NFL 101: Understanding the Female
Market for Professional Football
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WOMEN’S CAMP
Amanda Cornell, Brooke Davis, Nathaniel J. Guralski, and Dr. Scott Swanson | Marketing and Management
The proliferation of alternative and competing sports has heightened competition for attendance, television revenue, and sponsorship dollars.
The result has been a reinvigorated focus on satisfying fans and executing sound marketing. Perhaps not surprisingly, a wealth of this new
marketing effort has been directed toward female spectators with novel approaches to build female fan bases such as NFL 101 camps. We
collected primary data from a National Football League market development event for women. The study assessed: 1) attitudes towards the
team and event, 2) specific outcomes related to attendance at the event, 3) motivations for attending the event, 4) behavioral intentions towards
the team and team sponsors, and 5) respondent demographics. Based on our analyses we provide an overview of attitudes and opinions
regarding the market development event. In addition, a number of significant relationships are identified.
Methodology
Sample: For this study, 199 women that attended a NFL 101 Philadelphia Women’s Camp were given a self-completion questionnaire at the
end of the workshop. Respondent ages ranged from 18 to 65 years old (mean = 37.7, SD =9.7). Marital status included single (45.7%),
married (47.3%), divorced (5.9%), and widowed (1.1%). There was a wide range of reported household incomes ($20,000 to $600,000) with
an average of $76,991.60. The majority of these women reported a relatively high level of education with 18.6% having had some college,
37.2% who were college graduates, and 22.9% who had postgraduate degrees. The number of games the women attended in the past year
ranged from 0-11 with the mean being 1.62. Most of the respondents were not season ticketholders (84.4%). There was a wide range for the
time spent to drive to the workshop, ranging from 1-160 minutes (mean = 36.53).
Evaluation of Season Ticket Holders vs. Non-season Ticket Holders
• To identify potential additional
insights in the data we conducted a
number of analyses investigating
similarities
and
differences
between season ticket holders vs.
non season ticket holders. First we
looked at the important factors of
why the respondent reportedly
attended the Eagle’s Workshop.
The only statistically significant
finding (p = .027) was that the
season ticket holders wanted to
meet the coaches and players more
than those that were non season
ticket holders.
Workshop Attendance Factors by Ticket Holder Status
7
6.55
6.5
5.84
6
5.85
5.83
5.68
5.45
5.5
5.21
5
4.77
4.35
4.5
4
3.58
3
I wanted to learn I wanted to learn I wanted to learn
Learning more Will help me spend My family/friends I wanted to meet
more about the
more about the more about the NFL about Eagle's
time with my
encouraged me the players/coach
game of football Philadelphia Eagles
football will help boyfriend/husband
me converse with
my family
37.2%
22.9%
25
18.6%
15.4%
15
10
47.30%
5
3.7%
2.1%
• Regarding perceptions of the
actual workshop we found no
statistically
significant
differences (p > .05) on any of the
measured variables between
season ticket holders vs. non
season ticket holders.
Non Season Ticket Holders
6.5
6.06
6
5.97
5.77
ON A SCALE OF 1-7
30
20
It sounded fun
Workshop Evaluation by Ticket Holder Status
35
45.70%
3.45
3.5
Season Ticket Holders
40
5.90% 1.10%
4.09
4.04
Education Level
Marital Status
6.49
6.26
6.16
ON A SCALE OF 1-7
Introduction
5.71
5.58
5.74
5.56
5.42
5.5
5.9 5.88
5.87 5.86
5.82
5.55
5.52
5.42
5.26
5.24
5
4.69
0
Attended High
School
Single
High School
Graduate
Some College
Married
Trade or
Vocational
School
College
Graduate
4.42
4.5
Postgraduate
Degree
4.26
4.23
4
• This graph illustrates that some of
the less favorable aspects offered
from the workshop include the
history of football and the teaching
of official’s signals during NFL
games. Although all items averaged
above the scale midpoints, findings
indicate that the Eagles should
spend more time on things such as
the stadium tour and the teaching of
the use of equipment in the NFL.
• This data suggests that the
workshop is positively influencing
women to attend more games, buy
more Eagle’s merchandise, visit the
Eagle’s website, and watch more
games on television. The Eagles
should ensure that the website is
favorable for both men and women
especially since 70% of NFL
merchandise purchasing is done by
women.
