FSAA to partner in major global fan research project
Credit: Rob Lizzi
The Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) is proud to announce a strategic collaboration with researchers from Curtin University and PUC-Rio (Brazil) to facilitate a major global study into the behaviours of football fans.
Scheduled for local release in early February 2026, this study will investigate the unique consumption behaviours of supporters of Women’s National Teams (The Matildas) alongside comparative data from Men’s National Teams (The Socceroos) in addition to behaviours and trends around support for club and local football.
Football Supporters Association Australia Deputy Chair, Blayne Treadgold, said the study could be a game-changer in unveiling not only supporter behaviours in Australia, but how we compare with our international counterparts.
"We are delighted to be involved in such a significant global study, facilitated by some very experienced international academics," he said.
"Australia's football story is a unique one; this study has the capacity to provide some real insight at a pivotal time for the game and football supporters, both locally and abroad.”
"We encourage the entire Australian football community to participate."
With data already been collected in Brazil and the current phase focusing on Australia, future phases will expand to include North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Credit: Texi Smith
The goal is to identify similarities and differences in how fans engage with the sport across gender lines and national borders.
The findings will be used to inform supporter-centric management strategies in Australian football, providing the FSAA with independent, academic data to advocate for better supporter experiences.
The study is led by Ana Costa, a PhD candidate supervised by Dr. Clarice Kogut (PUC-Rio), a distinguished scholar in sports strategy. The project holds ethical approval from the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC 2025-0482).
Facilitating the Australian leg of the research is Dr. Luisa Campos, a Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Management and Marketing at Curtin University in Western Australia.
The survey will officially launch in early February 2026. The FSAA encourages all members and stakeholders to keep an eye on our channels for the launch.
