Fanbase (Techstars Sports ‘24)’s Post

Membership is a critical topic for NRL and AFL clubs. Our Sporting Pulse research aimed to uncover: What motivates fans to become members? What stops fans from becoming members? How can clubs convert fans to members? #NRL #AFL #SportsResearch #ClubMembership #FanEngagement #SportsMarketing https://lnkd.in/g7FmHwZh

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼-𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀, 𝗔𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴! 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁? 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼-𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀. While stadiums in Europe's Big 5 leagues are still crowded and often sold out, every club has a fair share of individuals omitting attendance despite having a ticket. Our research shows that in the Bundesliga, for instance, the corresponding no-show rate was, on average, about 12 percent before the pandemic, and it's typically higher for season ticket holders. But really, it’s not just a Bundesliga issue; where there are reservations, there are no-shows. 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? For service providers, like football clubs, no-shows are problematic despite the initial cash influx. Often, clubs facing strong demand could have sold the empty seats to desperate fans on their waiting lists, potentially at a higher margin. Additionally, no-show behavior often results in ineffective operations (e.g., overstaffing, food waste) and lower matchday income. External stakeholders, such as sponsors and hospitality guests, might also be disappointed. 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸. While research on countermeasures is limited, the industry has recently developed a taste for punishing season ticket holders with regular no-show behavior, as I've discussed with Carl-Erik and Tom recently. Last year, for instance, Arsenal, typically atop the European matchday income ranking, announced it would cancel season tickets if used for fewer than 17 out of 22 matches. 𝗔 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? The club canceled 24 season tickets last season. This is similar to other clubs, as our research indicates that only a few season ticket holders omit more than 3 to 4 matches. 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? If the mechanism is that ineffective, why are clubs like Arsenal introducing it? Introducing the mechanism raises awareness among supporters with a relatively low barrier. By also offering solid ticket exchange measures, the club, nudging support to use the secondary market, might be better off financially, benefitting from regular “no-shows.” 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗔𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. Going forward, to be even more efficient, minimum usage should be raised successively, in Arsenal's case, to all matches. And guess what? We're likely to get there, as going into the 2024-25 season, Arsenal season ticket holders will be required to use their season ticket for 20 out of 23 games, or else it will be canceled. That's it for now. If you enjoyed reading my analysis and found it insightful, please leave a comment below or share it with your network and fellow football enthusiasts. Stay tuned for more updates!

Sprocket Sports helping clubs across the US to elevate and enhance. #SmallDetailsBigDifference Connect and see what those differences are for your club? - Faster registrations? - Updated and vibrant website? - Happier, more engaged families? - Saved revenues? or New revenues? - Hours saved in admin time? - All the above?...

The new format of the UEFA Champions League is coming to live this year and the ownership groups of the participating clubs have become more diverse. The graphic below of the CIES Sports Intelligence shows a number of different companies investing for different reasons. In general, more than ever you can see that football clubs became the target of investment groups for one reason or another. With soccer gaining more and more global relevancy - it does not seem to be only a trend for investors to get minority or majority stakes in clubs but soccer/sports becoming a new sought after asset class. It will be interesting to see which investment strategy will work best for its group and when the respective exits are going to happen if at all. #sportsbusiness #multiclub

Just completed our Sporting Pulse research looking into the motivations and drivers on NRL and AFL club membership. With AFL being the benchmark for success in Australia on successful member programs while being critical for NRL clubs. Any questions or comments on the research please let us know. #NRLmembership #AFLmembership #Latestresearch #fanengagement

Did you know that Manchester United's website boasts an impressive average of over 13 million monthly visits, putting them at the top of our charts? Well, not quite the Premier League table, but they sure seem to be a fan favourite 😉 At Cheeer, we've been crunching the numbers for over 200 top sports clubs to learn how fans are engaging online. Check out Part 1 of our findings here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dbYGpdN4

