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Table of Contents
Executive Summary..................................................... 3 Introduction................................................................ 4 Research Rationale..................................................... 5 Research Methodology 1............................................ 6 Research Methodology 2............................................ 7 Research Method Data.. 8 Consumer Description.......................................... 9 Consumer Segments......................... 11-12 Consumer Demographics and Psychographics. 13-16 Media Habits 17 Sponsorship Category Recommendation.................. 18 Brand Category Recommendation 19 Conclusion 20

Executive Summary
There are thousands of adult recreational organizations in the United States. Many offer a variety of options for the consumer to try. However, the most popular sport proved to be Co-Ed Softball. Ultimately, for this reason and others, we decided softball was the area to focus on. We broke up adult softball players into two groups (Participants and Supervisors) and then broke the participant group into two sub-groups (Serious and Recreational players). To begin developing a consumer profile, we utilized online surveys, phone interviews, and secondary research already conducted on this topic. Overall, we found that this consumer is someone who enjoys sports, is connected via the internet or other social media options and is dedicated to participating in sports and/or staying active. Based on what we found, the recreational player will often choose to participate in a coed league rather than a single-sex league. This gave us the opportunity to focus on both the male and female sectors of adult softball. Women play a large role on the co-ed teams and are typically younger, with a significant participation drop-off in the late 30s to early 40s. As women become mothers of young children, they often shift their focus to their childrens youth sports. The second sub-group, the more serious participant, is typically the individual in their late 40s participating in 3 leagues a year and occasionally traveling for games. This group grew up in the heyday of slow pitch softball and they still have a very competitive mentality and a true love for the sport. Finally, the league supervisors were primarily white males in their late 20s to early 30s that are married with young children who are very dedicated to the league and truly care about their league participants. We were able to conclude that participants are generally very social, learn about softball through word of mouth and are starting to back out of leagues based on the cost of the registration fee.

Introduction
Huddle has asked us to conduct research and uncover critical findings based on a particular sport/leisure activity that could potentially partner with them on sponsorship deals in the near future. We were given the topic of adult recreational sports. However, due to the nature of Huddles business model, we concluded that conducting a study on all adult recreation sports would not be beneficial. Therefore, drawing from secondary research, we decided to narrow our study to softball and more specifically co-ed softball. Our goal was to construct a consumer profile for a typical adult softball player. We wanted to understand why they played, what other interests they have, and what keeps them coming back season after season. Additionally, we wanted to understand the structure of the leagues and gain the prospective of the supervisors of those leagues . Based on our research findings and customer insights, we can confidently endorse a viable sponsorship category and brand recommendation. We also developed key insights and observations that Huddle can use in the future.

Research Rationale
As we examined the adult recreation landscape, we immediately noticed a macro trend across almost all adult recreational sports. Participation was declining. When examining the participation rates to a further degree, there were numerous reasons behind this trend. The heyday of adult recreation sports occurred when the baby boomers climbed through their 30s and in to their 40s. In addition, the rise of technology has created more competition for adult recreation sports and the kids first mentality has seen more and more parents focusing their time towards their childrens youth sports activities. As we looked at these factors, we searched for an area where there was a slice of the pie up for grabs. We found that with softball. A quick survey of parks and rec websites found that softball was still the most popular sport in terms of leagues and number of teams. In addition, we found that softball experienced an increase in overall participation in 2012 while most other popular team sports saw a decline. Despite this information, the key for us was the individuals playing in these leagues. Softball is the only major team sport that boasts more participants in a category other than grade school or high school. In fact, almost a quarter of all participants are between the age of 25-34. Finally, the softball participant is becoming increasingly wealthy. In a span of 10 years, the percentage of participants making over $75,000 increased almost fourfold with 42% of current participants making upwards of $75,000.

Research Methodology
Overview
At the start of the project, we were given the topic of Adult Recreation Leagues. First, we narrowed our topic with secondary research. Next, we identified trends, developed a base knowledge, and shaped the direction we wanted to head with a mostly quantitative survey. Finally, we expanded on our knowledge, filled any gaps in the survey, and explored reasoning for the trends with a number of qualitative one on one interviews. Secondary Research Throughout the project, we relied on secondary research, but this was most important at the beginning of our project. After hearing about our topic, we decided to first explore the possibility of narrowing down the topic by a number of different categories. We ultimately decided to first narrow it based upon sport. For this we used secondary research. First, we identified a number of potential sports by looking at various parks and recreation sites. This allowed us to develop a base point for our research. After identifying a number of sports that were present in numerous parks and recreation leagues, we moved on to any aggregate data of participation rates we could find. For our participation rates, we utilized both Statista and the Sports Business Research Network. Through these two sources, we were able to find overall participation rates for the sports we identified and breakdowns based on a few key demographic categories. After compiling this data, we narrowed down our focus to one sport, softball. Through the data, we could see a few trends, but wanted to hold off on reaching any conclusions until we had some primary research. Before jumping in to research, we conducted a thorough examination to avoid duplication of any data we already had access to through other avenues. This ensured we asked our participants the best possible questions. We chose to go with the mostly quantitative survey first, but it should be noted that because of the lack of accessible data on the subject, we did conduct a few qualitative interviews beforehand in order to have a better grasp on the right questions to ask in our survey.

