The Fan Engagement Pod: Recent Episodes
Think Fan Engagement
We regular episodes, including:
- Conversations between Kevin Rye and a guest who works in Fan Engagement, or who brings insight to the subject
- BasChat, where Fan Engagement consultant and expert, Bas Schnater and Kevin Rye, talk about tactics, delivery and how you make Fan Engagement connect to Fan Experience, how you monetise without selling out. Bas Schnater is on LinkedIn at: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/basschnater
Find us at fanengagement.net and join the Fan Engagement Network.
Think Fan Engagement works with clubs & other rights, brands and other organisations who seek to understand fans and the relationships they have with their clubs, and strongly advocating a culture of listening. We publish the annual Fan Engagement Index
Theme music from Episode 1 to 45: Future Stuff by Apoxode (c) copyright 2018 (licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license (http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Apoxode/58963)
Theme music from Episode 46: Soul Walking by Juanitos (c) copyright 2010 (licenced under an Attribution - Partage dans les Mêmes Conditions 2.0 France https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Juanitos/Soul_Africa/06_-_Soul_Walking)
Bas Chat Music: Exotica, by Juanitos: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Juanitos/Exotica/juanitos_-_06_-_exotica
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When it comes to football clubs and independence of mind, it’s always been clear to me that the only way that this position can be held effectively is through an independent body, established under its own aegis, usually through the desire of fans to be represented in some way and to hold the club to account.
Read the full transcript/article at https://fanengagement.net/independent-fans-make-fan-engagement-better-this-is-why/ and watch the video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkengagement
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It's been four years since the Premier League announced that every club in the competition would have to have a Fan Advisory Board. It wasn't long after the collapse of the European Super League, around the time the fan-led review began, so we've had quite a long time to take stock.
I think we need to be much clearer about what they are, what they're not, what they do and why that matters.
Read the full transcript/article at https://fanengagement.net/fan-advisory-boards-have-been-misunderstood-this-is-why-it-matters/
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January 2026 - This is the first ever episode of the pod, and the second most popular episode we've ever recorded. Dan is now at Eleven Sports Media running Global Partnerships Development. Find him on LinkedIn as Daniel McGeachie.
Our guest in Episode One is Dan McGeachie, who most recently led the marketing for one of City Football Group’s new businesses within Manchester City FC (read Dan McGeachie’s full Bio below). These podcasts will bring you insights straight from the experts, and we’ll be publishing them on the second Tuesday of each month.
We talk about Lad Bible and not getting caught up chasing trends, tackle that old cliche 'authenticity', and discuss how important it is to do things for fans that don't always appear on the engagement stats at the end of the week.
Key Insights from Episode One1. Don’t forget: Social Media is a fundamental tool of communications, not a ‘nice to have’
2. Don’t get caught up chasing trends: Lad Bible isn’t your key demographic, your fans are
3. Be true to your football club. Learn lessons from others, but don’t copy and paste
4. Create a ‘Help’ channel for queries and enquiries by fans (see the Fan Engagement Index for more on this)
Episode Links:* #ProperBradford (Bradford (Park Avenue)): https://bpafc.com/2019-2020-bradford-park-avenue-season-tickets-are-now-on-sale/ * British Airways Twitter Account: twitter.com/british_airways
Dan McGeachie Full BioDan is a specialist in marketing and communications, and has experience in football from the grassroots to the top of the game, having worked for the West Riding County FA in their marketing team, to recently leading the marketing for one of City Football Group’s new businesses within Manchester City FC. He also had spells in The National League with Harrogate Town and at Bradford City. Whilst at Bradford City, Daniel was a member of the EFL’s Digital Working Group.
He’s also an associate of Fan Insights, and helped us to develop our social media measurement for the Fan Engagement Index
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Theme music: Future Stuff by Apoxode (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 2026
Part oneAs we head towards a new season (2022/2023), I lay out the position we appear to be in when it comes to Fan Engagement as part of the government’s Fan Led Review. This is after all the context for every discussion about reform of Fan Engagement. I look at where The Premier League are and where The EFL are on this critical issue.
Part twoThe main part of this episode is where I try to get my head around a major recommendation of the Fan Led Review’s proposed reforms - and a major plank of the Premier League’s new Fan Engagement Standard. I chat with Shaun Lockwood COO of Doncaster Rovers and Dave Matthews Jones, Fans Elected Director of Cambridge United. This is part of my attempt to create and contribute to the discussion I think we need. Both clubs are at different stages of implementing Shadow Board structures, and I chat with them about where they are, and why they think the structure matters to their clubs - and football more widely.
I’ll be continuing this theme in the coming months, announcing some exciting news soon about how. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net @thinkengagement or look for us on LinkedIn or Facebook. Email us via hello@fanengagement.netSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Series 2 Episode 4 is all about our research paper, ‘Establishing Fan Engagement as a core value in the Football Industry during a New Era of Regulation’, with my colleagues Natasha Simms and Andrea Rossi.
It’s a slightly longer episode than normal, so to help you navigate it these are the questions in the order we ask them:* What makes the research distinct and what are the four pillars?
* What is the key pillar for every club to adopt?
* What are the overlaps between the research and the Fan Engagement Index?
* What are fan engagement challenges are for clubs in crisis?
* How to connect fan engagement with the separate but related areas of fan experience and community engagement.
* We ask how to close the gap between research and practice
* And finally, we discuss what the best practice should be in the growing women’s game.
We’ve provided a breakdown of the questions we ask in the episode description too.
Enjoy the episode.
Don’t forget you can download the full report via fanengagement.net Just click on the research tab at the top of the page and you’ll find it.
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This episode is with James Gibbins, Experience & Engagement Director and part of the senior leadership team at Walsall Football Club.
In it we talk about a wide range of subject, from personalisation to in-person engagement, structured fan engagement’s overlap with community engagement and their success in using this to grow their average attendances, and one of my go-to subjects: how good leadership enables staff, encourages their good instincts and helps develop good practice.
We also touch on Think Fan Engagement’s upcoming research report on fan engagement which is out very, very soon, and we sing the praises of Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers. Intrigued? Listen on.
Go to fanengagement.net to signup for news about our plans.
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This week it’s Aarayaman Banerji, Head of Football Governance at LCP. In it we discuss what the impact of the Independent Regulator is likely to be on fan engagement, looking at:
* Overview of what the regulator is likely to focus on
* What could regulation look like in practice
* Minimum standards across the pyramid – different clubs are in different starting positions
* Resources, leadership and culture
* We also give you a sneak preview of some of the content of our soon to be published research paper that was co-authored by Aaryaman before he took up his role at LCP, and which we’re publishing very soon.
Don’t forget we’ve postponed our planned workshop, Life with Football Legislation; preparing for meaningful fan engagement & consultation on the 5th of November. Stay tuned for more on this in the near future.
Go to fanengagement.net to signup for news about our plans.
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We’re returning the pod to a regular episode. From now on we’ll be publishing an episode once a month on various subjects.
This week is a chat between me and my new colleague Natasha Simms, our new Fan Engagement and Communications Associate, who was appointed in the summer.
In it we go ‘back to basics’, asking what is fan engagement, what some of the misconceptions are about it and how fan engagement has evolved since the first Fan Engagement Index in 2019. We also discuss some of the challenges for supporters’ trusts, and fan advisory boards in particular, and I give my view on what I think a newly appointed fan engagement officer at a football club should focus on in their first six months in the job.
Don’t forget to book for Life with Football Legislation; preparing for meaningful fan engagement & consultation at the Wesley Hotel, Euston on the 5th of November. Go to fanengagement.net/events to read more and signup. We’ve got special ticket deals when you buy two together.
Like, share and subscribe, on all major podcast platforms and at fanengagement.net
We’re releasing the first of these today because we couldn’t wait, but from Series 2, Episode 2, it’ll be once a month on the first Monday.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This year’s fan engagement index comes on the verge of the biggest shakeup in the way football is run in decades. The new independent regulator for football will for the first time see clubs regulated in part for their fan engagement. This is an important step, but not the only one.
The fan engagement index has been running since the 2018/2019 season, and we’ve helped to drive standards in football ever since then, helping to define what good fan engagement looks like.
This is also the second year we’ve run the fan engagement awards, where we award clubs with a gold, silver, bronze or merit award, depending on their score.
This year we’ve seen an increase in the number receiving an award, as well as a double for one club. Who is it? Listen to find out!
2024/2025 Fan Engagement Award Winners. The full table is at fanengagement.net/fan-engagement-index
So congratulations to all those clubs who finished with an award. For those who didn’t, I know you’ll all be working hard to improve for next year. There are so many people who work hard for their clubs at all levels of fan engagement who don’t always get the recognition they deserve, and whether your club won an award or not, thank you for your hard work over the season. Now more than ever, with the era of the independent regulator approaching, clubs across the football pyramid need to do more to engage with their most important stakeholders – the fans. But regulation has never been the silver bullet, and change relies on everyone - clubs, leagues, governing bodies, the regulator, fans and their representatives - to play their part.
We’ve seen countless improvements from clubs since we started seven years ago in this our seventh edition.
The Fan Engagement Index has already massively impacted the activities and culture of football. I’ll leave the final word to two of the top clubs in fan engagement in the country, at different ends of the pyramid, first, Southend United, who said:
"Being recognised in this way, particularly as the top National League club and the only National League winner of a fan engagement award, is proof that engagement works, even without the resources of bigger clubs. Regulation will bring welcome standards across the game, but regulation alone isn’t enough. Culture is what makes the difference and it’s what ensures engagement doesn’t stop when the cameras do.
Or as Everton Chief Executive Angus Kinnear, says, “A club is strongest when it listens, involves and evolves alongside its supporters”
I’d like to thank all those involved who helped with the index this year, including Lane Clarke and Peacock Sport Analytics and Advisory, who supported us by analysing overall trends over the past seven years, and also looking in particular at clubs which have excelled throughout or upped their game significantly over the period. Go to http://lcp.com/en/sports for more.
And before I go, a quick plug for our Our next, Life with Football Legislation: Preparing for Meaningful Fan Engagement and Consultation. We’ll be announcing the date and venue very soon!
Keep an ear out for the next edition of the fan engagement pod.
Music: Swing PartyBeat MekanikAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join Everton FC, Lincoln City FC, Manchester United & Chelsea Supporters Trusts, plus Rhion Jones, Consultation Guru and Lane Clark and Peacock on the 14th May in London for Life with Football Legislation; Preparing for meaningful fan engagement and consultation. Go to https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thinkfanengagement/1650506 to book or use the QR code in the episode.
Thanks to LCP for their Event Sponsorship and also to Tractivity for their Lead Sponsorship. Links below.
Tractivity: https://www.tractivity.co.ukLCP: https://www.lcp.comEverton: https://www.evertonfc.com/fansLincoln City: https://www.weareimps.com/fansCST: https://chelseasupporterstrust.comMUST: https://www.imust.org.ukRhion Jones, Consultation Guru: https://consultationguru.co.ukSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode is the first of what I hope will be several with the UK’s expert on consultation, Rhion Jones. Known professionally as the Consultation Guru, we’ve been collaborating for some months now as the Football Governance Bill makes its way through parliament, paying specific interest to the provisions on consultation and engagement. You can read the letter we wrote to the minister in charge of the bill in the Lords, Baroness Twycross, and the reply she sent, on https://fanengagement.net
The Gunning Principles1. Proposals are still at a formative stage: A final decision has not yet been made, or predetermined, by the decision makers2. There is sufficient information to give ‘intelligent consideration’: The information provided must relate to the consultation and must be available, accessible, and easily interpretable for consultees to provide an informed response3. There is adequate time for consideration and response: There must be sufficient opportunity for consultees to participate in the consultation. There is no set timeframefor consultation, despite the widely accepted twelve-week consultation period, as the length of time given for consultee to respond can vary depending on the subject and extent of impact of the consultation4. ‘Conscientious consideration’ must be given to the consultation responses before a decision is made: Decision-makers should be able to provide evidence that they took consultation responses into account
Read more at consultationguru.co.uk
We discuss how consultation works, why it’s different to engagement, and why its impact on football could be very positive.
If you want to get in touch, ask a question or suggest a topic or guest, or register your interest in the event myself and Rhion will be hosting in late Feb/early March 2025, drop me a line at hello@fanengagement.net Episode links available in the podcast description. Subscribe to the View on Fan Engagement via https://fanengagement.net/join
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Pod.
