Football fans can give teams a score

Nov 6 2007 by Jule Wilson, The Journal

FOOTBALL fans are to be given the chance to give a score on their own team’s performance in a new research initiative headed by one of the region’s universities.

Following in the footsteps of band Radiohead – whose latest album was released with no official price-tag with their fans being asked to pay what they thought the music was worth – the joint research project will ask football fans to put a figure on each game they see, based on what they thought of it.

Kevin Dixon, a lecturer in sports studies at Teesside University, is heading the study, which he says will explore the lifestyles and attitudes of fans from all of the region’s teams, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Sunderland, Hartlepool and Darlington.

Kevin said: “Football fans in the North-East are renowned for their passion and as part of this project we will examine fans’ honest evaluations of every game this season, giving local fans the chance to speak for themselves instead of people just theorising about them.”

Kevin said the study will focus on each individual’s attitudes and experiences, not only of watching the beautiful game but also reading about it, listening to radio phone-ins about it, talking amongst others about it and purchasing merchandise.

Kevin’s team at the university is currently looking for volunteers to take part in online forum discussions and questionnaires throughout the season.

Kevin went on: “We urge fans to log on to the forum after every match, to tell us how much they thought it was worth and why.

“There is no set number of fans we need to respond before the end of the project. It’s a long-term project which I’ll be carrying on with for two or three years and everyone is welcome to take part, regardless of age, gender or anything else.”

Kevin said he was interested in the spending habits of fans and how they ‘consume’ their football?

He explained: “A few years ago, Sugar Puffs were being endorsed by Kevin Keegan and sales in Sunderland went down. It’s all very interesting.

“But basically we want to know if fans feel they are paying a fair price and whether there is pressure on the next generation of fans in terms of merchandising?

“We want to know if sporting celebrity endorsement is important to those who are passionate about the game, and what qualities are important to people in their celebrity players?”

All interviews will be online, anonymous and confidential and for more information visit http://football.tees.ac.uk/ or email football@tees.ac.uk