Drivers of football fan engagement in MENA: Additional activities and resources

Professor Sue Bridgewater

Sitting at your desk, you wonder where to begin on a report you have been asked to write on football fan engagement in MENA. You have been asked to analyse the secondary data which exists and to make fully evidenced proposals on what is important to MENA football fans and to present ideas on what might grow the number of fans who attend football matches in the region. You know that there is the potential also to do primary data collection, but only if there is information which you need which is not in existing reports. Opening the Josoor Institute report on MENA football fans you begin to look at some of the findings (See Section 2). Re-reading your notes from the briefing meeting, you recall the key questions which you need to answer: • Would you expect local citizens and expatriate fans in the region to have similar interest and reasons for engaging with MENA football teams? What, if any, might be differences in why they engage? • MENA fans often support both local and other teams around the world. Would you