Major League Soccer teams ranked highly in the inaugural J.D. Power 2016 Fan Experience Study, with the New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire ranking first among pro teams in their respective markets while the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo rank second in theirs.
The study measured customer satisfaction of major pro sports teams in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, the four biggest markets in the US. The study used seven factors to rank each team. They are, in order of importance: Seating area and game experience; security and ushers; leaving the game; arriving at the game; food and beverage; ticket purchase; and souvenirs and merchandise.
Satisfaction was measured on a 1,000-point scale. Loyalty and future intentions, team performance and team image were also measured but not included in the official rankings.
The Red Bulls scored highest among New York teams in five of the seven categories to take the market’s top honors. New York City FC didn’t have enough sample size to be included in this year’s study, but they are expected to be in the 2017 edition.
Like the Red Bulls, the Fire scored highest in five categories to win Chicago’s top spot. The Galaxy finished second to the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks in the overall survey, but placed first in the ticket purchase category. The Dynamo placed behind the NBA’s Houston Rockets, but were ranked first in Houston in the arrival at the game and ticket purchase categories.
More on the J.D. Power survey.
J.D. Power will run the study again in 2017, and will include the San Francisco/Oakland, Denver, Detroit, Boston, Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Philadelphia and Miami markets.
