In a comprehensive survey on social, ecological, and economic sustainability, Bundesliga clubs perform reasonably well in many aspects. Fans see a lot of positive efforts in the fight against racism and the commitment to fairness, respect, and tolerance.

Cologne & Mühlen. The various pillars of sustainability are gaining increasing importance in society as a whole. In a large study, FanQ has now collaborated with Sports For Future to survey around 2,500 football fans in Germany on how they evaluate their favorite Bundesliga club in sustainable categories.

The initiators of the project are FanQ and Sports For Future. Scientific expertise was provided by Prof. Dr. Harald Lange (Institute of Sports Science at the University of Würzburg), Prof. Dr. Torsten Weber (Department of Sustainability Management at Cologne Business School), and Prof. Dr. Axel Faix (Department of Business Administration at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences) - for the design and evaluation of the survey. Several network partners also contributed to the conception and dissemination of the survey.

Especially in the engagement against racism and the commitment to fairness, respect, and tolerance, the clubs receive top marks. From the fans' perspective, they fulfill their significant societal responsibility. 55.2% of respondents rate their club's commitment in the fight against racism as "very good," and an additional 29.0% as "good." A similar trend is observed for imparting values related to fairness, respect, and tolerance, with 50.7% rating it as "very good" and 35.1% as "good."

In terms of ecological sustainability, the results are positive, but there is still room for improvement. The environmentally sustainable behavior of the clubs is rated as "good" by 36.7% of fans and "average" by 34.8%. Only 15.2% voted for "very good." On the other hand, the value transmission of the favorite club for active sports and a healthy lifestyle performs well in comparison. 26.3% of respondents rate it as "very good," 38.7% as "good," and 25.8% as "average."

According to the fans, there is a need for action in the representation of women in the leadership of the clubs. 25.4% see it as "poor," and 29.0% as "average." Only 15.5% of respondents voted for "good," and 10.3% for "very good." However, the conclusion regarding the economic responsibility and risk-taking of Bundesliga clubs is positive. 38.7% of respondents rated this as "good," and 30.6% as "very good." Another 21.5% chose the answer "average."

Stefan Wagner, Chairman of Sports For Future: "We are delighted that so many fans participated in our survey. Their evaluation is an important lever to place sustainability in professional sports. The results show that the clubs are on the right track in many aspects, but there is still room for improvement—especially in the area of ecological sustainability."

Many more survey results, such as those regarding the sustainability of sponsorship choices in the Bundesliga and differentiations based on other factors, such as consumer behavior, can be found in the freely accessible study evaluation on fanq-app.com.

In addition to this first part of the study focusing on sustainability in professional football, a second part of the study addresses sustainability in amateur football, from the perspective of active athletes. This will be published shortly.