'Socials blowing up'

The UK league, in its inaugural season, has drawn a multitude of personalities including some who could not quite make it in mainstream professional soccer.

"It's so close to being what I've always wanted with being a pro footballer and just having that recognition of, okay, this kid can play," said midfielder Harry Cain, 27, who plays for Yanited managed by YouTuber and Twitch streamer Angryginge.

"My socials (were) absolutely blowing up from friends, family. 'Can't believe we just watched you on Sky Sports'."

Cain, who produces soccer content for 1 million-plus TikTok followers, said one of his highs was scoring in front of former England international and Baller League UK coach John Terry.

The Baller League expanded to the UK this year, with 12 teams, after its founding in Germany in 2023 where games were livestreamed from an old plane hangar in the city of Cologne.

The Kings League, established by former Spanish player Gerard Pique, has a growing fanbase, with 80 percent of its 30 million social media followers under 34.

Founded in 2022, the seven-a-side Kings League has expanded to Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and the Americas.

"Investors also see that we have a disruptive, creative new product, that is solving perhaps the biggest problem in sports: attracting and retaining the attention of young audiences," Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua told Reuters.

"The increasing competition for audience attention means that it's harder and harder to get younger fans to watch a 90-minute live game."

The Kings League raised $60 million in its last funding round last year and is in partnership with SURJ Sports Investment, the sports arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, to launch Kings League MENA (Middle East and North Africa). With the majority of Saudis under 30, the synergy is obvious.

As pay-TV fees increase, the young are increasingly watching sport for free on platforms like You-Tube, Kick and Twitch.

According to a Deloitte study, about 90 percent of Generation Z and Millennials consume sport via social media.

On the day Santan FC played MVPs United, matchday 8 drew more than 900,000 viewers on You-Tube.

"I don't think it's as simple as the older generation watches sports over linear channels and the younger generation does it over social channels," said Pete Giorgio, global and US sports leader for Deloitte. "Both generations are moving towards a mode where they do not consume sports monolithically."