Don’t forget the first event of the Fan Engagement Network is on the 26th July at Bristol Rovers. It’s a joint event with Rovers and CEO Tom Gorringe will be speaking.
If you work or volunteer in a fan engagement role at a club, a CEO, MD, director or owner and want to attend, drop us a line at hello@fanengagement.net and we’ll reserve you a place.
This episode is with the aforementioned Tom, Liam Scully, CEO of Lincoln City, and Ryan Sparks, CEO of League Two Bradford City.
The three of them have done impressive jobs with each of the clubs they run, placing structured and strategic Fan Engagement at the heart of what they do, ensuring it feeds into decision making and key commercial decisions.
They tell us their lessons from their time in charge, including the learning curve, how each club is unique, but how to apply experiences from elsewhere - including other sports, and how winning only papers over the cracks of a creaking structure.
As Liam himself says, this is an exciting time to be in charge of a football club. We’re seeing genuine changes in how clubs are run, with good Fan Engagement now being seen as a positive opportunity. All three are clear that reform - financial and administrative - through the new Independent Regulator will make that opportunity even greater, especially when it comes to staffing in key Fan Engagement roles.
If you want to get in touch, ask a question or suggest a topic or guest, drop me a line at hello@fanengagement.net
Episode links
- Independent Regulator White Paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-sustainable-future-reforming-club-football-governance/a-sustainable-future-reforming-club-football-governance
- Bristol Rovers Fan Engagement section: https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/club/fan-engagement
- Bradford City Supporter Services website: https://support.bradfordcityafc.com
- Lincoln City Supporters Board & new 'Four Party' group: https://www.weareimps.com/club/policies
Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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This episode is with Aaryaman Banerji, author of the Civitas report, Governing the Beautiful Game, The Future of Football in Civil Society.
Aaryaman produced the report as Lead Football Analyst at Civitas, a political think tank based out of Westminster. Civitas is an independent think tank which conducts forensic research and analysis into critical topics within the British political ecosystem, in order to instruct government policy and shape public debate.
He has a widely respected FIFA Masters and a Master's Degree in History from Durham University, where his research focused on the socio-political and economic history of football.
He has experience working as a journalist for the Football Association and the Black Collective of Media in Sport, whilst helping in the administration and management of an amateur football club in London.
We discuss why the Tories as a largely non-interventionist party have decided to intervene, how the fan led review addressed the impact of years of poor club-fan relations and fan engagement regulation, the nature of the business model of clubs, and how the soon-to-be independent regulator will impact the quality of administration and ownership, and ultimately, fan engagement in the game.
Episode Links
Civitas Report: https://www.civitas.org.uk/publications/governing-the-beautiful-game
Fan Led Review: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future
Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS): https://bcoms.co
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This is our first face-to-face recording, done at the RSA in John Adam Street, just off the Strand in London, where I’m a fellow. Apologies for some background noise at times.
This episode is with Kat Law and Martin Cloake, who until last year were co-chairs of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust, and who formally stepped down from the board this year.
If you want to know what meeting with Spurs CEO Daniel Levy & the rest of the executive board was like, how they dealt with the aftermath of the European Super League car-crash and why they stopped their regular board-to-board meetings with the club, this one’s for you.
The collaborative efforts between groups like theirs and supporters’ trusts at rival clubs like Arsenal & Chelsea, was and remains a great tonic to the excesses of the modern, often confected, rivalry between fans off the pitch. As Supporters Direct founder Brian Lomax always said: what unites us off the pitch is greater than what divides us over 90 minutes.
I’ve known and at times, worked with both, for many years, and have always liked and respected their honesty, application and professionalism. Their desire to always do what they judged to be the right thing, and to do it well, has never been in question. Kat is still involved with the FSA nationally, and was also on the FA Council for a period.
They formed part of the Premier League group of supporters’ trusts that I helped establish & oversee at Supporters Direct, which was the engine for the successful campaign to reduce away ticket prices in the Premier League, and also numerous pieces of policy and campaigning work we did in the game around regulation and fan engagement, and other areas such as Assets of Community Value.
If you’re interested in the RSA, including how to become a fellow or use their facilities, go to https://www.thersa.org for more.
If you want to get in touch, ask a question or suggest a topic or guest, drop me a line at hello@fanengagement.net
Episode Links
- Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust: https://www.thstofficial.com
- The Football Supporters Association: https://thefsa.org.uk
- Martin Cloake's Substack (The Football Fan): https://martincloake.substack.com
Episode links available in the podcast description. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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This episode is a chat with Deborah Dilworth, Head of Women’s Football at the Football Supporters Association.
Our paths very nearly crossed, as she joined Supporters Direct not long after I left, though then working in the men’s game with supporters’ trusts. She took up a role post-merger of SD & the FSF, and now leads on The FSA’s work in the women’s game.
She meets with The FA and other key stakeholders regularly, and supports and advises the new slew of supporters organisations in the rapidly growing women’s game.
Pound for pound, this is one of the best episodes I’ve ever done of the Pod. Deborah doesn’t have a fixed mindset on the issues, and our chat is a proper exploration of some of the issues that are currently affecting a game that, let’s not forget, wasn’t even allowed to exist until the early 70s, after a ban lasting from the early 1920s was finally lifted.
I hope you enjoy the episode. I’m planning on getting Debs back on for another chat in the future.
If you want to get in touch, ask a question or suggest a topic or guest, drop me a line at hello@fanengagement.net
Episode Links
- The Football Supporters Association (Women’s football): https://thefsa.org.uk/our-work/womens-football
- The Women’s National League: https://fulltime.thefa.com/index.html?league=872938
Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement
Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from all the Fan Engagement Indexes.
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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This episode is a chat with Gerard Lawlor, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Football League.
Gerard has been CEO since 2021. Professionally, he was in the hospitality industry as a chef for years, but crucially, always a fan and latterly director and chairman of Cliftonville FC.
He has clear understanding of the needs of his member clubs both as institutions but also as businesses that need to satisfy fans both as customer and stakeholder, whilst building new loyalties amongst non-traditional fans, particularly women and girls.
I just sat back and listened for large parts of this interview. He had so much interesting stuff to say about a league that is clearly undergoing a renaissance, and clubs that are finding themselves more popular than they’ve been for a long time.
You can hear how their success was supercharged by Covid, and how their strength really is that they’re close to their fans.
I really enjoyed chatting with Gerard, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy listening to it too.
Episode Links
- Northern Ireland Football League: https://www.nifootballleague.com
- Glentoran FC: https://www.glentoran.com
- Larne FC https://larnefc.com
Episode links available in the podcast description. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement
Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from all the Fan Engagement Indexes (new one out very soon).
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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This episode discusses policing, at risk fans. We look at how to change the approach of dealing with anti-social behaviour and problem fans from one of removal and banning, to education and helping them to become better citizens.
Guests
- Owen West, former Chief Superintendent at West Yorkshire Police and now Senior Lecturer in Policing at Edge Hill University: https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/persons/owen-west
- Amanda Jacks, Caseworker at The Football Supporters Association: https://thefsa.org.uk/our-work/casework
- Kristine Green, Director of Grimsby Town, as well as something of an expert in communications between police and fans, and the club’s Supporter Liaison Officer: https://gtfc.co.uk/kristine-awarded-the-bem
- Sidney Wise, Writer and Researcher, Think Fan Engagement: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidney-wise-231431201
Links
- ‘Cleveland Police slammed over Hartlepool United v Stockport County match dogs tweet: https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/cleveland-police-slammed-over-hartlepool-25668716
- Mark Roberts' cocaine remarks: https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/football-fans-staggered-by-police-chiefs-ignorance-towards-safe-standing-309247
- Liam Scully, CEO at Lincoln City, condemning Roberts' remarks: https://www.weareimps.com/news/2022/november/CEO-resonds-to-police-chief-claims
- The Anfield Wrap Podcast - special (with Amanda Jacks from The FSA) https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2022/07/podcast-dark-side-of-football-paying-price-for-passion-special)?
- Standard Liege intervention programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36516017
- Germany’s fanprojekt programme: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2022/09/12/is-germany-s-innovative-approach-to-football-hooliganism-paying-off_5996604_9.html
- EFL sanctions guidelines for clubs: https://thefsa.org.uk/news/efl-unveils-new-sanctions-policy/
Apologies for the poor sound quality in places.
Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net and find our socials on https://linktr.ee/thinkfanengagement
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Part one
As we head towards a new season, I lay out the position we appear to be in when it comes to Fan Engagement as part of the government’s Fan Led Review. This is after all the context for every discussion about reform of Fan Engagement. I look at where The Premier League are and where The EFL are on this critical issue.
Part two
The main part of this episode is where I try to get my head around a major recommendation of the Fan Led Review’s proposed reforms - and a major plank of the Premier League’s new Fan Engagement Standard. I chat with Shaun Lockwood COO of Doncaster Rovers and Dave Matthews Jones, Fans Elected Director of Cambridge United. This is part of my attempt to create and contribute to the discussion I think we need. Both clubs are at different stages of implementing Shadow Board structures, and I chat with them about where they are, and why they think the structure matters to their clubs - and football more widely.
I’ll be continuing this theme in the coming months, announcing some exciting news soon about how. Keep an eye out on https://fanengagement.net @thinkengagement or look for us on LinkedIn or Facebook. Email us via hello@fanengagement.net
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
It's a Fan Engagement Index 2020/2021 season special. As well as running down the table from 92 to 1, we chat with special guests including club CEOs, directors, supporters' trusts and fan groups, and experts in the field.
Find out the full results at fanengagement.net/fan-engagement-index
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
This episode takes a stark look at what it's like in the middle of a crisis with Adam Keely from Oldham Athletic activist group, Push The Boundary. It was recorded in mid-December, before the owner, Abdallah Lemsagam, publicly declared his intention to sell, though given the litany of broken promises, I suspect fans are holding their breath.
Adam talks us through what it's been like organising against the club he loves, why he fears managed decline, and what it's like trying to unite the fanbase when the team is devoid of identity, and bottom of the table.
We also chat about what it's like to go 30 years without a trophy or any promotion, which is where comparisons with their former top-flight opponents, Everton, cease. Presenter Kev also touches on the failures of leadership, and why it's important for owners to keep their promises.
One message Kev has for Adam's fellow Oldham fans is remain united.
And find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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This week we’re chatting with Geoff Wilson, expert in engagement at a strategic level across sports businesses and organisations.
He’s the owner of Geoff Wilson Consultancy, which focuses on Sports Organisations/NGO's, Businesses involved in Sport, Community and Government organisations across the world. This includes FIFA, UEFA, The Asian Football Confederation, and other sports including work in basketball with FIBA, netball, motoracing with the Ulster Grand Prix, and countless other sports and organisations. Take a look at his LinkedIn page: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/geoffwnjwilson
We look about how clubs and sports organisations manage their reputations, how they communicate, why that is, and how critical it is that they get their governance and structure right to make that happen.
Our next edition will be with Bas Schnater, where we talk about the practical side of Fan Engagement. We’ll no longer be publishing weekly episodes, but will still be publishing the occasional chat with a guest about their approach to Fan Engagement. You can access our nearly seventy editions so far via Apple podcasts, Acast or your favourite podcast app.
And find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
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This week we’re chatting about access to and diversity in football with Anwar Uddin, who heads up the Fans for Diversity project for the Football Supporters Federation.
Anwar’s one of the few people with his perspective, having played and coached before he went into the side of the business he’s in now. He was part of the Dagenham and Redbridge side that won promotion to League One in 2010, their highest ever position. He also played for Barnet, and several other League clubs including Bristol Rovers. We chat about his unusual journey, and why he chose to work with fans.
We look at the moral arguments for helping all fans access to football, and also why there’s a financial imperative if they want to keep the turnstiles clicking and tills ringing. It’s a really fascinating episode.
From Tuesday 23rd we’re going to be publishing one episode a month, where me and Bas Schnater talk about the practical side of Fan Engagement. We’ll still be publishing the occasional chat with a guest about their approach to Fan Engagement, and you can access our nearly seventy editions via Apple podcasts, Acast or your favourite podcast app.
