GCC Fans Are Interested. So What Is Stopping Them from Attending?

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The Interest is Already There

Nearly three-quarters of the fans we surveyed had attended a live sporting event in the past year. Yet only 41.9% attend monthly or more, revealing a clear gap between attending occasionally and returning consistently.

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Fewer than one in five fans said a lack of interest was keeping them away. So, what is?

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The biggest constraint was time, cited by 63.0% of respondents. Ticket prices followed at 47.9%, while more than a third pointed to travel, parking and planning.

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Awareness was another challenge. More than 30% of fans said they simply did not know what sporting events were happening.

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Buying a Ticket Creates Further Friction

Even when fans decide to attend, the purchasing process can make the experience more difficult. More than half said they were frustrated by unclear or changing prices, while navigating multiple ticketing platforms added another layer of friction.

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Live sport is a shared experience. Almost three-quarters of fans attend with friends, while close to six in ten attend with family.

This means one confusing purchase, parking problem or logistical headache can disrupt the plan for an entire group—not just one potential attendee.

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Fans Need Fewer Reasons to Abandon the Plan

For clubs and leagues in developing sports markets, the opportunity is not simply to generate more interest. It is to make it easier for fans to act on the interest they already have.

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GCC fans may not need more reasons to care. They may simply need fewer reasons to abandon the plan.

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Get in touch to learn more about the study and its full findings.