2020 has seen more football clubs transitioning into the esports world than ever, either through creating a competitive gaming brand or marketing. Football is one of the biggest sports in the world, where the Premier League clubs generated a £1.55 billion dollar revenue combined this season.
One major tip-off into why football clubs are turning to esports, is to attract a younger demographic. The average age for a Premier League fan is 42 years old and above. The age bracket for fans of NFL, NHL, NBA and baseball are on average between 40-60 years old.
The majority of esports fans are in their early 20’s, which is appealing for football clubs to ensure longevity and appeal to the next generation of customers.
Entering the world of esports can also act as a hedge for these football clubs against future decline in footballing revenues, as esports is growing increasingly stronger. For clubs reaching a wide and international audience, football games aren’t necessarily the best way to achieve this goal, as they are fairly niche in the esports competitive world.
What some football clubs do is create esports operations across a range of prominent esports titles such as League of Legends, Dota, Pub G, Fortnite, and more. Football clubs such as Schalke, PSG, and FC Copenhagen, have already taken these steps. These football clubs have taken extra steps to invest in the esports industry with higher risk, but the results leads to a wider and more global audience, and greater benefits.