Majority of sport fans prefer home comforts
THEY say you can’t beat being there, but a majority of people prefer to watch major sports events from their armchair, according to a new survey.
As our rugby heroes prepare to take on France in Marseilles on Friday in their Six Nations opener, it seems most fans are not bothered about being in the stadium, as 58% prefer to watch it on their sofa.
While watching major sporting events at home is comfortably the top choice, a quarter of those surveyed would prefer to be in the stadium, according to a new Aviva Ireland poll of 1,000 people about their preference.
A further 12% want to watch these events in the pub, and another 5% would opt for a friend or family member’s house.
The study found men are more likely than women to watch the event in the flesh. Of those who prefer the stadium, the majority are men, while three times as many women (15%) than men (5%) prefer to watch at home with other family members, highest among those aged 25-34 at 16%.
Some 13% of those aged 25-34 prefer to watch these games at a friend or family member’s home, while 12% of both sexes chose the pub as their top location – highest amongst those aged 25-34.
‘It is no great surprise that for the majority of those surveyed, their favourite place to watch a major rugby or soccer match is in the comfort of their own home,’ said Caroline Cummins, from Aviva Ireland.
‘It allows them [to] better see the game – with more angles/ views, they can pause the match for whatever reason, see the replays and enjoy the benefit of the live commentary as well.
‘However, despite that you might not catch every move in the game, there is nothing that can beat the atmosphere of enjoying a game live, particularly when your team is on a winning streak.’
She added: ‘Fans watching the match in the stadium can provide hugely important support for their team and can also boo poor or bad decisions made occasionally by referees.’
Ms Cummins also said it is ‘fair to say that watching major sporting events at home or in the stadium offer completely different experiences’, adding: ‘From the results of the survey, the choice is in part-driven by the age of the respondents, with older sports fans more likely to opt for the comfort of their own homes.’
Despite the findings, Irish fans continue to pack into stadiums to show their support.
Last year, League of Ireland soccer attendances rose by 20%, with more than 135,000 people attending domestic matches across all the divisions of the competition.
In the Premier Division, attendance rose by almost 23% as more than 500,000 people attended topflight matches last year.
A total of 596,196 fans entered through the turnstiles compared to 486,365 the previous year, while average attendance also rose, from 2,687 to 3,294.
‘Nothing can beat live atmosphere’