Fan & Audience Experience

In the past, fan and audience experience primarily focused on the in-stadium experience on matchday.

However, the digitisation of content consumption and the globalisation of supporter bases have expanded the scope of fan experience to include both digital and physical aspects, and it must now be considered seven days a week, not just on matchday.

Planning for fan and audience experience today requires an in-depth understanding of where, how and why audiences engage with content.

  • Club-led Matchday Broadcasts: Clubs are providing matchday pre- and post-match shows via owned channels or YouTube to create more of a sense of occasion for fans who cannot attend the physical event

  • Fan Culture Storytelling: Clubs are embracing adjacent elements of club culture to curate and deliver a broader perspective on what it means to be a supporter of their club

  • Shifting into Virtual Worlds: Branded club, tournament, and sport experiences within digital environments like Roblox and Fortnite are creating relationships and engagement with younger potential fans

  • Personalised fan engagement through data-driven insights, allowing clubs to tailor content, offers, and experiences to individual preferences

Future Outlook:

  • Fully Immersive VR Experiences: Advancements in virtual reality technology will allow fans to feel like they are truly present at live events, regardless of their physical location.

  • Innovations in Public Viewing: Expect to see enhanced public viewing experiences, with larger, more interactive screens and immersive audio-visual technologies.

  • Smart Stadiums: Development of smart stadiums with IoT technology to optimise fan comfort, convenience, and safety

  • Expansion of fan-generated content initiatives, empowering supporters to contribute to the club's narrative and share their unique perspectives

  • Integration of Web 3.0 and blockchain technology to create fan tokens, enabling supporters to have a stake in club decisions and access exclusive benefits

Examples:

⚽ Innovations like this giant screen in an LA sports bar promise to revolutionise the public viewing experience:

🏎️ F1 Arcade, the world’s first F1 experiential hospitality brand, announced Las Vegas as its third US venue due to open in 2025. F1 Arcade will bring its ‘first-of-its-kind experiential venue with show-stopping hospitality and an electrifying atmosphere’.

⚽ Euro 2024 fans enjoyed the ‘Home of adidas Football’ experience in Berlin ⚽🏠

Described as every football fan's dream, it featured live public viewings, an exclusive EUROs exhibition, a creative ‘Adistudio’, where visitors can customise jerseys and have fun with make-up and hairstyling, and the EA Gamebox, for gamers to join the fun.

⚽ U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Soccer content is now available in virtual reality through the Xtadium app on the Meta Quest Headset. The immersive VR content includes highlights and behind-the-scenes content.

In ‘Tennis Storm’ within Fortnite, players use tennis rackets to hit explosive balls, Roblox players can compete against each other to unlock special UGC in Champions of the court, Mobile Gamers can join in US Open fever via ‘Tennis Clash’, and visitors to Flushing Meadows can try all of these and more in a special Advantage Gaming Arena onsite.

🎮 Fortnite and adidas launched a new partnership to bring branded sneakers and apparel inside the immensely popular battle royale video game.

🎮 Manchester City became the first football club to launch an official Fortnite creative map. ‘The Ladder’ Map is inspired by City’s ‘glyphs’, with symbols representing a ‘collection of recognisable icons’ within the club’s brand.