A newly-released report by YouGov offers a detailed glimpse into how deep of an impact COVID-19 restrictions will have on the industry of sport in Australia, and perhaps around the world.
Among various findings, our research found that very few sports fans in Australia said that they were likely to attend less sport once the threat of COVID-19 subsides. A healthy majority of avid fans (83%) said they would attend the same or more games than what they did prior to COVID-19.
Australia was one of the first countries in the world to bring back live sporting events following the initial lockdowns in the first months of 2020. The nation was also the scene of the first major international sporting event, The Australian Open, for which COVID-19 safety measures were meant to be a blueprint for other large international sporting events to follow.
Australia, the envy of many other nations when it comes to the success of its restrictions, continues to move closer to pre-pandemic life and is reporting some of the lowest case counts in the world. This is thanks - at least in part – to early and strict lockdown measures, and the fact it is a continental island unto itself with no land borders to control.
Generally, all major Australian sports fans are likely to attend the same or more live sport post COVID-19, with NBL, A-League and Super Rugby fans the most likely of the fanbases to attend more.
YouGov data also suggests only a small minority said their overall interest in sport has declined due to COVID-19 across key sports fan groups and a majority of fans said their interest remained unchanged or had increased.