And find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
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This week we’re stepping back into the sport of Rugby League, in a chat with fan activist and Bradford Bulls fan, Andrew Foster.
Andrew is a keen student and lover of the game, and has for some time been very concerned about the near permanent state of change and crisis that things appear to be in.
Think Fan Engagement carried out an extensive survey in the summer of this year about the state of fan engagement in Rugby League, and it’s safe to say that the picture painted by fans wasn’t a rosy one. There’s certainly a lack of listening both from a lot of clubs, and also the governing body, The RFL in particular. Check out our website for more: https://fanengagement.net/rugbyleague
In this episode we grapple with the issues, which are many, and talk about how fans might become part of the solution, particularly if they become more organised.
You can find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
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Marco Sansoni is an expert in the role of spectators in sports events, steeped in expertise in both Fan Experience and Fan Engagement. He’s a former Senior Advisor to the World Cup in Brazil, worked in senior spectator roles in some of the biggest sports events in the World including the Summer and Winter Olympics, for FIFA advising on spectator services, and now teaches at the prestigious Luiss Business School in Rome.
He’s doing a lot of thinking about the role of fans and spectators, distilled in a concept called ‘Spectatorship. We had a lot to talk about, and this is the first of what I hope will be many conversations between us about the role of fans in football - and sport more widely - and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed having the conversation.
You can read about his concept of ‘Spectatorship’ via this translated Italian article: https://tinyurl.com/Spectatorship
The Pod will be taking a short break on 26th October, and will return the week after.
You can find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Pod. This is the Fan Engagement Chat, where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
This week we chat with Leigh Pomlett, Chairman and owner of Walsall FC. Leigh has a long career in business, working in freight and logistics, and remains Chairman of the Freight Transport Association. I can imagine he’s busy enough with that, but he’s also a progressive thinking Chairman of Walsall, and he explains more about how he does things at his boyhood club in this short but insightful chat.
I think Leigh represents an emerging group of clubs across the game - some private, some fan-owned, some a mixture - who think progressively about their clubs, treat them with a lot more care & attention, and don’t gamble with them in the way we used to see.
Incidentally, a lot of them are already involved in the Fair Game movement, which you can read more about at https://fairgameuk.org
You can find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
We’ll be publishing one edition a week each Tuesday, including the Fan Engagement Chat, Bas Chat, with Bas Schnater, and Did They Ask The Fans, with Tim Crow.
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
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Seb White is from Mundial. Seb is a fan and director of Hampton & Richmond Borough FC, but also still holds a candle for Yeovil Town FC, the club he was born into supporting.
Go to mundialmag.com to find out more about Mundial, the sometime magazine, full-time agency and consultancy celebrating football and fan culture.
Go to fanengagement.net to find out more about the work of Think Fan Engagement.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
Surveying & Questionnaires: How to do it
Definition: a method of data collection where a sample is taken from the population and researched via a standardized questionnaire
Uses:
- Post match Fan Experience
- Annual or mid-season Fan Engagement/Fan Experience
- Annual fan survey by a league or FA/federation
- Done before season ticket campaigns
Step One: Preparations
-
Decide what you want to measure. What is it you’re trying to understand/get insights about? Which departments/teams/staff members will be involved?
-
How much analysis can I do? This will help you to decide whether you want to do open questions or closed questions
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Design the type of questions you want to ask. Examples below (NB: Suggesting or hinting at answers you want respondents to make is a big no no. Don't do it!)
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Fact questions
- Knowledge questions
- Opinion questions
- Open questions
-
Closed questions
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If you’re doing questions using ‘ranking’ (e.g. ‘good’ to ‘bad’, or ‘1-5’), what scale are you going to use (Likert scale is the most common: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/mp/likert-scale)
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Ensuring the order of questions is balanced (the order of questions in a survey really matters: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/curiosity/question-order-matters)
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Run a test survey. You could do this with your Fans Parliament, supporters’ trust, or you could test with colleagues
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Ensure you think about these issues properly
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Language used (make it understandable: use the test survey for this)
- Be careful not to ask about multiple issues at the same time
- Ensure answer options are clear and unambiguous: avoid confusion
- Avoid leading questions, steering respondent towards a desired answer
- Ensure you define the audience you're targeting (e.g. age, whether a season ticket holder or member)
Step Two: Who to involve
- Which departments, teams or employees will be the subject of the survey?
Step Three: How to execute
- When is the best time to issue the survey? A quick matchday survey is best issued straight after the game, not two days afterwards!
Step Four: How to analyse
- If you're analysing yourself, what tools are you going to use? SurveyMonkey has built-in features for this. https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/analyze
- If you're going to have your data analysed by someone else, who are you going to use? Do they have the skills to do it? Can you engage an expert in surveying to do this for you?
Step Five: How to report
- Ensure you involve all internal stakeholders: staff, teams or departments involved. Always ensure that senior management are involved where necessary - particularly if it's an annual survey. Feeding in the views of fans is important to the overall operation of the club/business
- Ensure results are presented in a clear and structured manner (see analysis section), and that all of your research objectives are met
Don’t forget!
- You can carry out informal forms of sampling, e.g. 10% of your season ticket base, but if you want to ensure proper sampling, it needs to be done properly. Don't claim it's properly sampled unless it is. Read more here: https://www.qualtrics.com/uk/experience-management/research/determine-sample-size
More Reading
If you want to read more about the subject, try this from Bas Schnater's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/surveying-fans-increase-satisfaction-engagement-bas-schnater
Links
Economic and Social Research Council
Market Research Association
Still have questions?
Email us at hello@fanengagement.net
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This week it’s Labour Party General Secretary and Chester fan and activist, David Evans.
He tells us all about how he fell in love with the club off the back of a 0-0 draw at Aldershot, goes into his personal journey as a fan - including the Terry Smith era, the US owner who famously had Chester players chasing imaginary balls. David was involved in the reformation of Chester back in 2010, sat on the board, and has also been a trustee of their Community Trust for a number of years. It’s a really fun and entertaining chat with David and Tim, who themselves both support non league clubs.
Don’t forget to go to https://fanengagement.net to find out more about Fan Engagement.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
Episode 61 is with Stuart Dykes from SD Europe’s Supporter Liaison (SLO) Project. SD Europe is one part of the legacy of Supporters Direct, and works across Europe with clubs, fans, leagues and federations on how to implement the role. Go to sdeurope.eu for more.
The SLO role was first seen in German football, but can now be seen across all of UEFA’s member associations, including in men’s professional football in England in the top-four divisions.
From the perspective of us at Think Fan Engagement, the SLO role has never come even close to its full potential, often hampered by the absence of enough guidance from the leagues as to how to make the role work. In many clubs it’s something of an afterthought, often bolted onto another, existing role, instead of being able to play its proper role of ensuring that fans are thought about in all the decisions a club makes.
Stuart really is a mine of information and expertise on the subject. Anyone hoping to create an effective SLO role should listen to this episode.
You can find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
By the way, from now on, we’ll be publishing one edition a week each Tuesday, including the Fan Engagement Chat, Bas Chat, with Bas Schnater, and Did They Ask The Fans, with Tim Crow.
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
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Episode 60 is a Fan Engagement Chat with Steve Wignall, Chair of Marching Out Together, the group for LGBT+ fans of Leeds United. You can find them at https://www.marchingouttogether.co.uk
Although I had some conversations with members of Spurs group Proud Lilywhites some years back, it’s an area I’m not that familiar with and wanted to find out more about.
It’s easy to presume that being fan is a very democratic exercise - that all fans are welcomed - but we forget that’s not always the case - in the stadium, outside it, and of course online.
Steve is a great guest, and brutally honest about the strides they’ve made, the challenges they face, and their importance to the overall picture of Fan Engagement at Leeds United.
You can find out more about our work at https://fanengagement.net. Register for free and you get access to the Fan Engagement Hub, with more detailed data and case studies from the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Fan Engagement Indexes.
By the way, from now on, we’ll be publishing one edition a week each Tuesday, including the Fan Engagement Chat, Bas Chat, with Bas Schnater, and Did They Ask The Fans, with Tim Crow.
Don't forget to like, subscribe and share. It helps other people find us!
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
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We’re taking a break until 7th September. You can catch up on 59 episodes of the Fan Engagement Pod, including Did They Ask The Fans, and Bas Chat via your favourite podcast app, search Fan Engagement Pod.
Or why not head to fanengagement.net where you can listen to the Pod, and also find out more about our work on the Fan Engagement Index, our new work in Rugby League, sign up for the Fan Engagement Network, and more.
We hope you have a safe and restful Summer. See you on the 7th September.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
This one’s with Ryan Sparks, CEO of Bradford City AFC
We’d already interviewed him back in Episode 11, but decided to have a second chat with Ryan after he was appointed as the youngest CEO in the country. He was appointed in November 2020, and this interview was done in March 2021.
Ryan's background is in Rugby League, having worked for both Featherstone Rovers and city neighbours Bradford Bulls previously. As a result, Ryan learned his trade in an arguably much tougher environment where techniques of persuasion of fans are more important to get right.
He’s a really good listen from someone I like and admire for his straight-dealing, honesty, but sensitivity to the responsibility he’s got. He gives us great insight into the work he’d undertaken to both steady the ship, and then build for the coming years. His Twitter profile and LinkedIn page are worth having a look at for a record of the progress he’s made. Since then we also saw Bradford’s Fan Engagement rating climb massively thanks to Ryan’s work and leadership in the area, and you can find out more on https://fanengagement - where you can find out even more about how your club did. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
We’re taking a break for the whole of August, and we’ll be back with a new episode of the Fan Engagement Chat on the 7th September, and new episodes of Bas Chat and did they ask the Fans too. Keep an ear out!
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Enjoy the show.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
Abhishek Singh runs the Arsenal Naigpur Supporters Club, and is based in Naigpur, India. He works for Think Fan Engagement, and also runs his own business, Sport Ed India, working with sports organisations including football clubs, in India, on social media and other communications & engagement strategies.
Abhishek tells us what it’s like for the international fans when it comes to Fan Engagement, what the relationship with the club is like and how they feel about being a fan. He also touches on football fandom when it comes to Indian football clubs.
It’s easy to dismiss their place in what I term ‘the concentric circles of fan’, but in a gloabalised world, international fans are an important part of what clubs at levels deal with.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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This is a chat with Ryan McKnight, CEO of the North of England Football Academy, former Stockport County CEO and adviser to a whole series of clubs, and ex-editor of FC Business Magazine.
Ryan has been thinking a lot about the relationship between fans and clubs, and how that manifests itself in the practical - as well as emotional - sense. We talk about the mistakes clubs make in marketing, how loyalty is always defined by a negative experience, and why season tickets are outdated. As Ryan says, the relationship with your club is going to be the longest you’ll have in your life, so it’s vital it’s done right.
It’s a really fascinating and absorbing tour of the issues from someone who’s thought very deeply and read very widely.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
Please like, subscribe and share. It really does help our visibility.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
Recorded in March 2021, this is a chat with Jonathan Bradley from Bang The Table. Their mission states that ‘Robust democracy requires real public participation. Our mission is to enable this participation as a fundamental pillar of well-functioning 21st century democracies by forging constructive relationships between communities and the institutions of government.’ The company’s EngagementHQ platform provides a managed online social space to facilitate this.
So what relevance does this have to Fan Engagement? The common thread is to ensure that seldom heard and hard to reach groups are given opportunities to engage - in our case, Fans.
It’s particularly interesting to look at platforms created by the likes of Bang The Table for ideas when it comes to moving constructive dialogue away from the very public social networks of Twitter and Facebook, to environments which are more protected and enable dialogue.
Anyone looking at online tools to engage with fans should listen to this, and if you want to understand more about their work, go to their UK Consult podcast, where I appeared recently to chat about Fan Engagement, the European Super League and the work of Think Fan Engagement.
And just to add: we have no commercial or financial relationship with Bang The Table. We just really like their platform and what they do.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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The latest Episode of BasChat, with Bas Schnater and Kevin Rye, focuses on Fan Journey Mapping.