Just completed our Sporting Pulse research looking into the motivations and drivers on NRL and AFL club membership. With AFL being the benchmark for success in Australia on successful member programs while being critical for NRL clubs. Any questions or comments on the research please let me know. #NRLmembership #AFLmembership #Latestresearch #fanengagement

Chairman notes from Saturday's printed programme: Welcome back to Champion Hill for what is the middle fixture of a run of five consecutive home games and thank you for supporting the team week in, week out.  It was hard to kick off that run with the international break as it is a weekend that always results in a huge spike in our already large crowds and I hope that the next three games give everyone who missed out last week a chance to return. Last week we could have sold another 700 tickets in advance after having to close online sales on the Friday morning and we still had to turn away more than 300 on the day with hundreds more seeing the queues and deciding not to wait and see if there would be no-shows that allow our team to let more people in. The worst thing we have to do at the club is not letting fans into the ground and I’d like to thank Gavin and the operations team for managing the situation last week. It’s upsetting for both those being turned away and those having to close the gates once our safe capacity is reached. Believe me they do everything possible to get everyone in.  I know people say you could buy a season ticket or buy online earlier but I think it is important to hold tickets back for walk ups. Local people deciding on the day to go to their local club is critical to our place in the community. It’s how we all started coming, wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon and wandering down the Lane. I don’t want to lose that connection and become inaccessible.  After the first lockout we often see a dip so while we expect today to be busy it should not be a repeat of last week and then we have the FA Trophy the following weekend which usually draws a lower crowd than the league.  This support is always humbling and I will never tire of writing about it and the one advantage of games coming thick and fast at the Hill is for once, we have a chance of welcoming everyone who wants to come. Thank you again. https://lnkd.in/efwXEW5V

⚽ Euro 2024 was unforgettable ⚽ In my debut appearance KINESSO UK&I , I dive into the highs and lows, analysing the standout moments that made Euro 2024 a rollercoaster of emotions, plus some of it's effects on #advertising and #media activations. 👇 Read more below #Euros #Football #Recap #Media #Advertising

What if I told you there was a way to address the club´s ultras fans. Would it work? Recently I had a very  insightful talk with Bart Foubert , the operations manager of SK Beveren, a 2nd division club here in Belgium. One of the key takeaways that struck me was the approach that the club takes towards managing their ultras which they also presented as an inspirational case study to the Pro League. Generally in football, fan misbehavior is automatically treated with stadium bans to particular individuals given out either by the club or the police. The main reasons behind this are the use of flares, pyro, damaging the stadium, or just throwing objects on the pitch. And it´s understandable that both the club and the police act upon it because of the need to ensure venue security as well as avoid paying fines. However, this doesn't seem to work. In response, Beveren decided to have an open communication with the fans. The club allocates a certain budget per game that the fans can use for buying flags, tifos, and other permitted objects that can help deliver a great game atmosphere. In case the fans misbehave, their budget shrinks. This is a strong incentive which has been working excellently for the club in the past 3 years, tremendously decreasing the number of incidents and fines that need to be paid by the club. I must say I am impressed. I really never looked at approaching the problem from this perspective and hope that more and more clubs eventually do. What happens though if the ultras of other clubs do not react this positively? We could see another game last weekend between RWDM - Racing White Daring Molenbeek and KAS Eupen being paused and ending prematurely due to the misbehaviour of fans. And the result? Teams had to travel again to finish the last 5 minutes of the game without the fans. That´ s total nonsense to me. This is something I personally don't like either as a player, coach, or fan. In repeated cases, clubs need a stronger solution that can really stop such actions and prevent the guilty from entering. In Belgium, clubs can verify their ticket buyers at purchase but not at gate, thus letting the guilty in. This could change in the future with implementation of face tickets. Such a technology not only helps solve the long-lasting issue, but also brings other benefits to both clubs and fans. I am curious to know what you think about the approach by Beveren. Martin Goossens, Olivier Simons, Antoine Roex #faceticket #venuesecurity #innovation #fanexperience