst Versus have also highlighted that concession tickets are being phased out. These increases to supporters lead to negligible increases in revenue for clubs. In this current economic climate, increasing prices is wild. It further increases the barriers to entry for Gen Z.
Young people still want to experience your product in person. That’s how you build a genuine emotional connection between clubs and fans.
Another touch point for Gen Z’s engagement with a club is content. But when you scroll through YouTube it feels like a copy and paste approach between clubs. There’s a distinct lack of personality despite clubs having a unique history and stories to tell. There’s also a growing over-reliance on players’ profiles to generate engagement. As a result clubs don’t have a unique identity that is communicated or one that resonates with Gen Z.
When Prime Glazers were ruining Man United for me, I disconnected from the club. So I got my football fix through SE Dons. The storylines, character development and commentary from Don Strapzy is elite. It felt like I was watching The Office (US ofc). I also don’t think there’s a club who tap into their hilarious archive better than them anywhere in football. The way they’ll recycle old vlog clips for fans entertainment mid video needs to be studied.
SE Dons sit on 240K subscribers which is crazy considering they were formed just 10 years ago. It ranks them 17th when comparing to current Premier League clubs’ YouTube channels. SE Dons have taken a South London story global.
I’m also a huge fan of what Baiteze have built over the years. I equally feel connected to what they’re building. SE Dons have now made the transition to non-league, similar to Hashtag. But when all three were grassroots teams they both had unique identities which resonated with Gen Z audiences for different reasons.
This summer just gone I went to the London Cup Final between Baiteze and SE Dons. With the quality of the game and energy in the stadium it was crazy to think I was watching a Sunday League game. Tickets were only £5 and there was an attendance of 3,000 which is mental.
Majority of these fans were young fans. Gen Z still want to watch live football. Don’t believe the headlines.
When I was last at a PL club there was a stat that said the average PL match attendee was a 41-year old male. I can only see it skewing more this way if things continue the way they are. Premier League clubs have no right to complain about Gen Z’s disengagement with football. Especially when Gen Z’s barriers to entry keep increasing.
It’s no surprise that last week Angry Ginge started his own Sunday League series. One of the UK’s biggest streamers is leveraging his huge following to tap into grassroots. Titled, ‘WE ARE YANITED’, it profiles Ginge’s journey as a coach for a team he played for as a kid. The first episode is about to hit 900K views in just 4 days which shows Gen Z’s appetite for the content. It will be exciting to see his vision for the club moving forwards. Once Ginge builds an infrastructure expect to see Gen Z travelling to games. In favour of the elite clubs that have priced them out.
Grassroots platforms like SE Dons, Baiteze, Top Baller, 5IVE Guys FC have all proven their ability to connect with Gen Z IRL. Whilst also growing engaged communities online. These platforms will be the opportunity for brands wanting to activate amongst Gen Z in football.
To celebrate 4 years of their partnership with GDK, SE Dons recently announced The DON Burger. Which will be available in all GDK restaurants across the UK. This expansion suggests the partnership has been beneficial for the GDK brand. GDK is a global franchise. With their revenues they could easily sponsor a Premier League team. But SE Dons present a more attractive option for engaging Gen Z.
As young fans increasingly disconnect from elite football due to the lack of access. Grassroots accessibility will carry on building hyper-engaged communities amongst Gen Z.
Grassroots > Premier League.