We’ve provided a breakdown of the steps to take, some resources to do it, and some tips, below
If you want to get in touch with us to discuss this further, drop us a line via the contact details on our website
Fan Journey Mapping: How to do it
Step One: Preparations
- Find a model that could help map the journey (try the Lego Experience Wheel, below) that shows the fan journey from the moment the fan(s) leave the house, to the moment they arrive home
- Think about which fans you want to carry out the research (these could be families, or fans from a particular part of the stadium). You might also want to focus on specific demographic or social groups, including younger fans or the disabled. Don’t just focus on one group. Try to cover different groups. This could be a good way to improve experience and relationships with your ‘hardcore’ fans, for example
- Create a long-form questionnaire in an ‘open’ or ‘qualitative’ style to allow for lots of detailed comment
- Think about what incentives for participants you might offer (perhaps a free signed shirt, other merchandise, free ticket to a club event - e.g. meet the players)
- Remember that they need to get receipts for their spending
Step Two: Before the day
- Choose your participants via a call on the website, your Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO) or Fan Services team (if you have one)
- Do not tell staff/internal stakeholders (all fan-facing staff members) that this is happening, so they behave normally
- Ensure they have the questionnaire sent to them in advance. Ensure they understand what they need to do
Step Three: On the day
- Ensure that participants follow the fan journey
- Ensure that you don’t have contact with them during the day. You don’t want anyone finding out what they’re doing!
Step Four: Afterwards
Participants debrief
- Meet with the participants to talk through their questionnaire
Analysis and dissemination
- Feed back to all fan-facing departments
- To departments that performed really well, make sure they know what they did well and why
- To departments that have improvements to make, ensure they understand why those improvements are important and how it will help them with any internal targets or goals they have
Don’t forget!
- Although there are crossovers with ‘Customer Experience’, and there are transactions, loyalty isn’t created because of price or service. It’s deeper than that. And treating your fans well is even more important because of that!
- Use fan surveys, focus groups and other techniques to inform and shape your Fan Journey Mapping!
More reading
Lego Experience Wheel: https://fanengagement.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lego-Experience-Wheel.jpeg
How to document the Stadium Experience: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-document-stadium-experience-bas-schnater
Gannt Charts
What is a Gannt Chart? https://www.teamgantt.com/what-is-a-gantt-chart
Free MS Office Gannt Chart download: https://templates.office.com/en-gb/simple-gantt-chart-tm16400962
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Recorded in Jan 2021, this is a chat with Darren Bernstein, Director of Bury AFC. Darren was previously in a number of senior Marketing & Communications roles at The EFL, FA, and British Squash and Racketball. He also teaches at the football university, UCFB at their Etihad Campus, and is an Independent Non Executive Director at British Orienteering.
It’s a dig into the challenges that the club has faced during a hell of a time to be reforming, and touches on some important points about the identity and meaning - and the heartbreak - of being a fan.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
And don’t forget to like, subscribe and share. It really does help.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
The Fan Engagement Chat is where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
Recorded in Jan 2021, this interview is a conversation with US football (Soccer) activist, Paul Cox.
Paul, who lives in Valencia, Spain, has been a fan of Seattle Sounders for years, and when in the States was involved in the formation of a couple of fan groups/organisations, including the Seattle Sounders Fan Alliance, of which he’s the former Chair https://www.soundersfc.com/supporters-and-alliance/alliance/council
Paul tells us a bit about how influence and activism and how it affects the game in the States, his views on 'opposition' versus constructive dialogue, the early attempts to form a national organisation for fans and activists in the country, and the challenges of growing the sport in a country where three others are in immediate competition for eyeballs.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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This week Sports Marketing Guru Tim Crow and TFE's Kevin Rye chat with Julian Jenkins, whose Simul Sports Group recently put in a bid for Wigan Athletic, and is looking to buy - and radically change - a football club, based on Fan Engagement, Corporate Community Activism and a radical approach to the finances.
Part One: Wrexham, Netflix and Thrills
Part Two: Cardiff City - Aren’t we supposed to be in it together?
Part Three: Be the best Charlton Athletic you can be
He tells us why he’s passionate about getting fans involved, and radically altering the way football clubs do their business.
Don’t forget to like, subscribe and share in your favourite podcast app. It really helps us.
Go to https://fanengagement.net for more
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
Until recently, Jacob Naish was Commercial Director at FC Nordsjælland - one of the most innovative sports organisations in the world and the youngest professional football team in Europe. The club - part of the Right to Dream Group - has a unique model for developing players which emphasises the nurturing of purpose, character, and leadership in the young players they create.
He now works as Purpose Lead for the Right to Dream Group. He’s previously worked for Fulham FC’s foundation as Head of Development, and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Albion in the Community.
Jacob’s one of the most deep thinkers on football clubs and the game more generally, and really understands the deep connections between clubs, fans and communities. It’s a real treat to get to chat with him for so long about Engagement, and the wider issues at FC Nordsjaelland, the game in Denmark and football more widely.
Apologies for the sound quality from me on this episode.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
This week we hear from Nick Hawker, Chair of the Exeter City Supporters Trust. We hear about how they managed to achieve top place in the Fan Engagement Index for the second year in a row, and in 2019/2020, put even more points on the board.
We talk about why there’s more in common between Man United and Exeter City than some people think, and how constant communication is the key to good Fan Engagement.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did in the Fan Engagement Index at https://fanengagement.net. You can also register for free for the Fan Engagement Hub if you want to access more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement.
This episode is a chat with Howard Krais, former President of the UK Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, and co-author of Who’s listening? A research project exploring how organisations listen to employees. We talked about the shared lessons & insights we can apply in football clubs.
Howard also happens to have been former Chair of National League Premier Wealdstone, so we were able to apply this to football as well, and the chat is a really good dig into why organisations don’t listen enough, how that affects in this case fans, but also stakeholders, employees and others, and why that needs to change.
If you hold any communications role, or you’re a leader in football, you should listen to this episode.
You can find the report Howard co-authored with Kevin Ruck from the PR Academy, at https://www.iabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Listening-Report-Final.pdf
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did at https://fanengagement.net where you can also register to access the Fan Engagement Hub, where you can find more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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Scott Goodacre runs The Online Rule, which publishes The State of Football Social Media (new edition out now), which examines the use of social media by football clubs globally, and thought to be 'the biggest survey of football social media staff in the world' (but he adds that if it's not, he's going to claim it is until someone tells him otherwise!) Whatever it is, it's a really important contribution to understanding how clubs use technology and social media to listen - or not. His work has overlaps with the Fan Engagement Index's measurement of Twitter as a listening channel.
We chat about listening, not broadcasting, why content isn't king, and why clubs need to stop reaching for the post scheduler!
You can find the State of Football Social Media results and more on the work of The Online Rule, at https://theonlinerule.com
Scott also runs a digital marketing agency, Scott Digital.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did at https://fanengagement.net where you can also register to access the Fan Engagement Hub, where you can find more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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Welcome to the Fan Engagement Chat, the episode of the Fan Engagement Pod where we hear about someone’s approach to Fan Engagement. This episode takes a look at the fastest risers in the Fan Engagement Index for 2019/2020, Bristol Rovers, in a chat with Commercial Director Tom Gorringe, who you can also hear in Episode 5.
He comes with a richly deserved reputation for being one of the most effective at Fan Engagement in the game. How? I think it’s that he’s got an attitude of ‘getting things done’ - tackling what you can, when you can - but of always communicating, listening and building trust.
Credit must also be paid to CEO Martyn Starnes and President and Owner Wael Al-Qadi for embracing the right approach to running the club, and continuing to invest time and resources. Although their position in the table was for 2019/2020, anecdotally speaking it’s clear that the approach has continued during a very difficult period on the pitch in 2020/2021.
What is also clear from all those doing well in the Index, whether Rovers, Index winners Exeter City, FA Cup Winners Leicester City and others who do Engagement well, it’s about Fan Engagement as a good in itself, not simply to drive commercial income or to sell more tickets.
Don’t forget you can find out how your club did at https://fanengagement.net where you can also register to access the Fan Engagement Hub, where you can find more detailed data and case studies from the 2019/2020 Index.
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This is a new episode of the Fan Engagement Pod called Did They Ask The Fans, where Sports Marketing guru Tim Crow and Kevin Rye from Think Fan Engagement, talk about why fans don’t get listened to in football, and why that has to change.
Guest this edition is Ronan Evain from Football Supporters Europe, talking about the clown-car of Super League and the lack of business acumen shown by all clubs involved, and why sponsors could now be at the forefront of pushing for change.
Don’t forget the Fan Engagement Index for 2019/2020 is now out. Go to https://fanengagement.net to find out how your club did.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
We're launching a new episode of The Fan Engagement Pod called Did They Ask The Fans, and the first one drops on 10/05/21. Sports Marketing guru Tim Crow and me, Kevin Rye from Think Fan Engagement, talk about why fans don’t get listened to in football, and why that has to change.
Tomorrow starts with Ronan Evain from Football Supporters Europe, talking about the clown-car of Super League and the lack of business acumen shown by all clubs involved, and why sponsors could now be at the forefront of pushing for change.
Don’t forget the Fan Engagement Index for 2019/2020 is now out. Go to https://fanengagement.net to find out how your club did.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
The Fan Engagement Pod is taking a short break this week, but will return for the launch of the Fan Engagement Index for 2019/2020 season next Wednesday 5th May.
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Episode 43 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a very timely chat with former CEO of sports marketing firm Synergy Global, Tim Crow. He now does a variety of things, including advising other sports, brands and clubs. In his spare time he’s a fan of Halifax Town.
Given the talk of a European Super League, this episode is a great bit of insight into the world of sports marketing, the psychology of clubs and particularly some of the foul ups that get committed by brands and rights holders when they want to get involved. Listen out for the story about the Chant Laureate.
The conclusion from this one is pretty straightforward: you need to listen to your fans because it makes commercial sense, as well as just being the right thing to do.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Four of Bas Chat is now out, with Bas Schnater. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
If you’re from a club in the top four divisions of English men’s football, don’t forget we’ve sent out data collected for the Fan Engagement Index 2019/2020 season for comment. The Index will be published at the end of April.
And don’t forget: Fan Insights will soon become Think Fan Engagement. Keep an ear out for more.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Episode 42 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Amanda Jacks. Since 2008, Amanda has been been working to improve the treatment of matchgoing fans in England & Wales for the Football Supporters Federation, and now the Football Supporters Association.
On a practical level she works with supporters in trouble, assisting them through the complaints process & improving their access to justice. She also works with external stakeholders, including the Police, to ensure a positive match day experience for all. You can access her very informative Twitter account via this link.
It’s a really important episode for anyone in a Fan Engagement role at a club or who works for a league or other rights holder, and particularly relevant given the FSA’s recent response to the government’s new Policing Bill.
She’s a sometimes fierce advocate of matchgoing fans, and not scared to tackle controversial issues, but in my experience she always seeks a constructive route wherever she can.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Four of Bas Chat is now out, with Bas Schnater. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
If you’re from a club in the top four divisions of English men’s football, don’t forget we’ve sent out data collected for the Fan Engagement Index 2019/2020 season for comment. The Index will be published at the end of April.
And don’t forget: Fan Insights will soon become Think Fan Engagement. Keep an ear out for more.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episode 41 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a bonus episode, with Fiona Green from sports industry data experts Winners, chatting about the new edition of her book, Winning with Data, published by Routledge.
She’s well known in her field, and you can hear more about her and what Winners does in Episode 30. We’ve also got three copies of her book to give away. Listen to find out how!
If you’re not fortunate enough to win a copy of her book, go to https://tinyurl.com/fionagreen to buy a copy. It’s also available from all good book retailers in hardback and e-book.
And don’t forget: Fan Insights will soon become Think Fan Engagement. Keep an ear out for more.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at http://faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
Episode 40 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a bit of a special one. We’ve gathered together five fan facing communications, media and social media managers and officers from clubs in the Premier League, Championship, League One, Two and National League North.
They are: Alex O’Loughlin, Media Content Officer at Southampton FC, Elliot Byrne, Multimedia Journalist at AFC Bournemouth, Scott Demmerling, Head of Media at Shrewsbury Town FC, Scott Palfrey, Marketing Manager at Exeter City FC and Dan Simmonite, Media Officer at York City FC.
This is an illuminating journey through the Fan Engagement aspects of their role, and a chat that covers a lot of ground, shot through with great insights about what it’s like at the coalface for people in their role.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Four of Bas Chat is now out, where we look at the value of Fan Engagement when you get that approach from a tech company, why clubs value sponsorships & partnerships as they do and whether leagues should be providing more help to clubs to build their Fan Engagement strategy, so clubs can focus on building resilient and successful sports businesses. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
If you’re from a club in the top four divisions of English men’s football, don’t forget we’ve sent out data collected for the Fan Engagement Index 2019/2020 season for comment.
