Amid surging popularity and growth of women’s sports, a new survey released from the University of North Florida’s Sport IMPACT (SI) Jax finds that a majority of Duval County residents are enthusiastic about women’s professional sports and ready to support Jacksonville’s first women’s professional soccer team.
As part of Public Opinion Research Lab’s Summer Speaks Survey, 742 registered Duval County voters were asked about their opinions, public interest and engagement with women's professional sports. Sixty-seven percent of respondents identified themselves as sports fans, 47% watched professional sports on at least a weekly basis on television and 50% attended a ticketed sporting event within the last 12 months.
Men are significantly more likely than women to watch professional sports, with 56% of men reporting that they watch at least weekly, compared to 40% of women. Older adults aged 65 and up lead all age groups in viewership, with nearly 53% tuning in weekly.
When asked how often they engage with sport content on social media, younger fans (18-24) are by far the most engaged demographic, with 40% viewing daily. Twenty-eight percent of women report engaging in weekly or more frequent activity. Engagement is notably lower among adults older than 25 reporting regular social engagement with sport content.
When asked to describe their overall sentiment toward women’s professional sports, 58% of respondents expressed at least some enthusiasm, with markedly strong support among women. Sixty-three percent of women were very or moderately enthusiastic about it.
The Hispanic community shows a high level of interest at 73%, with 44% being very enthusiastic — the highest level among any demographic group, demonstrating the broad multicultural appeal of women’s professional sports.
Overall enthusiasm for women’s professional sport reaches across both party and generational lines. Among all respondents, 74% of Democrats, 52% of Independents and 45% of Republicans are very or moderately enthusiastic about women’s professional sports, with team awareness present in both younger (23% of 18-to-24-year-olds) and older (22% of those 65 and older) age groups.
What Drives Attendance?
Young adults ages 18-24 represent a particularly promising market segment, with 66% expressing enthusiasm and 62% indicating a likelihood of attending matches, demonstrating a strong alignment between interest and attendance intent among this key demographic.
Additionally, 42% of women and 37% of men expressed a likelihood to attend Sporting JAX matches at UNF’s Hodges Stadium, indicating ticket-buying intent beyond casual interest.
When asked about factors that would influence their decision to attend a Sporting JAX match, respondents consistently emphasized cost and convenience. Ticket price topped the list at 60%, followed by game times (34%) and parking and accessibility (25%).
These trends are especially pronounced among key demographics. For instance, 67% of female sports fans identified affordability as a top concern, compared to 60% of male sports fans. Soccer fans ranked ticket cost (65%) and game times (38%) as the top priorities.
Among older adults age 65 years and older, ticket cost (56%) and parking and accessibility (36%) played a larger role in their decision-making.
“These findings reinforce the importance of affordability as an attendance factor, especially in engaging highly committed female fans,” said Sean Davis, UNF assistant professor of sport management and co-director of SI JAX.
Investment and Broad-Based Appeal
When asked if women’s professional sports should receive comparable attention and resources to men’s professional sports in Jacksonville, 87% of women and 69% of men agreed, with 66% of female respondents strongly agreeing, compared to 37% of males.
One in two respondents strongly agreed that women’s professional sports in Jacksonville should receive equitable attention and investment, with 57% of young adults (18-24) showing the strongest support, followed by 54% of respondents 45 years of age and higher.
Lastly, 59% of women and 48% of men indicated that it was very or moderately important for Jacksonville to have a professional women’s soccer team. The perceived importance increased with age, rising from 48% among 18-24-year-olds to 56% among those ages 45–54, with respondents ages 25–54 consistently expressing moderate to strong support.