Research Methodology
Quantitative Survey When we decided we had done enough secondary research and conducted a few one on one interviews with individuals close to adult softball on a regular basis, we moved in to the survey distribution phase. We initially chose to focus on the state of Ohio for our research, but found some limitations with this theory. The sample size was not going to be diverse enough or large enough to truly examine the impact of softball throughout the country. We again relied on some secondary research to refocus our survey and identified some softball hotbeds throughout the country. We distributed the survey mostly through email with the occasional use of social media. Our reasoning for this was to focus on the quality of the survey taker as well as the quantity.
Qualitative Survey After identifying some trends with the mostly quantitative survey, we wanted to develop an expanded view of some of the trends we saw. While discussing possible options for another form of research, we decided on personal interviews. Our reasoning behind personal interviews was due to the fact that our objectives required a direct correspondence of specific findings to specific respondent segments. Some other research options were not included because of the group influence factor. We wanted to make sure we could be confident in identifying the respective consumer segments and individual personal interviews eliminated the group influence factor. Finally, we also wanted a widespread geographical distribution that lined up with our quantitative data. With the personal interviews, we chose some individuals who had not taken the quantitative survey, but focused mostly on survey takers who provided insights that we hoped to gather more information about through the interview. Through the process, we explored any trends to a larger degree and filled in any gaps in the data with qualitative interviews. Our qualitative data allowed us to answer the question of Why? or How? in a lot of cases. It also allowed us to go more in depth with our questioning.

Research Method Data

The community as a Quantitative Survey whole would absolutely 149 total surveys appreciate an opportunity 24 League to grow this softball Supervisors league. 45 Team Captains -Christy M
73 Team Participants
Survey Participants

Avg. of 7 minutes to complete

Qualitative Interviews
15 one on one interviews
Supervisor Captain Participant

Its great to know someone is actually considering something like this. -Barrett B.

7 League Supervisors 2 Team Captains 6 team Participants

Interviews lasted from 30 to 45 minutes in most cases

Consumer Description
The typical consumer is an individual who ranges in age from 21-65 and takes part in Adult Recreational Softball in some capacity. This individual has an extensive network of friends and coworkers in addition to being very active in the community. Both exercising and socializing are a very important component of their lifestyle.

Consumer Segments
Our group has identified two main audience segments for Adult Recreation Softball.

League Supervisor
The League Supervisor will be the first and possibly only point of contact between a league and a potential sponsor or a representative for Huddle. For this reason, we felt that it was extremely important for the supervisors needs and wants to be recognized and differentiated from the players

Adult Softball Player

When we started our research, we examined the data to find trends that we felt separated our segment in to two unique groups. We identified the two possible customer segments as the individual that has just joined a softball league and the individual that is playing in at least two leagues. An individual who had just joined a league was typically late 20s to early 30s while the serious participant was late 40s to early 50s.

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Sponsorship Differences Between Segments

We asked our participants to rank the potential sponsorship options with blue as the top choice to brown for least important.
Serious vs. Recreational

Jerseys
Top choice for both, but overwhelming for serious players No one ranked jerseys as least important

Softballs
2nd choice for 70% of serious players Over 50% of recreational players had it in bottom 3

Post game Food

None of serious players had in top 2 65% of Recreational had it top 3

Post game Drink

None of serious players had in top 2 30% of Recreational had in top 2 30% of serious players had it ranked last 11

League Supervisor Demographics

We surveyed 24 supervisors across the United States and found that 60% of them were white males. Overall, 16 of the league supervisors were male, four said they were female, and the remaining four chose not to answer that particular question. The majority (60%) of the respondents were married, and of those who were married, the average number of children that were in their household was right at 1.55 (average age of 6 years old). For this consumer segment, we would say that the general description of the league supervisor was in his late 20s, early 30s and has started a family with his wife. We would expect a typical supervisor to have one to two kids that are less than ten years old.

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League Supervisor Psychographic

We had follow-up interviews with several league supervisors to learn more about their attitudes and behavior. From our discussions, we learned that the supervisors are dedicated to their leagues and want to have safe and fair games. Concerns about teams shaving bats, no protection by the dugouts and fields without warning track showed how important safety was to them. Supervisors had a difficult time providing enough umpires week in and week out and they were willing to umpire games every week if necessary. In general, the league supervisor is an extremely hard worker but has an upbeat attitude and values running a league that is safe, fun and well organized for their community.

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Adult Softball Player Demographic

When looking at the Adult Softball Player we found:
Despite being a segment that makes up only about a quarter of the US population, they make up a majority of all softball participants.

Age 26-45

Females made up the majority of participants that were between the ages of 46-55.

Are Female

Are White

There was no significant division between the other races.

Females were almost twice as likely to be single when compared to male participants.

Are Married

Are Team Captains

Connecting with team captains allowed us to get better insights on team needs.

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Adult Softball Player Psychographic

One of our initial findings upon choosing softball was the importance of the female perspective. When you look at the chart, there is a significant drop-off in the late 30s and early 40s. As women reach that age, their main focus is their children and their youth sports.

