The role of the media in the relationship between RSC Anderlecht fans and the club: Interviews with the fans and the Head of Public Affairs

Details

Supervisors

Daxhelet, Jean-Yves

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en communication multilingue

Abstract

The media and football club are two entities inextricably bound together. Without the media, football would not have become what it is today: a commercial machine generating billions of euros. At the same time, football provides the media with a subject to talk about and allows them to attract readers, viewers, and listeners. Football promotes the media, and the media promote football. The purpose of this research is to identify the role of the media in the relationship between football RSC Anderlecht and its fans. The most successful Belgian football club attracts fans, and therefore media consumers, from north to south, from Flanders to Wallonia, passing through the Brussels region. As part of the research, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with eighteen RSC Anderlecht supporters and the Head of Public Affairs and former Communications Director, David Steegen. On the one hand, it will be analysed how the RSCA fans perceive the traditional media (print and online press, television) and the official media of the club (website, social networks). For this purpose, the supporters were divided in two groups, the under-35s, and the over-35s. Does the age difference affect the way RSCA fans perceive the traditional media and the club’s media? On the other hand, the interview with David Steegen will reveal what the place of traditional media and supporters in the communication of RSCA is. Are the fans the primary target of the club’s communication? Are traditional media still an important channel to reach fans or is it better to communicate via the club's digital platforms?