WSL Football: Mixed-Method Evaluation of the Fan Choice Pilot
Background and context
WSL Football commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake a mixed-method evaluation of the Fan Choice Pilot across the top two tiers of women’s professional football in England.
The pilot explored whether clubs should be able to give supporters the choice to consume alcohol in view of the pitch. This represented a significant potential change to existing competition rules, with potential benefits for matchday experiences and matchday revenues.
The evaluation built on the evaluation of the proof of concept pilot, run at four clubs in the Barclays WSL 2 from January onwards in the 2024-2025 season. In 2025-2026, the pilot expanded to cover 20 clubs across the Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL 2, with evaluation activities incorporating feedback from fans, staff and players across all clubs.
WSL Football needed the evaluation to provide credible evidence to inform future competition rules. It was important that the evaluation informed understanding both about whether the pilot achieved its intended outcomes, and how it worked in different club and venue contexts. Assessing the impact of the pilot therefore required robust evidence about the implications for fan safety, behaviour, safeguarding, matchday experiences and club operations.
Approach
M·E·L Research designed and delivered a large-scale mixed-method impact and process evaluation. The study combined repeated quantitative measurement with qualitative research, operational observation, stakeholder engagement and analysis of club data.
The evaluation was structured as a learning partnership rather than a single end-point assessment. This enabled emerging evidence to be discussed during the course of the season, supporting in-season adjustments to club strategies, to enable them to maximise the benefits the pilot offered.
The main strands of activity for the 2025-2026 pilot evaluation were:
Three waves of fan surveys: Surveys were distributed through participating clubs and fan supporter groups. Each wave achieved approximately 4,000 survey responses. Repeating the survey at key stages allowed M·E·L Research to track changes in support, awareness, safety, satisfaction and anticipated or experienced impacts over the course of the pilot.
Fan focus groups: Three focus groups were conducted across a range of clubs, involving fans both in favour of, and opposed to the pilot.. This approach ensured that the research explored both support and opposition in depth rather than relying solely on majority views.
Stakeholder surveys: Separate surveys were distributed across the season to club stakeholders directly involved in delivering or experiencing fixtures. Surveys were distributed to players, matchday teams and match officials, and examined perceived impacts on safety, behaviour, match atmosphere and the experience of playing, officiating or working at games.
Matchday visits: M·E·L Research completed 19 matchday visits to fixtures held across the course of the season, to observe fixtures and speak to fans about their matchday experiences. These provided direct insight into how the pilot operated in different grounds and fixture contexts, including alcohol sales, wet and dry areas, signage and stewarding.
In-depth stakeholder engagement: The team undertook in-depth interviews, and held monthly working group meetings with participating clubs. These activities supported detailed exploration of implementation, governance, operational challenges and club-level learning.
Commercial and operational analysis: M·E·L Research analysed secondary-spend data supplied by participating clubs, including comparable spend-per-head information. The evaluation also incorporated safety officer reports and feedback from clubs and matchday staff.
The quantitative analysis compared findings across the three survey waves and examined variations between audience groups, leagues, clubs and different forms of pilot participation. The qualitative evidence was used to interpret the survey findings, explain why different groups held particular views and identify practical conditions for successful delivery.
Outputs and use
M·E·L Research produced a comprehensive final evaluation report which brought together the impact and process evidence. The report combined headline conclusions, detailed survey findings, stakeholder evidence, qualitative feedback, commercial analysis, a club case example and practical recommendations.
The report translated the evidence into practical guidance for future implementation. As well as providing insight into how well the pilot was received by fans and other stakeholders, and identifying differences in support for the pilot among differing supporter groups. It also made recommendations on how clubs can best manage matchdays to ensure the full benefits of the pilot are realised, including recommendations on communication, alcohol-free areas, delineation of wet and dry areas, and food and drink offerings.
The findings were used to inform WSL Football’s decision-making on future competition arrangements. The work also established a framework for future monitoring if the pilot were to be taken forwards. including more consistent collection of attendance, fan profile, food and beverage spend, incident, stewarding and feedback data.
Testimonial
“M·E·L Research’s insight and expertise helped us test fan perceptions through an innovative research approach, providing an evidence-based foundation for future decision making. The findings are already helping us shape more distinctive and engaging Women’s football fan experiences.” – James Durcan. Project Delivery Manager. WSL Football
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