Percent of Female Participants by Age Group

60% 40% 20% 0% 21-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 Over 65

On the other hand, there is the competitive participant. As shown in the chart below, there are players , ages 46-54, that are participating in three leagues a year. We learned from several supervisors that they are the toughest to deal with during games. They still have the must win mentality and take recreational softball very seriously.

Number of Leagues by Age Group

2.5

2 Series1 1.5

15

1 21-25 26-35 36-45 46-54 55-64 65 and up

Media Habits
Facebook has been a tool used by many teams and leagues in Adult Softball. It serves as a platform where the captain is able to easily communicate with their team and share the schedule, pictures and statistics. The increase in the use of social media is important for the sponsors as well as teams. Most teams will take group photos and that leads to more friends seeing the sponsorship.

One difference we found between males and females was the secondary platform for social media. While Twitter ranked second for males, females actually ranked Instagram ahead of Twitter. 16

Consumer insights
"Over 90% of our teams return the next year
Rosters may change slightly, but the general makeup of the teams generally stay the same. Typically it is a group of friends, co-workers, church members, or community members that decide to play together each season.

While most leagues have a few competitive teams, the vast majority are recreational players looking to have a good time.
Even if they are playing in a more competitive league, people are ultimately looking to have fun, be social, and stay active.

The number one reason people dont play is because of the rising cost of the league.
Leagues are increasing registration fees each year and including less in the package. Many people are opting out of playing simply because they can no longer afford it.

They are typically very social people that enjoy grabbing a drink or going out to eat.
Many people look forward to the social aspects of leagues like this. Places that serve alcohol & food and are on the way home for a majority of players get preference.

Most people hear about leagues and events by word of mouth

Many of these people stay connected to whats going on in the community and are more willing to influence others to get involved, as well.

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Sponsorship Category Recommendation

With the research we gathered from the Adult Recreation League Supervisors, we found that they would like Softballs and Bats to be provided in the sponsorship package.
6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jerseys Bats Gloves Softballs Post Post Game game meals or drinks or discounts discounts

Jerseys

Jerseys

With the research we compiled from players, jerseys represented the primary item for any sponsorship package.

Competitive

Recreational

Our final recommendation for the sponsorship category is to find a sponsor partner that can help reach the needs of supervisors as well as participants. A company that has the ability to provide jerseys, softballs, and bats would be the most ideal. The registration fee is on the rise and providing softballs and jerseys will increase participants and remove the notion that the participants are getting nickeled and dimed by having to pay for some of the items that should be covered by the league. In our opinion, this would be a sporting goods retailer.

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Sponsorship Brand Recommendation

The brand that fits are category the best would be Hibbett Sports. According to their 2013 annual report, the company is aiming to open over 1300 stores. Instead of opening stores in major cities, Hibbett Sports runs its business in mid-sized markets. They specifically target places that have populations that range from 25,000-75,000.

When we go in to bars or walk around town, we are basically 10 walking billboards. -Eric B.

Nobody is doing anything with the backs of the jerseys. -Anonymous

Based on our research, the 2012 uptick in softball participation was largely a result of the mid-size towns. In these areas, Hibbett Sports was on our survey participants minds (often ranking second), but it was failing to find that top spot. As they move in to new towns, this would be an ideal way to occupy that top spot.

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Conclusion
As we began our research, we examined the adult recreation league profile and saw declining numbers across the board. With that being said, softball has experienced a revitalization over the past year with an influx of wealthy participants. Softball may be the one team sport that garners an entirely new audience well after they leave the college ranks. Recreation softball offers companies the unique opportunity to target the newly employed recent college graduate in an area that they have yet to develop any brand loyalty. Our research showed us that this individual gets invited to a team via their network of influencers and immediately turns around to invite another individual. It is also one of the sports that is played equally by both sexes (exactly 50/50 based on participation rates from 2012). Our study even found that women may even be drawing the men to the sport. When these 25-35 year olds initially get involved with the softball league, they are jumping in to a category segment where they have absolutely no loyalty whatsoever. Companies have the opportunity to grab free market share as opposed to being forced to wrestle away market share from competitors. An exceptional product presented to this brand new consumer will create brand loyalty for many years to come. As the individual gets older, they will actually begin playing in more leagues and using up more of any product that is softball related. For Huddle, this provides them with the unique opportunity to present a potential client with the opportunity to grab free market share and attract lifetime customers with an escalating lifetime customer value. In addition, there is opportunity for non-softball related products. Based on our research, this individual is often recently married or will be getting married in the next 2-3 years. They will be the primary purchaser for another two individuals for the next 15-20 years of their life. At this point in ones life, they are also much more likely to go through the entire decision making process for a particular product as a recently employed college graduate. One product category that they will continue to use even if they never become that competitive softball player is athletic apparel. We found that the years following acquiring a first job may be one of the few times an individual goes through the entire decision making process for athletic apparel based upon their personal financial situation. This gives any sporting goods retailer the opportunity to acquire additional market share and begin to build brand loyalty with the next generation of Americans.

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