And don’t forget: Fan Insights will soon become Think Fan Engagement. Keep an ear out for more.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episode 39 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Christopher Addison from Le Golf National in Paris, where he holds a customer experience and marketing role. He has also studied sport and management both at the renowned Stirling University, and at Dundee, where he did a Masters.
This was recorded in Summer 2020, not long after the first nationwide lockdowns finished both at home and abroad.
Although he’s done some football related work with Mark Bradley at the Fan Experience Company, our chat centred on Golf and the lessons that football can learn from the relationship between golf club members and clubs - and there are many, particularly around loyalty, and the challenge faced in attracting new participants in the face of other leisure pursuits.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Four of Bas Chat is now out, where we look at the value of Fan Engagement when you get that approach from a tech company, why clubs value sponsorships & partnerships as they do and whether leagues should be providing more help to clubs to build their Fan Engagement strategy, so clubs can focus on building resilient and successful sports businesses. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
And don’t forget: Fan Insights will soon become Think Fan Engagement. Keep an ear out for more.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episode 4 of BasChat is a bit of a departure, but for a reason. It’s the last one in its current format. As you’ll hear in this episode we’re going to be changing things around a little bit, and in the future, focusing on the club side of Fan Engagement with Bas.
This time around we look at the value of Fan Engagement when you get that approach from a tech company, why clubs value sponsorships & partnerships as they do and whether leagues should be providing more help to clubs to build their Fan Engagement strategy, so clubs can focus on building resilient and successful sports businesses.
In the future we would also love to begin incorporating more views and questions from listeners, so drop us a line at hello@faninsights.co.uk or pop onto Twitter @faninsightscouk or any other of our social channels.
Don’t forget, Fan Insights becomes Think Fan Engagement soon.
And also, you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
If you want to find out more about the title track to this episode, it’s called Exotica, and is by the Juanitos. You can find their albums at freemusicarchive.org/music/Juanitos#contact-artist
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Episode 38 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Cambridge United Director, Dave Matthews Jones. Dave is the director elected by fans, via the Cambridge United supporters’ trust, Cambridge Fans United. He’s learned to accept the realities of the game and not let them get to him too much!
This was recorded in late May 2020, towards the end of the first nationwide lockdown.
The role Dave holds has existed since 2004, coming from a crisis that saw the Trust lead a campaign to raise £100,000 to save the club, with a director in exchange for their efforts Since the role was created, they have repeatedly played a critical role in good times and bad, and even though the club’s shares are now all owned by Chairman Paul Barry, the Trust retains their role through an article in the company rules.
This episode brings to life some of the things that The FA’s Andy Ambler said about the value of having a fan on the board, and we talk about how critical the role is to Fan Engagement at the club, the listening he does amongst the fanbase, the practicalities of the role, and balancing the duties with the legal requirements.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including Episode Three of Bas Chat is now out, and we take a look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, whether brands will pull back, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. The next episode, Episode 4, will be back to the regular date of the last Thursday of the month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episode 37 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with the Football Supporters Association’s Ashley Brown.
Ashley led the fan takeover of Portsmouth FC in 2013, and was a director until 2017 when US media mogul Michael Eisner took over. Under the stewardship of the supporters, the club was transformed off the pitch into a club unrecognisable from the one that collapsed twice and was caught up in never-ending financial crises.
Ashley now works as Head of Supporter Engagement and Governance at The FSA, leading on the reform work the organisation campaigns on. He was also the final Chief Executive of Supporters Direct.
We cover every bit of ground from activism to engagement at a club where trust had to be rebuilt as a matter of priority, and talk about the role The FSA plays in the game today.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Three of Bas Chat is now out, and we take a look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, whether brands will pull back, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. The next episode, Episode 4, will be back to the regular date of the last Thursday of the month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
PS: don't forget the listener survey. It'll only take two minutes of your time to complete: https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Episode 36 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Cheltenham Town Media Manager, Richard Joyce and Associate Director Murry Toms.
Like many clubs of their size and level, they don’t have teams of people working on communications & engagement. Richard works across the piece, whilst Murry provides support on a practical and strategic level for Richard’s work.
This interview provides a really good window into Fan Engagement & communication with fans at a club of their size, how important unpaid support from directors often is, and how fan involvement in ownership impacts the culture. We also get a good idea of what it’s been like during Covid and how it’s been communicating with fans at a distance. Murry’s dayjob is as campaigns director at Crowdfunder, whilst Richard was formerly at Forest Green Rovers.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Three of Bas Chat is now out, and we take a look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, whether brands will pull back, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. The next episode, Episode 4, will be back to the regular date of the last Thursday of the month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
PS: don't forget the listener survey. It'll only take two minutes of your time to complete: https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Welcome to BasChat episode three. This is where me, Kevin Rye and Bas Schnater, Fan Engagement consultant and expert, chat about marketing, commercial and activations with a Fan Engagement Flavour.
This month we look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, focusing on whether brands will pull back from their involvement in clubs, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. Further reading via Dominik Schreyer, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management's paper: Football Spectator No-Show Behaviour in Switzerland: Empirical Evidence From Season Ticket Holder Behaviour
If you enjoy this, have a look at our other episodes, where I chat about Fan Engagement with a whole plethora of people in the field, including Chief Executives, Owners, Supporter Liaison Officers, Public Relations and Marketing experts and politicians. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
Don’t forget, Bas Chat will return to the regular date of the last Thursday of every month for the scheduled March episode. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
PS: We’d love some feedback from you about the Pod. We’ve set up a survey that will only take a couple of minutes to complete. It’s at https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Welcome to Episode 35 of the Fan Engagement Pod, a chat with the person responsible at The FA for relationships with The Football Supporters Association, as well as clubs and others, Director of Professional Game Relations, Andy Ambler.
Andy used to run Millwall and before that, Fulham, under quite different owners, John Berylson and Muhammed Fayed. At Millwall they had a fan on the board (and still do). He has a fantastic level of insight when it comes to how clubs and their owners think, and how Fan Engagement is done well.
He’s a big advocate of listening and working proactively with fans and their representatives, and applies those principles to what he now does for The FA.
Alongside plenty of great insights on Fan Engagement, we also touch on some areas of regulation, particularly the misunderstandings that some fans have about who is and isn’t responsible and why.
As a listener to the Fan Engagement Pod, we'd like you to take just a couple of minutes of your day to fill in a quick survey about it. Go to https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a Fan Engagement flavour, with a real expert in the field, Bas Schnater. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the next episode will be out on the 4th March.
We’ll return to the regular date of the last Thursday of every month for the scheduled March episode. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episode 34 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a wide ranging conversation with Brighton & Hove Albion Chief Executive & Vice Chair, Paul Barber.
Paul is someone liked and respected throughout the industry, and we cover plenty of ground, ranging from the way in which leadership and values shape the way the club is run at all levels, involving all staff, and how that impacts on engagement with fans, to how important intention has been in rebuilding Brighton from a club that nearly disappeared, to one that is now in the top flight for their fourth season in a row.
We also touch on the Covid pandemic and his views on the return of fans and the challenge of engaging them throughout, as well as looking at esports and how it can be used to attract and retain a new generation of fans.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a Fan Engagement flavour, with a real expert in the field, Bas Schnater. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the episode due out this week (25th Feb) will now be coming on on the 4th March. We’ll return to the regular date of the last Thursday of every month for the scheduled March episode. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Welcome to Episode 33 of the Fan Engagement Pod, a chat with another Mark, this time Mark Catlin the Chief Executive of Portsmouth FC. Mark is someone I don’t need to persuade of the merits of open and transparent communication, and good Fan Engagement, as they finished 9th in the inaugural Fan Engagement Index.
We chat about the prospects for football whenever it is we emerge from the pandemic, and what his concerns are in terms of numbers - and whether he’s concerned about a potential drop-off in fans attending.
We also focus on his views favouring openness and transparency across a whole range of issues that football clubs and football more widely doesn’t often agree with, touching on the recent arbitration over the salary cap and the unplayed EFL Trophy final between his own Portsmouth and Salford City.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a Fan Engagement flavour, with a real expert in the field, Bas Schnater. A new episode is currently out, with new ones every last Thursday of every month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This episode is a chat with Mark Bradley from the Fan Experience Company. Mark doesn’t need much introduction to people in English football, or increasingly, European football, given his UEFA funded grow work across the continent.
We chat extensively about the roots of his work from starting off at the Halifax Building Society, progressive customer service, and developing the fan journey with the Premier League and then EFL.
One of the issues we do cover is one that I’ve been talking increasingly about with colleagues in the industry: have matchgoing habits been broken permanently, and will this lead to a drop-off in attendances? Has the behaviour of clubs towards fans throughout the pandemic made this more likely?
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships with a Fan Engagement flavour with a real expert in the field. A new episode is out now, and every last Thursday of every month. Listen via the usual channels.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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This episode is one of the most fascinating I’ve done, because I learned such a huge amount about a subject I knew very little about: esports. It centres around a chat with Trev Keane, a Dublin-based consultant with Took Media and a founding board member of Ireland Esports.
There’s a lot of talk about whether football - and other sports - should see esports as a threat to their business model, and I think we expose that as a fallacy. Not that clubs shouldn’t be aware of competing leisure pursuits, of course.
It's clear there's huge potential for clubs to understand and utilise esports to enhance the reach they have. It’s not just Man United who can harness its power, but all clubs. They are at the very least, tools to communicate with people your club needs a relationship with, in the same way as any other tool.
Don’t forget we’ve got 30 other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a real expert in the field. A new episode is currently out, with new ones every last Thursday of every month. Listen via the usual channels.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode, we chat about how to ensure that insight from the fans is part of how you work with your commercial partners. Not as some kind of necessary evil, or a brake on something, but as a positive way of ensuring that you get the most out of your sponsorship and activation. We take a particular look at Borussia Dortmund, and Bas also muses about loyalty and the attempted coup by Donald Trump's supporters.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads more episodes of the Fan Engagement Pod, including this week, Fiona Green from Winners. The next episode is out next Tuesday, and every Tuesday Listen via the usual channels.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
This episode is a chat with Fiona Green, Director and Co-Founder of Winners, a technology-neutral provider of services that helps sports rights owners increase revenue, participation and engagement.
Fiona is an expert in the field of data, and is passionate about getting people to understand the absolute centrality of data for rights holders.
She talks about where clubs have struggled for various reasons to incorporate data into their day-to-day, and why they absolutely should. Anyone who wants to know how to do it right at a minimum needs to read her book, Winning with Data, or even get on the phone and book a call: winnersfdd.com
Her book is being republished in March and will link up with the new Winners training course as part of it. It's published by Routledge, and will be available from all good bookshops.
Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a real expert in the field. A new episode is out this Thursday 28th Jan, and every last Thursday of every month. Listen via the usual channels.
Join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This episode is a chat with Niamh O’Mahony, Secretary of the Irish Football Supporters Network, and one of the two representatives of fans on the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) Council. She is also a former acting CEO of SD Europe, and one of the people behind the saving of her own Cork City in 2010.
Niamh is steeped in the Irish and European supporters' trust and supporters’ movement. We talk about being on the other side of the table, why dialogue matters, and what it’s like being on the FAI Council, part of the governing body of Irish football.
We've also got a brand new, monthly episode called 'Bas Chat' with Fan Engagement expert Bas Schnater, where he & Kevin Rye tap into Bas’s vast knowledge of what’s happening in Fan Engagement, with a particular focus on activations, sponsorship and commercial. It'll be out on the last Thursday of every month via the usual channels.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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The Fan Engagement Pod returns tomorrow, 19/01/21. Don't forget Bas Chat, the last Thursday of every month.
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Welcome to Episode 28 of the Fan Engagement Pod. This episode is back to a chat with a guest about their experience and perspective on Fan Engagement, with an old friend of mine from my days working in European football, Digital Project Manager at Brøndby IF, Troels Johnsen.
We really get into some of the commercial issues around converting loyalty, identity, belonging and being part of something bigger into a commercial success, but without destroying its crucial authenticity and sincerity.
