Digital offerings and communication channels have become a core element of the relationship between clubs and their fans. While fan interaction once primarily took place at the stadium or arena on matchdays, today many supporters expect clubs to engage with them through professional, up-to-date, and compelling digital experiences throughout the year. For the first time, the SLC study examines how more than 13,800 sports fans across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland perceive, use, and evaluate their clubs' digital offerings. In addition, German respondents are analyzed separately across the DFL (football), DEL (ice hockey), HBL (handball), and BBL (basketball) leagues.

Tags: #INSTANTINSIGHTS, Austria, BBL, Communication, DEL, DFL, Digital Fan Engagement, Digitization, Fan Engagement, HBL, research, Study, Switzerland

The payment behavior of sports fans has changed fundamentally in 2025, reaching a historic turning point: for the first time, EC/debit cards are the preferred payment method when visiting stadiums and arenas. This replaces cash, which has long been the dominant form of payment, and marks a new standard in fans' payment behavior. nbsp;The results are based on an extensive survey conducted by SLC Management, Stadionwelt's data intelligence partner, in September 2025. A total of 11,104 fans and regular stadium/arena visitors were asked about their everyday payment habits and those when visiting stadiums/arenas – with participants from Germany's four largest professional leagues.

Tags: Arena, BBL, Bundesliga, Data Intelligence, DEL, DFL, Fan Experience, HBL, Infrastructure management 2.0, Madeja, Payment, SLC Management, Stadionwelt, Stadium, Stadium Experience, Stadium visit, VisitorJourney

Whether it's football, handball, basketball or ice hockey - the live experience in the stadium or arena is not just about the sporting action, but also about a variety of other factors. In addition to the atmosphere, safety and infrastructure, catering plays an important role in the fans' perception. Due to the enormous importance of catering, SLC Management conducted a survey among fans and customers of clubs from the German Basketball League (BBL), German Football League (DFL), German Ice Hockey League (DEL) and German Handball League (HBL) regarding their satisfaction with their club's catering services, which has now been published in the trade magazine Stadionwelt.

Tags: Arena, BBL, Catering, Data Intelligence, DEL, DFL, Fan Experience, HBL, Infrastructure management 2.0, Madeja, SLC Management, Stadionwelt, Stadium, Stadium Experience, VisitorJourney