Author: Darren Young
Don’t Miss The Signs (And Why Football Can’t Afford to Ignore Them)
You know what they say….you wait for ages for an advertising board incident at a football match, then two come along at once. Well, that’s sort a cannibalising what they say a little bit, but you get the gist. Bizarrely, over the last full weekend of August, celebrating supporters caused a perimeter board to fall […]
Read moreWhat does fan engagement really mean?
The phrase Fan Engagement is ubiquitous these days. Twenty years ago, when we founded the Fan Experience Company, it was seldom heard. Some of that we can put down to social media, of course, since back then, I didn’t have people shouting at me to produce more ‘content’. In recent times, of course, several interpretations […]
Read moreDoes Football Focus On The Wrong Things?
They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. And things are definitely changing. With regulation around the corner, adding to the growing focus that was accelerated by the pandemic emptying stadiums for 18-months, and the brief flirtation with a European Super League, there are signs that fans are going to have […]
Read moreIt’s Gonna Be A Bright Sunshiny Day
It was A-ha that sang about the sun always shining on TV. But generally, if it’s shining on the TV, it will also be out in real life too. And as the summer finally arrives in the UK, our TV screens are currently jam-packed with footage from sun-drenched venues at global sporting tournaments. The Paris […]
Read moreWho Should Vote To Veto VAR?
As one of the biggest critics of VAR for some time now, this might sound a tad hypocritical but are we in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater if we get rid of it now? Wolves are, not surprisingly as they’ve been at the arse-end of a lot of the baffling decisions, […]
Read moreRed Flags: Are Fans Paying The Price of Loyalty?
Inflation is falling. Apparently. Although any trip to a supermarket, petrol station forecourt or coffee shop tells you that prices are continuing to go up in spite of what Rishi Sunak might tell you. There are some sneaky little practices designed to confuse too. For instance, the other day I saw a 50% sale at […]
Read moreHow To Stop Things Getting Even Messi-er
I was in Cyprus last September speaking at a sports conference. It was especially memorable for me as only three people spoke English – my one and only language – during their presentations throughout the day. Me, obviously, plus Pele (although he was starring in an American Express commercial circa. 1974) and another guy who […]
Read moreLet We-eeeee Entertain You
Blame the ‘commentator’s curse’ but as I drove home listening to the build-up to the Premier League game the other evening between Brighton and Wolves, they said the one thing they could guarantee was goals. Brighton had scored 16 times against Wolves in their four previous encounters, and Wolves themselves had scored 9 goals in […]
Read moreIs it Time To Say Tara to VAR?
I think the time has come, even if just for a little while. As I support a team that are mid-table in League Two so some might ask why I even care? The closest I’ll get to VAR ruining a Saturday afternoon is if I wanted to go for a walk in Stockley Park and […]
Read moreOur World Cup Runneth Over
On a metro train in central Doha in the middle of the afternoon at any given date in late November 2022, there’s a wonderful sight. Two Argentinian fans are in animated debate with two Moroccan supporters. A family from Wales is posing for a selfie with some Brazilian fans. Just down the carriage some Mexican […]
Read moreTen Ways to Grow Your Club in 2023
Happy New Year to all of our followers. As John and Yoko said, ‘let’s hope it’s a good one’ so, with that reckless aim in mind, here are our Ten Ways to Grow Attendances in 2023. Those of you old enough to remember pre-pandemic times may recall that we used to put out regular […]
Read moreSpace: The Play-Off Final Frontier?
Wrexham’s co-owner, Ryan Reynolds, wants them to be the first football club in space. It’s revolutionary, I’ll give him that. And ambitious too - which fans always love – but is it feasible? Especially with the cost of fuel these days. And who would they play when they get there? To be fair to Reynolds, […]
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