Troels someone who just gets the intangible nature of being a fan, as someone who was himself an activist, setting up Det Nye Brøndby and then the Brøndby Supporters’ Trust, which sought to influence and change the direction of a club in crisis.
His passion and love for his club shines through, but he’s someone who is utterly, resolutely, professional. His insight would benefit any club, and Brøndby IF are lucky to have him.
This really is a great episode for everyone, but particularly for commercial, marketing and revenue generating teams, who want to understand how to do it sincerely.
We touch on data, activations that work, rebrands that failed, how apps aren’t the answer, and how to accept the intangibility of passion, and to harness it successfully
Don’t forget we’ve got 27 other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a real expert in the field. Listen via the usual channels.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode, we have a chat about Bas’s view on data breadcrumbs, where it segways with relationships, about a natty new activation between Budweiser and US women’s soccer, Bas’s take on the Premier League’s now defunct Pay Per View plans, passion products and why he calls fans ‘customer plus’. Mark Bradley and the work of the Fan Experience Company also get a very honourable mention.
If you want to follow-up on anything we’ve talked about, check the episode links below, or email us at hello@faninsights.co.uk
And don't forget: You can join the fan engagement network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Club Brugge pre-match preparations
Budweiser and US Women's Soccer
SC Heerenveen charity campaign
Bas's Twitter account: @basschnater and website: fanengagement.nl
Fan Experience Company
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Episode 26 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Wycombe Wanderers Head of Media, Matt Cecil.
We looked at whether being a fan of a club like him is beneficial in roles like his, how he focuses on what the numbers tell him, and how not to spend too much time reading Twitter or messageboards.
We also chat about how he’s moved seamlessly between three different models of ownership, helping the transition between each and how things changed. former Cronulla Sharks, Wycombe and Notts County's Damian Irvine, interviewed in Episode 19, talked about Matt as someone he admires professionally.
Don’t forget we’ve got the new Bas Chat launching this coming Thursday, and every last Thursday of the month. We take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a real expert in the field..Listen via the usual channels.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Welcome to a new, monthly episode of the Fan Engagement Pod which we call Bas Chat, where Kevin Rye and new co-host, Bas Schnater, go into more detail about Fan Engagement, tapping into Bas’s vast knowledge of what’s happening in Fan Engagement now. We take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders. I’m hoping to pick up some new ideas and learn from one of the best in the business.
It’ll be out on the last Thursday of every month.
We’ll still be publishing the usual Pod with a different guest each Tuesday, and find out about their approach to Fan Engagement, what motivates them to do it the way they do, and why.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
If you want to find out more about the title track to this episode, it’s called Exotica, and is by the Juanitos. You can find their albums at freemusicarchive.org/music/Juanitos#contact-artist
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Episode 25 of the Fan Engagement Pod is an interview with the CEO of Rugby League club, Warrington Wolves, Karl Fitzpatrick. Warrington is itself close to football hotbeds, Manchester and Liverpool, so you can’t just do ‘more of the same’.
Under Karl they’ve become known for their innovative approach to marketing a sport and a club that has to work far harder than football for eyeballs and money. He manages to walk the fine line between the club as an institution with stakeholders, and an entertainment product that needs to excite people.
He’s had a really interesting career to date, having played Rugby League professionally for Widnes and then Salford City Reds between 2000 and 2010, then studied for an MBA, worked on the playing side, eventually becoming football manager at Warrington, then CEO in 2016.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
Episode Links:
Warrington Wolves RLFC
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Welcome to Episode 24 of the Fan Engagement Pod, and this is a bit of a special: it’s a pretty free-ranging conversation between myself and Paul Musa, who runs the What the Footie podcast, with this episode published by both What the Footie, and the Fan Insights Fan Engagement Pod.
Paul’s podcast was set up to help crack open some of the secrets in the game, and is worth a listen: he looks at loads of issues around player trading, club ownership, finance, governance, and broadcasting - a real mixture.
Paul’s podcast series clearly reflects him as a person with an eclectic background, and it’s worth taking a look at his LinkedIn page to see what he’s been up to for the last few years, including a recent move into law, as well as the Young Entrepreneurs Foundation. His LinkedIn page is below in the Episode Links.
We touch on a lot of Fan Engagement issues such as the 50%+1 rule, the role of supporters’ trusts, who does Fan Engagement well, as well as project Big Picture, Fulham’s player trading, Premflix and on-demand services and how the FA does and doesn’t get involved in regulating clubs.
I really enjoyed this episode, which you can tell I’m sure, so have a listen.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
Episode Links:
What the Footie podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/what-the-footie-podcast/id1497422772
Paul Musa’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-musa-a6a958105/
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We return this episode to football activism, in a chat with Niall Couper, Head of Media, PR and Supporter Communications for Amnesty International UK, playing an important role to promote activism in the UK.
It’s critical for anyone running a club or working in football in a Fan Engagement role to understand how activists think and work, which make this, and Episode 6, with Fulham, Spurs and Liverpool activists, required listening. The word ‘activist’ can make some people quite uncomfortable, and that’s why understanding that they’re just people, like you and me, who decide to do something to change a situation is so important.
Aside from being a former sports journalist at the Independent, Niall is also something of a football activist. A Wimbledon fan, he ran the media campaign for the Plough Lane Bond earlier this year that raised £5.5m in a matter of weeks, completing Wimbledon’s new stadium at Plough Lane. He also co-founded and ran the alternative programme, Yellow & Blue, which Wimbledon fans published during their campaign against being franchised to Milton Keynes in 2001/2002, outselling the official programme by a reputed 3-1.
We talk about how you don’t change people’s minds by shouting, how football fans are not outsiders, and how you should never be scared of taking on the big boys. We also touch, briefly, on Amnesty’s work around the attempted takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi consortium.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
Episode Links:
- The Plough Lane Bond: https://ploughlanebond.com/
- Introducing Yellow and Blue, the alternative matchday programme for Wimbledon fans (2002): https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/sep/06/footballfanzines.sport1
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Episode 22 of the Fan Engagement Pod is with Julian Tagg, Club President and Director of External Affairs at Exeter City FC - the club that finished top of the first Fan Engagement Index in 2019. The 2020 edition will be out in the next couple of months.
He talks about the challenge of operating what are in effect several businesses in one, resilience, whilst keeping fans involved and committed. Although their fan-ownership model is of course critical to their culture, they do I think they share similar characteristics with other clubs like Norwich City, because of their culture of Fan Engagement and involvement in decision making, something that has been as critical in keeping the show on the road during some quite difficult times.
I had a lot of fun recording this, as we really dug into the way that Exeter do things. Fan-owned since 2003, in my view they have avoided a lot of the pitfalls of other fan-owned clubs, and learned a huge amount from their own mistakes - and those of other clubs - and grown up as a result. They project a sense of confidence, determination, but with modesty. I think all clubs, from Premier League or National League, could do a lot worse than spend time talking to them.
Julian’s a hugely impressive character, and his expertise in Sports Psychology has undoubtedly played a big part in what he does and how he approaches things - particularly relationships with fans. He’s held the roles of Chairman and CEO, as well as his current role.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
Episode Links: Fan Engagement during Covid19
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If you ever wanted to understand what the business case for Fan Engagement is, listen to this interview with Shaun Lockwood, Group Head of Marketing and Communications at Club Doncaster (which includes Doncaster Rovers, Doncaster Rovers Belles and Doncaster Rugby League clubs). He’s a relative rarity in football and wider sport, in that he gets that the nature of the relationship between the fan and the club means that marketing strategy can’t just be bolted on, and has to be thought through. He’s not scared of having to generate revenue, but does it in a way that fits the model.
We talk about honesty and openness, how they’re values-led, and cover ground such as the difference between supporter services and standard customer services, and the value of supporters’ boards and maintaining relationships.
We also inevitably cover Covid19. Doncaster were one of those clubs who because they already placed the fan at the centre, were a perfect case study for getting their Covid19 ticket refund strategy right.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re introducing some exclusive member services soon.
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This episode is with Ben Kensell, Chief Operating Officer of Norwich City FC, and former Commercial Operations Controller at Arsenal, and then Chief Commercial Officer at Charlton Athletic. This chat with Ben moves into an area that doesn't traditionally get talked about enough in Fan Engagement, and that’s strategy.
Strategy is, as Ben explains, what makes what Norwich City do, effortless, as well as leadership and staff taking responsibility and being empowered. They didn’t just land where they did through luck, they did it because the owners and major shareholders made intentional decisions about direction and strategy, along with the leadership team, and ensured that the whole organisation buys into them.
That’s the reason they finished so high in the inaugural Fan Engagement Index last year, and why they’re so well regarded across the game.
Don’t forget to join the Fan Engagement Network at https://faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’ve got some exclusive member benefits coming soon.
Episode Links:
- Norwich City FC and PTI Consulting Announce Official Strategy Advisory Partnership
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This episode has something for everyone at every level of sport, an absolutely fascinating chat with CEO of Ebbsfleet United FC, Damian Irvine. He started out in sport with an existential challenge as Chairman of Cronulla Sharks in Australian Rugby League, and is now CEO of Ebbsfleet United FC in the National League South, via turnaround jobs at Notts County and Wycombe Wanderers.
He’s got a great story to tell and a lot of wisdom for anyone working at any level, in almost any sport. He’s clearly a very good strategist because he understands its relationship with tactics and delivery. He also says that sincerity on the part of those in charge at a club is a big part of how Fan Engagement should be delivered. He also champions what he calls ‘above the line and below the line’ behaviour for everyone in and around a club, whether fans, staff or players.
He first took over as Chairman when his childhood club, Cronulla Sharks, was in financial trouble, rebuilding its financial and reputational position. He has since had spells at Notts County after the Munto Finance crisis, and Wycombe after a change of ownership. He recently took over at Ebbsfleet United after a difficult period for the owner.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at https://faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Episode Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Irvine
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This is a special episode, a chat with the former Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Chair, Damian Collins MP, who represents Folkestone and Hythe in the UK Parliament. It focuses on the current funding crisis in English football following the cancellation of the return of fans to stadia, and the demands of the campaign for government to be involved in finding - and funding - the solution.
We chatted about why it’s absolutely critical to the entire future of the EFL and the wider pyramid that government works out a plan with the rest of football, including providing funding itself, to protect clubs that are not just vital community assets, but also providers of local support and services to their populations.
One thing anyone listening who lives in a constituency with a club in it is to contact your MP directly, and ask them to support the letter and the campaign, or speak with Damian. Just type ‘They work for you’ in your search engine for your MP’s contact details.
We do also spend a bit of time at the end chatting about Fan Engagement more generally, something Damian is well experienced in, having been involved in investigations into football governance and fan representation from almost the moment he entered Parliament and became involved in the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
Episode Links
- They Work for You (find your MP): https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
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Episode Seventeen of the Fan Engagement Pod is in two parts, and is a conversation with Mario Leo, CEO of Result Sports, a Platform for Digital Media in Sports. He’s also a UEFA Grow Mentor, and a director of Digital Sports Africa and a University lecturer.
He’s one of the leading experts in digital sports communication, but he’s undoubtedly a leading expert in communications full-stop.
This is part one, which looks at:
- How to generate loyalty via digital
- The role of social media as a way of narrowing choices & generating loyalty for fans, but how it causes damage in other areas of society
- How Mario expects changes to the broadcasting model to escalate over the next few years as a result of Covid19
- How digital hasn’t properly integrated itself into the football club business model, and is still too focused as a broadcast media/comms function
- And how clubs can avoid pitting fans against each other (digital versus in person, abroad versus domestic).
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re launching some exciting new services for members only soon, so join up.
Episode Links: https://result-sports.com
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Episode Seventeen of the Fan Engagement Pod is in two parts, and is a conversation with Mario Leo, CEO of Result Sports, a Platform for Digital Media in Sports. He’s also a UEFA Grow Mentor, and a director of Digital Sports Africa and a University lecturer.
He’s one of the leading experts in digital sports communication, but he’s undoubtedly a leading expert in communications full-stop.
This is part two, which looks at:
- How CEOs/senior business managers need to be more on top of what those running social accounts are doing
- How buying cycles are shrinking, including how weather apps mean people from buying tickets.
