Hosting major US sporting fixtures has cemented London’s position as an international sports hub – and the perception of the UK has improved for fans who attended the events.
That’s according to a study published in October by online ticket company StubHub which looked at sales data ahead of the 2019 NFL London Games.
This year London hosted the NBA regular-season match between the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks at The O2 in January. And for the first time baseball arrived on UK soil with the Boston Red Sox taking on rivals New York Yankees in two MLB matches at the London Stadium in June.
In October and November American football has once again been on the London sporting calendar. Two NFL games were played at Tottenham and two are taking place at Wembley.
The StubHub study found that fans from 43 countries are expected to attend the NFL London games, with the top countries being the UK, US, Germany, France and Switzerland.
Also, the vast majority of fans state a significantly-improved perception of the UK since previously attending the London NFL Games – 80% of US fans, 68% of German fans, 78% of French fans and 77% of Swiss fans agree with the statement.
Silver lining
Speaking to Sports Tourism Media at Leaders Week London, we asked StubHub president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy about London’s position as a host city. She believes it’s a positive for the UK capital amid the uncertainty of Brexit.
“I would say the feedback we have had from travellers into the UK from different parts of Europe show that they had a more positive impression of London,” said Singh Cassidy.
“In a time of Brexit we think there is some silver lining for London to continue being a hub for international sports fans and inbound travellers.
“Our UK business is growing quite nicely so we have not seen the effect of Brexit yet, and I hope that we don’t. The type of sporting events for which folks travel – they are once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list events – it could be that’s the reason we don’t see it in our data.”
Permanent home for NFL?
The NFL has held regular-season matches in London since 2007 and this year there’s four games on the schedule as well as a new stadium.
Reports state that there’s optimism London could have its own NFL franchise by 2022. With tourists travelling from around the world to attend the sell-out fixtures, could a London team actually happen?
Singh Cassidy said she would “love the idea” of London having its own NFL franchise. She added: “From the UK fans’ perspective, 45% would be in support of having an NFL team here [in London].
“In a world where everyone’s worried about Brexit and uncertainty, I think that the UK as a destination – be it temporary or permanent – for international sports teams is an interesting opportunity.”
Baseball success
StubHub, which is owned by eBay, has more than 130 partners globally, including the NFL, NBA and MLB. Ticket sales data show that there has been an encouraging growth in demand for the UK games from the NFL (34%) and NBA (40%) since last year.
The MLB’s successful European debut in London has also proved that the UK can be a “reliable testing ground for expanding sports franchises looking to target fans based further from home”. A StubHub statement said: “The UK provides access to a hungry, curious and centralised fan base and will undoubtedly be a first pick for sports internationalising.”
‘Later buying’
When asked about the ticketing industry’s major trends Singh Cassidy said that mobility and technology were important.
“In the US the key trends are largely around the mobility of the customer and the shift to what I call ‘later buying’,” she said. “Mobility and ‘anytime, anywhere’ access are key.
“We see increasingly that customers are purchasing just the day before the event – and in the US almost 50% of our tickets are sold locally, which accelerates that trend.”
StubHub: in numbers
- 75%: growth in cross-border trade in 2018
- £390: the amount fans spend on non-ticket related purchases whilst attending live events
- 49%: of tickets bought by UK customers on StubHub to the Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand were bought in the last three days before the match took place
- 35%: of all tickets sold to the MLB London Series games were sold in the last three days before the games
- 24%: of US fans attending the NFL London Games were making them a part of a wider trip – their first trip to the UK
- 76%: of fans from the top four countries attending the NFL in London (US, Germany, France and Switzerland) say their perception of the UK has improved since visiting to see the NFL London Games
Images
- StubHub president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (ebay.com)
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers NFL fixture on 13 October 2019 (Mike Starling/Sports Tourism Media)
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