“I’m [insert team here] ’til I die”: The opportunity to recruit lifetime value in football fans

Traditionally, the path of a football fan’s ‘consumption’ was mapped out from birth. You followed a team because of where you were born, or because your parents handed down their allegiance. But today’s evolving football landscape presents unique opportunities for marketers to recruit lifetimes’ worth of value in new ways.

An estimated 3.5 billion people around the world consider themselves football fans, and that number is growing thanks to Gen-Z discovering the sport via social media and the rapid rise of women’s football. In fact, 53% of women’s football fans globally have only started following the sport in the last three years.

The 'from-birth fan' is no longer the anchor of football’s growth. Many supporters are the first in their families to follow the game, often entering as adults drawn to high-profile tournaments in non-traditional markets. The question is: how do these new fans decide who to support? Which team, brand, or broadcaster earns their loyalty? There is a world of floating voters eager to be captured. And it’s not just new fans - existing ones are also in play.

In the UK, dissatisfaction with the top flight is rising despite record attendances and broadcast deals. A Betfred survey found that 48% of fans feel the Premier League and its TV partners do not have their best interests at heart, while a Fair Game poll showed 99.4% rejected a proposed Premier League-led “New Deal” that many saw as unfair to lower leagues.

The data doesn’t yet prove fans are switching en masse to lower-league clubs, but anecdotal evidence abounds. Many supporters talk longingly of the pie-and-Bovril matchday experience they grew up with. I know Manchester United and City fans who occasionally attend Stockport County or Macclesfield matches, and others who’ve given up their Premier League season tickets because they feel priced out or alienated. They may never renounce their lifelong clubs, but they might stop lining their pockets.

This shift is most evident among parents taking children to their first football games. Will these kids end up in the sales funnels of global Premier League giants, or be romanced by the community connection offered by smaller clubs? The answer isn’t clear - but the opportunity is.

The cost gap makes the decision even starker. According to the BBC Price of Football, the average Premier League season ticket is around £500–£600 (mine is £912 - thanks Big Jim), with the ‘big six’ often charging £1,000+. By contrast, the average League Two season ticket costs less than £300. For families, the maths is simple: you can watch two or three seasons of lower-league football for the price of one in the Premier League. Add in cheaper food, transport, and merchandise, and it’s clear why loyalty - and disposable income - are being reconsidered.

At both ends of the spectrum - first-time fans entering through social media, or lifelong fans questioning their Premier League relationship - marketers face the same challenge: turning curiosity into loyalty, and loyalty into lifetime value.

Some clubs are seizing this. Bologna FC now gifts every newborn in the city an infant-sized kit, cementing identity from day one. Closer to home, Stockport County’s ‘Kits by County’ initiative provides free PE kits to schools across the borough - a move that supports children and strengthens bonds with future fans.

Smaller clubs also have new tools to compete. Social media levels the playing field: a viral clip, creative kit launch, or behind-the-scenes documentary can earn millions of views worldwide. AFC Wimbledon and Forest Green Rovers have built strong identities by focusing on humour, sustainability, and cultural relevance. Live streaming extends reach beyond the stadium, allowing global supporters to tune in regularly and connect via memberships and merchandise.

The rise of Wrexham AFC is proof of what happens when community-first ethos meets digital storytelling. When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over in 2020, they didn’t just buy a club - they built a narrative. The Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham has drawn millions of new fans, driving shirt sales, global tours, and online engagement that rivals clubs far higher up the pyramid. And yet the story always centres on local voices: the pub landlord, the lifelong supporter, the players grinding in the National League. Wrexham’s access to resources and exposure is an anomaly, but what they have done can be replicated on any scale or budget.

The Manchester Uniteds, Liverpools, and Arsenals of this world were built on local spirit, working-class fanbases, and a sense of togetherness. Somewhere along the way, they outgrew their need to cater for neighbourhood fans. Smaller clubs now have a chance to revive that century-old blueprint.

More than 30 years ago, my dad took me to Old Trafford for my first-ever game - a 2-0 defeat to Leeds in the Youth Cup Final first leg (4-1 on aggregate). He took me and my brother semi-regularly until I could afford my own season ticket. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do the same for my sons, but I won’t let costs stop me giving them a football upbringing.

Some scary maths: my current season ticket is £912. An under-16 ticket is £300. Prices have risen 5% annually for the last three years, so conservatively, by the time my eldest is 10 it could cost £3,024.86 for me and my three boys to have Manchester United season tickets.

They’re probably going to spend some time watching Macclesfield play.

Richard is the author of a free ebook, Marketing to Football Fans: The Complete Guide - download it here https://forms.gle/z2sxhsxNdFAwMJbG7