- How clubs who aren’t listening and engaging online can’t communicate with fans about ticket availability effectively
- How clubs change from content-pushing to integrating digital as part of the business model
- How Stevenage’s sponsorship by Burger King contains both threat and opportunity
- And Mario’s book, Kaufen si Ronaldo, which is being published shortly in English
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re launching some exciting new services for members only soon, so join up.
Episode Links: https://result-sports.com
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This one’s a bit special, and is with Gavin Megaw, Managing Director, Corporate and Brand at Hanover Communications in London, and former Director of Marketing & Communications with the EFL under Lord Mawhinney. He started out at the Conservative Party, where he held a number of senior media roles, including heading up the Party’s rapid rebuttal operation. He now advises organisations and blue chip companies and their leaders on communications and reputation. He understands intimately the critical nature of stakeholder relationships with companies and organisations.
This conversation looks at how important it is for both clubs and leagues to treat Fan Engagement as a branch of stakeholder engagement, much as he advises any other company or organisation to do, and at strategic leadership of the leagues and FA.
Don't forget to rate us in your podcast app, and join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join We’re launching some exciting new services for members only soon, so join up.
Episode Links: https://www.hanovercomms.com/team/gavin-megaw
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Anthony Emmerson is Supporter Growth and Services Manager at Stoke City FC. He's a great example of someone using their insight as a fan themselves in a professional context.
Anthony takes his role incredibly seriously, and is very respectful of the important voice that fans have at Stoke specifically and at clubs everywhere. He was previously at Middlesbrough, where he started in a Community Engagement role, then took on a Fan Engagement role. He’s a native of Hartlepool, and his first love in football is of course Hartlepool United.
Anthony’s role is not just important, but respected by Stoke City, and this is represented most clearly in the fact that he reports directly to the board of the football club, and isn’t just regarded as someone who deals with fan complaints.
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
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When we spoke, during lockdown, Dan was Marketing and Commercial Director, but is now Chief Operating Officer, and the important part that his vision has played which has seen Bohs recovery from their near-death in 2011, to being a widely respected institution in the Phippsborough area of the City itself, Ireland, and for people in football generally.
The real secret has been the dedication and passion of the fans, not least groups like the Gypsies Supporters Trust and fans and activists like Gerry Sexton. It’s truly a joint effort.
Sincerity, openness and recognising that football clubs of any type are collaborations - between those who run, own, support and sustain them - is what has led to their rebirth and growth.
Key Insights
- Football clubs and those who run them are not an island, and need fans to work with them, to co-create
- Fan Engagement is also about civic and local pride, and we need institutions like Bohemians do in their local area, to act as a focal point for that
- An obsessive focus on trophies and results is unhealthy, and doesn't build a club that is resilient, nor relationships with fans that last. Run the club as it should be run, and the effects of both winning & losing become far less extreme
Episode Links
Bohemian FC: https://bohemianfc.com
“None of us are trained in anything except kindness” https://irlfootball.com/2020/08/06/none-of-us-are-trained-in-anything-except-kindness
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
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Alan Russell is Chief Executive of SD Scotland - which has looked after supporters' trusts in Scotland since 2001, and also runs the Scottish Football Supporters Network, the voice of Scottish football fans in the game, and sits on the Scottish Football Association's Congress representing fans.
We discuss how Fan Engagement works nationally, the difference between their relationship with the SFA & SPFL and the role of Supporter Liaison Officers North of the Border. For those interested in how the Scottish game is evolving after a period of financial problems post-the collapse of Setanta, this brings some useful insight.
Key Insights
- League bodies (the SPFL) and national bodies (the SPFA) have different priorities (Alan sometimes refers to them trading in 'different currencies', so the role of a fans body in consultation and decision-making by those organisations is different
- The SLO role in a league structure like Scotland's is far less about liaising with fans organisations, security or policing, and more about playing a general role of engagement between fans and clubs
Episode Links:
SD Scotland: http://www.supporters-direct.scot
SFA Congress: https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-fa/organisation/strategy-structure/who-we-are/congress/
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This episode features Liam Scully, Chief Executive at Lincoln City FC. Liam arrived just as the club re-entered the EFL after a prolonged spell in the National League, and I'd advise revisiting Episode Four’s interview with Lincoln City Chair, Clive Nates, to remind yourself of the rebuilding job that Clive, his colleagues and subsequently, Liam Scully, had to do, and how impressive it is at all levels.
What is particularly stand out with Liam, is how thoughtful he is, and just how much you get the sense that he’s always learning, always trying to understand how to improve and do what he does better. He’s risen gradually in football, starting as a PFA/Football In the Community apprentice, who then moved into the operations side of club football. After plying his trade at Doncaster Rovers, he was chosen by Lincoln City to run the club.
Key Insights
1.Liam works on the basis of four pillars in a football club - if you can get the first three, and the final one falls into place - the playing side - you’ve hit the sweet spot!
- Fans & first team football management
- Strong Fan Engagement & two-way dialogue between fans & club
- Club management (off pitch) & fans
- On the pitch success
2.He also points out that fans don’t want to win at all costs - winning with integrity matters more than you might think; and that fans appreciate that there’s been a process behind a decision, even if they don’t agree with the actual decision.
Episode Links
- https://www.weareimps.com/club/board-members2/board-members/liam-scully/
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
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This is a really insightful chat with Ryan Sparks, Director of Communications & Commercial at Bradford City AFC.
Ryan's background is in Rugby League, having worked for both Featherstone Rovers and city neighbours Bradford Bulls previously. As a result, Ryan learned his trade in a much tougher environment where techniques of persuasion of fans are more important to get right.
He talks about the hard yards he did at Bradford during a really difficult period at the start, and how he's taken that approach on and helped to rebuild the club's reputation around sincerity, honesty and straightforward dealing.
He's been a great exponent of taking the conversation to where the fans are - geographically as well as online - as the face of Bradford City to many fans, and has contributed a huge amount to the club's recovery as an organisation. This is evidenced in the recent virtual fans forum the club had, which was attended by several thousand fans, and broadcast live by BBC Radio Leeds, and which we've included in the links below.
He also talks a bit about pit ponies, which is more relevant than you might think. Have a listen - and don't forget to rate us in your podcast app, so others can find us.
Key Insights
- Good Fan Engagement is about trust: can fans trust you. If the answer is 'no', go back and earn it
- Trust in those leading your Fan Engagement is critical: City CEO Julian Rhodes has enabled Ryan to do his job by giving him the leeway to decide what works and when
- It's always worth looking at other sports that traditionally don't have the draw of football, for good ideas. There's plenty out there to try!
Episode Links:
- Featherstone Rovers RLFC
- Bradford City AFC Virtual Fans Forum (Pt.1)
You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
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This episode is a conversation with William Gaillard, until 2015 the Director of Communications & Public Affairs at UEFA. He is now a Senior Adviser at Burson Cohn & Wolfe, and also advises SD Europe and FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe).
This was a great chat that really got stuck into the big strategic issues around Fan Engagement, and why he believes that it has to be part of the structure & governance of clubs, as well as a practical way of involving fans in decision making. We even touched on 'Competitive Balance' in European football, and where the Premier League has got it right.
Key Insights
- Good Fan Engagement is vital for the health of the game, not just individual clubs
- The role of fans needs to be woven into the structure of clubs, not just used as a bolt-on
- Clubs must think in terms of Fan Engagement, not Customer Service
Episode Links:
- Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sport
- SD Europe
- Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE)
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
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This episode is a chat with Bas Schnater. Until recently Bas worked for AZ Alkmaar in his native Netherlands, and is well regarded in the field. He's outspoken about the need to place the fan at the centre of a club.
I think what Bas does is often about trying to persuade CEOs and leaders using their own language - finance, and other finite resources - that Fan Engagement also yields a monetary return, as well as just being the right way to run a club.
We chatted about the place for data, tech-ethnographer Tricia Wang (she of the 'Thick Data' concept), and why it's important to learn from other industries about how they treat people.
Key Insights
- Data can't solve the fundamental problem of poor relationships: In the end, good Fan Engagement takes time and listening
- Ask, ask, ask: your fans help you direct your resources, so if you've got an idea you want to try, ask them first - survey, fans parliament or supporters' trust
Episode Links:
- Bas's Fan Engagement Consultancy: https://fanengagement.nl/
- Tricia Wang's Ted Talk on Thick Data: https://www.ted.com/talks/tricia_wang_the_human_insights_missing_from_big_data
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
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This episode features Oliver Ash, co-owner of Maidstone United FC. He also co-owns Brive Rugby Union club in France, and lives just outside Paris.
I first met Oliver a few years ago, and I’ve always liked the way he makes Fan Engagement such a natural part of what he does. He takes the view that it’s good for business to be in tune with your most important group of stakeholders - and in the case of Maidstone United, those whose loyalty kept the club alive in its darkest days of park football.
We chatted about the reason he decided to help Maidstone build their new ground, what the challenges are for Fan Engagement in non-league football, and what the crossovers are with his Rugby Union interests.
Don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join
Key Insights from Episode Eight
- Culture is fundamental: You can have all the structure and strategy you want, but if you don't think of fans in everything you do, then you're doing it wrong
- Fan Engagement doesn't vary between sports: Rugby Union clubs need Fan Engagement too
- Communication is key: whatever resources you've got, listening costs nothing - except time
Episode Links:
- Maidstone United FC: http://www.maidstoneunited.co.uk/
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Kristine Green is a Supporter Liaison Officer at Grimsby Town FC, much more long the lines of their intended role as a conduit between fans and club, though specialising in dialogue between fans and police.
Alongside her very practical experience, as part of her Public Relations degree she has also studied policing and how language and statements from the police ahead of 'high risk' matches help or hinder crowd behaviour and the chances of disorder.
We talk about the insight she's gained from study, what she's learned about the role of SLO that can help clubs deliver a more effective role, closer to the one intended.
This is very much the companion podcast to Episode Three with Owen West and Cliff Stott, so make sure you listen to that one as well.
You might also like to know that Kristine achieved a First in her degree, so congratulations from Fan Insights!
Key Insights from Episode Seven
- Language matters: whether you're a club or the police, what you say can massively change how people react and behave. This is where your SLO can play a vital role
- Dialogue isn't just about structure - Fans Parliaments, forums, or structured relationships with your supporters' trust, but about how you listen and speak all the time. It's about culture
- The SLO role is a vital part of the toolkit clubs have. Read the guidance from SD Europe/UEFA, and work with your supporters' trust/independent group to get the role right
Episode Links:
- Grimsby Town SLO Twitter: https://twitter.com/gtfc_slo?lang=en
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Kat Law (Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust), Dan Crawford (Fulham Supporters Trust), Jay McKenna (ex-Chair, Spirit of Shankly) talk about what Fan Engagement is like when you're face-to-face with the board and owners of a club.
Each one of these three know what it's like to maintain dialogue with their clubs over a number of years. In the case of Kat and Dan, both the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust and Fulham Supporters Trust have been meeting face-to-face with the boards of their football clubs for a number of years, and in many respects are in the gold-standard for the role a supporters' trust can play.
In more difficult times, Spirit of Shankly moved between close relationships and dialogue, and high-profile activism. It was when Jay McKenna was Chair of SOS that Liverpool fans had a #walkouton77 over a breakdown in dialogue over ticket price increases.
The insight here is something that every single Fan Engagement professional - clubs, leagues, consultants - should listen to. Part of the challenge for clubs sometimes is to understand their fans as activists, and why their passion leads them to be so committed as to want to become involved in this way.
Apologies for some of the poor sound quality at times.
Key Insights from Episode Three
- Activists like those involved in Supporters Trusts are usually motivated by a love and concern for the club; bear this in mind when criticism comes
- Supporters Trusts (and similar organisations) are representative of part of your stakeholders, and can bring great insight you might not be able to acquire easily otherwise
- Fans are very often professionally skilled, have insight that can be valuable to you: seek it out and use it
Episode Links:
- Fulham Supporters Trust: https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/
- Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust: https://www.thstofficial.com/
- Spirit of Shankly: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/
- Don and Tom's interview with Ryan Sparks (Bradford City) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8jKty7LDXM
Dan Crawford Bio:
Dan Crawford is a freelance sports writer and local councillor in West London, and has been on the board of the Fulham Trust since May 2014. He and other FST directors meet with owners, directors and officials at the club on a monthly basis, underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Kat Law
Kat is a Business Manager for AAR, responsible for concept, creation, execution and delivery of all internal and external marketing, both on and offline. She has been on the board of the Spurs Trust since February 2013. The Trust meets several times a year board-to-board with Club Chair Daniel Levy, Executive Director Donna Cullen, and also other officials and staff.