5.89
5.83
6
5.77
5.25
5.5
4.7
5
4.5
3.99
3.97
4
3.5
3
Increased
Knowledge of
Game
Increased
Knowledge of
Eagles
Increased
Knowledge NFL
Increased
Conversation
with Family
Help Spend Time
Family
with Husband
Encouragment
Meet the
Player/Coaches
Sounded Fun
Importance of Factors in Deciding to Attend Workshop
Workshop Evaluation
6.5
6
5.98
5.8
5.78
5.54
5.56
5.39
5.5
5.88
5.86
5.29
5
4.62
4.39
4.5
4
Meal
Staduim
Tour
Knowledge Appreciation Understand History of
of Football of Game
Football
Football
Strategy
Knowledge Understand Understand Understand
Enjoy
of Eagles Equipment Rules of NFL Offical's
Watching
Team
Signals
Game
Level of Agreement
6
5.5
6.17
5.63
5.4
5.31
4.92
5
4.5
5.28
5.2
4.35
4.32
4.52
4.38
4
attend game encourage buy Eagle's
watch
watch other listen to buy Eagle's
next season friend to season tickts Eagle's
NFL TV
Eagles merchandise
attend
games on tv
games on
Eagle's
radio
home game
visit the
Eagle's
website
Non Season Ticket holders
Behavioral Outcomes of Workshop by Ticket Holder Status
7
6.53
6.43
6.33
6.5
6.12
5.97
6
5.5
Helped me to I will enjoy
understand
watching
the signals games more
given by the
officials
6.2
6.03
6.07
5.97
5.46
5.22
5.17
5.13
5.33
5.3
5.06
5
4.9
4.68
4.5
4.21
4.04
4.37
4.2
4
3.5
Attend an Encourage a Buy Eagle's Watch Eagle's Watch other
Listen to
Buy Eagle's
Eagle's home
friend to season tickets games on tv NFL games Eagle's games merchandise
game next
attend an
on the radio
season
Eagle's home
game
Season Ticket holders
Visit the
Eagle's
website
Purchase
Purchase
purposely
Eagle's tickets products from look for
on the web companies merchandise
that sponsor
sold by
Eagle's
companies
football
that sponsor
Eagle's
football
Non Season Ticket Holders
Recommendations
After analyzing the data collected from the NFL 101 Women’s workshop, the Philadelphia Eagles should consider the following
recommendations:
Because of Attending the NFL 101 Workshop for Women "I am
more likely to…"
6.5
Helped me Increased my Increased my Increased my Increased my
understand knowledge of knowledge of understanding understanding
football
the history of the Eagles
of the
about the
strategy
football
team
equipment rules of NFL
better
used by the
football
players
Season Ticket Holders
ON A SCALE OF 1-7
MEANS ON A SCALE OF 1-7
• The data suggests that women are
most likely to attend the workshop
because it sounded fun. Other
important factors to consider when
promoting the workshop would be
women wanting to increase their
knowledge of the game and the
Philadelphia Eagles.
6.5
6.5
MEANS ON A SCALE OF 1-7
Workshop Overview
7
MEANS ON A SCALE 1-7
Findings
Important Factors When Deciding to Attend Workshop
• Overall the season ticket
holders of the Philadelphia
Eagles were found to be more
loyal fans compared to nonseason
ticket
holders.
Statistically
significant
differences included attending
an Eagles game next season (p
= .001), encouraging a friend to
attend games (p = .004),
watching other NFL games (p =
.017), listening to Eagle’s
games on the radio (p = .001),
and visiting the Eagle’s website
(p = .045 ). This is important
for the Eagles to consider when
designing future workshops.
They should consider focusing
more attention on building
season ticket holders since those
women were more willing to
spend additional
time and
money on their relationship
with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The meal was The tour of
Increase
Greater
enjoyable
the stadium knowledge of appreciation
was very
football
of game
enjoyable
purchase
purchase purposely
Eagle's
producs
look for
tickets from Eagle's merchandise
sponsors
sold by
Eagle's
sponsors
• They should modify the survey so that it asks workshop attendees if there was anything not offered that they wish would have been. This
addition to the survey could increase the satisfaction for the women that attend the workshop in the future by offering more favorable aspects
to women.
• The Philadelphia Eagles should motivate their sponsors to get more involved with the participants at the NFL 101 camp. Due to the fact that
women make 70% of the decisions regarding purchase of NFL branded merchandise, it would be very beneficial for the sponsors to appeal
to these women so that in the future they would look for more of the sponsor’s merchandise.
• The Philadelphia Eagles should modify their website so that it is more appealing to men and women. After visiting the site, the overall
content was geared for the male audience. They also do not advertise the NFL Women’s Camp anywhere on the website. Advertising it on
their website could increase the number of attendants at the workshops.
We thank the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supporting this research, and Learning & Technology Services for printing this poster.