Football fans support community sports, but club foundations stay under the radar
Football has long been celebrated for its power to bring people together by uniting fans, creating shared experiences, and inspiring change beyond the pitch. But new research conducted by Obsurvant, in partnership with Walk92, reveals a surprising gap: while fans overwhelmingly believe in the value of community sports programmes, many remain unaware of the vital work their clubs’ charitable foundations do.
Football fans across the UK share in their belief that community sports programmes play a vital role in tackling social issues. Nearly four in five supporters (78%) say they believe these programmes are effective in addressing challenges such as youth engagement, social inclusion, and health and wellbeing.
However, while the appetite for impact is clear, awareness of football foundations’ work is surprisingly low. Only 50% of fans make the connection between professional clubs and their charitable foundations at all, and among younger supporters (18–24s), this figure drops significantly. Even more striking, just 24% of fans could name a single project run by a foundation, with many of that 24% going on to name campaigns that are not directly related to club charities, such as Kick It Out or Marcus Rashford’s food bank efforts.
The research also reveals confusion over funding. While almost one in four fans assume clubs contribute directly to their foundations, this rises to nearly 30% among regular match-goers. Supporters have strong opinions on what clubs should be doing financially:
- 81% of Premier League fans say clubs should be funding their foundations.
- 56% of the same fan group believe clubs should contribute more than they currently do.
Despite low awareness, there is huge untapped potential for fan involvement. Two-thirds of fans have never volunteered or donated to their club’s foundation, yet 61% say they’d like to in the future.
These insights underscore the importance of Walk92’s mission, championing and supporting football foundations to ensure their incredible community work gets the recognition, funding, and backing it deserves.
At Obsurvant, we’re proud to have supported Walk92 with this research, leveraging our tailored polling solutions to capture a representative, data-driven picture of fan perceptions.
Each month we allocate budget to enable non profit organisations access research and data. By making high-quality research accessible and actionable, we help organisations like Walk92 turn data into change.
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