The Southeastern Conference is Tops for Women Who are Avid Fans of College Football

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southeastern Conference (SEC)* is the number one college conference for women who are avid fans of college football. About one-fifth (19 percent) of avid female college football fans** attended an SEC game, listened to one on the radio, or watched a game on television during the past year. The SEC outranks all other major college conferences for women who are avid fans of college football.  Among all adults, 17 percent of avid college football fans are fans of the SEC.

Scarborough Sports Ranking:

Top Ranking Conferences for Women who are Avid Fans of College Football

(Conferences are measured regionally)

1. SEC (19%)
2. Big Ten (13%)
3. ACC (12%)
4. Big 12 (10%)
5. Pac-10 (7%)
6. Big East (5%)

"The SEC has a long tradition as a power conference in college football, so it is no surprise that it dominates for avid female fans," said Bill Nielsen, vice president, Scarborough Sports Marketing. "The SEC's command of a female audience is just one example of the power of women who love sports. There are countless examples across other college and professional sports, and these fans deliver huge appeal to a wide variety of sponsors."

Home Category Sponsorship Opportunity & Female SEC Football Fans

Female SEC Football Fans*** are 12 percent more likely than the average adult nationally to own their home and 22 percent more likely to own a second home, as well. Eighty percent live in a single-family home. Female SEC Football Fans fill their homes with high-end technology, such as:

• Energy saving appliances: Female SEC Football Fans are 14 percent more likely than all adults nationally to have an energy saving appliance in their household
• HDTV: 12 percent more likely
• Video game system: 12 percent more likely
• Satellite TV subscription: 17 percent more likely

Maintaining and upgrading the homestead is a priority, and they are more likely than other adults to take on big home improvement projects such as:

• Remodeling a Bathroom: Female SEC Football Fans are 23 percent more likely to have remodeled their bathroom during the past year
• Remodeling a Kitchen: 24 percent more likely
• Roof repair: 26 percent more likely

They also invest in cosmetic and other maintenance upgrades such as:

• Landscaping: 16 percent more likely to have done in the past year
• Painting or wallpaper: 12 percent more likely
• Heating or air conditioning upkeep or replacement: 33 percent more likely
• Installing a home security system: 54 percent more likely

Banking/Finance Sponsorship Opportunity & Female SEC Football Fans

Given their home ownership status, it is not surprising that Female SEC Football Fans are 10 percent more likely than the average adult nationally to have a home mortgage and 16 percent more likely to have a home equity loan. Beyond the home, Female SEC Football Fans are average for household financial investments such as stocks, stock options, money market funds and mutual funds.

In terms of personal finance, they are more likely than the average adult to go online to pay bills or conduct other banking transactions.

Female SEC Football Fans share their wealth. They are more likely than the average American to live in a household that contributed to a healthcare, social care/welfare or religious non-profit organization during the past year.

"Our data on the home and banking categories provides two examples of the opportunities for brands to extend their reach through leveraging a female fan base. The passion of female SEC fans provides a unique opportunity for marketers, as they can reach these women while they are engaging in something they love," said Mr. Nielsen.

Demographics of Female SEC Football Fans

Female SEC Football Fans represent a diverse, professional audience. They are 47 percent more likely than all adults to be African-American and 12 percent more likely to be employed in white collar positions. Professionally, they are 30 percent more likely than other adults to be in sales positions, and 15 percent more likely to have an office in the home. SEC female fans are average in terms of household income and education.

*College football fans by conference are measured regionally.

**"Avid female college football fans" are defined as those women who are "very interested" in college football.

*** "Female SEC Football Fans" are defined as those women who watched an SEC football game on broadcast or cable television; listened to a game on the radio; or attended a game during the past year.

SOURCE: Scarborough Sports Marketing, 2010. Scarborough USA+ Study, Release 1 2010

About Scarborough Sports Marketing

Scarborough Sports Marketing (www.scarboroughsportsmarketing.com, [email protected]) measures local and national consumer and lifestyle information by interviewing over 210,000 adults (18+) in 77 Top-Tier Markets, including all professional sports markets. Scarborough sports measurements include fan avidity; multi-media measures including sports viewing and listening; corporate sponsorship information including fans' shopping and product/service usage; and leisure activities. Scarborough delivers twice-yearly updates of its local market reports to a diverse client base, spanning all major media, advertisers and their agencies. Scarborough Sports Marketing is a division of Scarborough Research, which is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and The Nielsen Company.

SOURCE Scarborough Sports Marketing