A Study of Football Consumption in Nigeria [Market Size, Consumers Culture, Changing Behavioral Patterns and Factors Influencing Them]

Football Consumption in Nigeria is a complex spectrum to look at, because there's no clear distinction who a football consumer real is, whether the player or the fan; whether the football club or corporate brands, it all depends from the angle you are looking at it from.

Football for instance, provide entertainment for fans, provide good health and jobs for players at different levels. That means both players and fans are great consumers of the sport. Players consume sportswears and training equipment as well as other health supplements to keep fit. Yet they play to entertain fans and can easily switch from being player to becoming a fan. So, it depends on the angle you want to look at it.

Size of Football Market in Nigeria
In this study, we are looking at it from the angle of fans and corporate brands as the core consumers of the sport. Football has followers in Nigeria estimated to be over 80 million fans (active and latent consumers), which hold spellbound the attention of over 10 thousand corporate brands, who want to associate with the sport in one way or another  to reach the same consumers for their benefits.

Football Shows
Football shows are staged at various levels in Nigeria to bring entertainment to consumers normally called fans or spectators... Locally, here in Nigeria, at the professional level, we have: Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL),  Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Nationwide League (NWL), competitions like Federations cup, Super Six...

At continental level: CAf Champions League, CAF Cup, African Cup of Nations, West Africa Football Union (WAFU Cup)

Nigeria has 48 registered professional clubs and eight age level national teams. Men national teams include: Super Eagles, Dream team (U23), Flying Eagles (U 21), Golden Eaglets (U16); while the women national team include: Super Falcons, Olympic team, Flamingoes. Nigeria also has the National Women Football League (NWFL), which evolves into playoff and the Federations Cup too.

Satellite tv transmits European football to Nigeria, premier League,  Laliga, Bundesliga, Seria A...

Distribution of Football in Nigeria
There are 61 stadia in Nigeria, 49 terrestrial television stations, Satellite tv providers largely dominated by DStv, penultimately Kwese tv, paid terrestrial options such as GOtv, StarTimes, that provide platforms to consume this highly passionate football entertainment.  The provision of satellite pay tv has snowball into 500,000 thousands viewing centers (Popularly referred to as stadium next door)...and over 15,000 sports betting shops across the country.

Of course, hundreds of radio stations, newspapers/magazines and hundreds of thousands social media platforms. online streamings, bring football closer to the consumers.

Fans Consumption Pattern
70% of fans in Nigeria consume football  through satellite pay tv in Viewing centers, Sports Restaurants and households. Only about 25% still go to the stadium sporadically.

Most Nigerian fans consume more of English Premier League and UEFA Champions league than local leagues or other leagues in the world.

Fans follow most top flight league in Europe: Pl, Laliga, Bundesliga, Itialian Seria A... They not only pay to watch the matches at viewing centers, they stake money to predict outcomes of matches (Sports Betting) as well as purchase their favorite club kits and other memorabilia (Merchandizing)

Fans Culture
Fans will rather not watch at home alone, but go to a viewing centers where they can enjoy a stadium feel and interact with other fans. Fans join their favorite team's fans club, wear their kits to informal work place to argue with opponent fans and share their loyality.

In Nigeria their are various Premiership teams fan clubs; prominent among them are Chelsea fans club, Arsenal fans Club, Manchester United fans club, FCBarcelona fans club...

Hardly will you find such active fans followership in the local league, expect for teams like Kano Pillars and Enyimba that has considerable following. Research also shows there are lots of latent or inactive fans of Enugu Rangers and 3SC.

The senior men national team, Super Eagles, U17 national team, Golden Eaglets and the senior  women national team, Super Falcons are such big brands in Nigeria and beyond, but fans support the national teams only when they are doing well, but immediately distance themselves and call them names when things are not going too well for the national team.