Jay McKenna
Jay is acting Regional Secretary for the TUC North West. He was Chair of Spirit of Shankly until March 2019, and part of the founding group of the organisation.
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Kat Law (Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust), Dan Crawford (Fulham Supporters Trust), Jay McKenna (ex-Chair, Spirit of Shankly) talk about what Fan Engagement is like when you're face-to-face with the board and owners of a club.
Each one of these three know what it's like to maintain dialogue with their clubs over a number of years. In the case of Kat and Dan, both the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust and Fulham Supporters Trust have been meeting face-to-face with the boards of their football clubs for a number of years, and in many respects are in the gold-standard for the role a supporters' trust can play.
In more difficult times, Spirit of Shankly moved between close relationships and dialogue, and high-profile activism. It was when Jay McKenna was Chair of SOS that Liverpool fans had a #walkouton77 over a breakdown in dialogue over ticket price increases.
The insight here is something that every single Fan Engagement professional - clubs, leagues, consultants - should listen to. Part of the challenge for clubs sometimes is to understand their fans as activists, and why their passion leads them to be so committed as to want to become involved in this way.
Apologies for some of the poor sound quality at times.
Key Insights from Episode Three
- Activists like those involved in Supporters Trusts are usually motivated by a love and concern for the club; bear this in mind when criticism comes
- Supporters Trusts (and similar organisations) are representative of part of your stakeholders, and can bring great insight you might not be able to acquire easily otherwise
- Fans are very often professionally skilled, have insight that can be valuable to you: seek it out and use it
Episode Links:
- Fulham Supporters Trust: https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/
- Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust: https://www.thstofficial.com/
- Spirit of Shankly: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/
- Don and Tom's interview with Ryan Sparks (Bradford City) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8jKty7LDXM
Dan Crawford Bio:
Dan Crawford is a freelance sports writer and local councillor in West London, and has been on the board of the Fulham Trust since May 2014. He and other FST directors meet with owners, directors and officials at the club on a monthly basis, underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Kat Law
Kat is a Business Manager for AAR, responsible for concept, creation, execution and delivery of all internal and external marketing, both on and offline. She has been on the board of the Spurs Trust since February 2013. The Trust meets several times a year board-to-board with Club Chair Daniel Levy, Executive Director Donna Cullen, and also other officials and staff.
Jay McKenna
Jay is acting Regional Secretary for the TUC North West. He was Chair of Spirit of Shankly until March 2019, and part of the founding group of the organisation.
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Our guest in Episode Five, is Tom Gorringe, Commercial Director of Bristol Rovers. He was previously at Portsmouth (two administrations, two relegations!), Cardiff City and his hometown club, Brighton and Hove Albion. We have a yomp through his career so far, including whether there's a theme to what he does, and get some generally very good advice on how to make Fan Engagement work. If you want a proper idea of his career so far, head over to his LinkedIn page (below).
What is most standout from this interview is how he manages to balance the commercial priorities that a club demands, with the sincerity needed to practice Fan Engagement (fans can almost instinctively work out if this is missing). Like our first guest Dan McGeachie, being out on the stump, meeting fans face-to-face, must be a critical part of every Fan Engagement practitioner.
Key Insights from Episode Three
- Commercial needs and Fan Engagement don't have to be enemies. In fact, they should be the best of friends!
- If you want to learn how to practice Fan Engagement at its most rooted and simple, spend time at the sharp-end with fans. Get to know how they think, act, and what they want, and your commercial decisions will be better
Episode Links:
- Tom Gorringe's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomgorringe/
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
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Our guest in Episode Four, is Clive Nates. Lincoln City Chair Clive Nates joined the board in February 2016 and was elected Chairman in June 2018. Through Sportvest Capital LLP, a vehicle Clive formed with Sean Melnick and Aschley Mendelowitz to specifically invest in Lincoln City Holdings, they effectively hold the largest interest in the club.
Although Clive has lived in South Africa all his life he has been a keen follower of English football from a child and in particular a passionate fan of Everton since the late 1960’s. It was through an alliance between Everton and Lincoln City in 2002 that Clive began following the Imps.
The arrival of Clive and his colleagues has seen a huge turnaround in fortunes, with financial investment in key areas, but crucially, with Fan Engagement at the very centre of everything the club does. As a result, Lincoln City finished sixth in the inaugural Fan Engagement Index, and have continued to engage and consult throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, during which this interview took place.
He talks about how his methodical nature has helped the club develop, how online can be a gateway to good conversations and ultimately, good ideas - from fans too.
Key Insights from Episode Three
- Trust your fans: they can be the source of intelligent ideas and valuable insight
- Use social media, but don't get caught up in flame-wars, or be antagonised by trolling
- Ensure your senior management & leadership buy into Fan Engagement from the start: they can be the difference between success like Lincoln City's, or fleeting success and financial failure
Episode Links:
- Lincoln City's Imps on the Road Fans Forums: https://faninsights.co.uk/fan-engagement-hub/lincoln-city-imps-on-the-road/
- Lincoln City's Customer Charter: https://www.weareimps.com/siteassets/club/policies-1920/customer-charter-v2.6-1920.pdf
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Our guests in Episode Three, are Professor Cliff Stott from Keele University, and former Chief Superintendent Owen West, also a research associate at Keele. Both contribute to the Enable project, of which Cliff is Director. The project is constructing an evidence-based approach to the policing of football crowds funded by the English Football League (EFL). Full bios below.
We have split this episode into two parts: in the first part we discuss the history policing football crowds in English football, their early experience in changing practice, and talk at length about the hugely successful work with Cardiff City and the Valley Rams.
In the second part we go into more of the successes of the approach they advocate, looking at a recent match between Leeds United and Millwall. We also discuss the importance of the Supporter Liaison Officer role, where most English football clubs are currently failing to meet the expectations of the role (see the guidance issued by UEFA/SD Europe), and what they've achieved in Sweden by doing it the right way.
Key Insights from Episode Three
- The Supporter Liaison Officer role is critical to de-escalation of tensions on a matchday - see Cardiff City
- Policing of crowds has too often been about fear of the crowd, not engagement with it
- Positive engagement of fans in the policing of fans on a matchday is a huge benefit to the police, to clubs, and to fans themselves
Episode Links:
- EFL announcement about the Enable project: https://www.efl.com/news/2019/october/efl-announces-support-for-ground-breaking-policing-project
- Enable Sweden: http://enable-sverige.org/?page_id=1498⟨=en
Professor Cliff Stott Full Bio
Cliff's research revolves around crowd psychology, collective violence, protest, riots, hooliganism and policing. He is a social psychologist and criminologist. He has published over 60 articles in leading interdisciplinary journals and co-authored and edited three books. He works regularly with police forces, Governments and authorities across the world advising on crowd conflict management. He is widely recognized as a global expert in crowd psychology and public order policing. His research has been acknowledged by policy documents at national and international levels and underpins Human Rights based reforms of public order policing in several countries including the UK, Sweden and Denmark.
Owen West Full Bio
Owen is a retired Chief Superintendent, former Head of Specialist Operations and specialist in crowd policing, operational and contingency planning. He holds a Masters Degree with Distinction from Cambridge University in Applied Criminology and Police Management, and is a Research Fellow at Keele University.
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Our guests in Episode Three, are Professor Cliff Stott from Keele University, and former Chief Superintendent Owen West, also a research associate at Keele. Both contribute to the Enable project, of which Cliff is Director. The project is constructing an evidence-based approach to the policing of football crowds funded by the English Football League (EFL). Full bios below.
We have split this episode into two parts: in the first part we discuss the history policing football crowds in English football, their early experience in changing practice, and talk at length about the hugely successful work with Cardiff City and the Valley Rams.
In the second part we go into more of the successes of the approach they advocate, looking at a recent match between Leeds United and Millwall. We also discuss the importance of the Supporter Liaison Officer role, where most English football clubs are currently failing to meet the expectations of the role (see the guidance issued by UEFA/SD Europe), and what they've achieved in Sweden by doing it the right way.
Key Insights from Episode Three
- The Supporter Liaison Officer role is critical to de-escalation of tensions on a matchday - see Cardiff City
- Policing of crowds has too often been about fear of the crowd, not engagement with it
- Positive engagement of fans in the policing of fans on a matchday is a huge benefit to the police, to clubs, and to fans themselves
Episode Links:
- EFL announcement about the Enable project: https://www.efl.com/news/2019/october/efl-announces-support-for-ground-breaking-policing-project
- Enable Sweden: http://enable-sverige.org/?page_id=1498⟨=en
Professor Cliff Stott Full Bio
Cliff's research revolves around crowd psychology, collective violence, protest, riots, hooliganism and policing. He is a social psychologist and criminologist. He has published over 60 articles in leading interdisciplinary journals and co-authored and edited three books. He works regularly with police forces, Governments and authorities across the world advising on crowd conflict management. He is widely recognized as a global expert in crowd psychology and public order policing. His research has been acknowledged by policy documents at national and international levels and underpins Human Rights based reforms of public order policing in several countries including the UK, Sweden and Denmark.
Owen West Full Bio
Owen is a retired Chief Superintendent, former Head of Specialist Operations and specialist in crowd policing, operational and contingency planning. He holds a Masters Degree with Distinction from Cambridge University in Applied Criminology and Police Management, and is a Research Fellow at Keele University.
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Our guest in Episode Two is Scott McLeod, Head of Engagement and Communications at Everton FC (full bio below).
We discuss how as a club they make sure Fan Engagement is at the centre of everything they do from the board to matchday, and why he admires Roma's English social media channel.
Key Insights from Episode Two
- Ensure you've got buy-in from the board and leadership team when it comes to your club's strategic approach to Fan Engagement
- Understand your supporters' groups, but realise that 'love of the club' is the common thread
- Don't let silos develop between any separate staff/staff teams that deal with fans
- Remember that commercial benefits flow from the right approach to Fan Engagement
Episode Links:
- Roma's Twitter channel: https://twitter.com/ASRomaEN
Scott McLeod Full Bio
Deputy to the Director of Media, Marketing & Comms and with direct responsibility for the Club’s PR, Media, Digital, Content, Fan Services, Engagement and Events teams, Scott has also been Head of Engagement, Head of Content and Interim Head of Media & Communications
at the club. Before joining Everton in 2005, he worked for the Liverpool Echo, Northwich Guardian and Warrington Guardian Series (Newsquest North West)
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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Our guest in Episode One is Dan McGeachie, who most recently lead the marketing for one of City Football Group’s new businesses within Manchester City FC (read Dan McGeachie’s full Bio below). These podcasts will bring you insights straight from the experts, and we’ll be publishing them on the second Tuesday of each month.
We talk about Lad Bible and not getting caught up chasing trends, tackle that old cliche 'authenticity', and discuss how important it is to do things for fans that don't always appear on the engagement stats at the end of the week.
Key Insights from Episode One
- Don’t forget: Social Media is a fundamental tool of communications, not a ‘nice to have’
- Don’t get caught up chasing trends: Lad Bible isn’t your key demographic, your fans are
- Be true to your football club. Learn lessons from others, but don’t copy and paste
- Create a ‘Help’ channel for queries and enquiries by fans (see the Fan Engagement Index for more on this)
Episode Links:
- #ProperBradford (Bradford (Park Avenue)): https://bpafc.com/2019-2020-bradford-park-avenue-season-tickets-are-now-on-sale/
- British Airways Twitter Account: twitter.com/british_airways
Dan McGeachie Full Bio
Dan is a specialist in marketing and communications, and has experience in football from the grassroots to the top of the game, having worked for the West Riding County FA in their marketing team, to recently leading the marketing for one of City Football Group’s new businesses within Manchester City FC. He also had spells in The National League with Harrogate Town and at Bradford City. Whilst at Bradford City, Daniel was a member of the EFL’s Digital Working Group.
He’s also an associate of Fan Insights, and helped us to develop our social media measurement for the Fan Engagement Index
And don’t forget you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network
Theme music: Future Stuff by Apoxode (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Apoxode/58963
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.
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