Author: Darren Young
Let 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 moreThe Fans Journey - Part 11: Leaving The Venue
Me and my Dad had a great ‘mass’ routine going back in the County Durham of the late 70s. Let me tell you more. Because my Mam played the organ at the local church, she had to be present for the extremely long mass that kicked off at 9.30 on a Sunday morning. Thank the […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 10: During The Game
You know that feeling? You’ve been having a great day. Lovely breakfast or lunch; nice drive to the ground followed by a brisk walk to the stadium after finding a parking space nearby; meeting family and friends in the fan zone for a catch-up; buying a programme, grabbing a snack and a drink before taking […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 9: Pre-Game
What’s your pre-game ritual? Do you wear the same socks, walk exactly the same route, leave the house at exactly the same time while telling yourself that the result doesn’t really hinge on the last song you heard before leaving the house? Do you enter the stadium early to watch the game on the concourse […]
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 moreThe Fans Journey - Part 8: Food & Drink
Very often we hear the phrase that sport – but almost always football - is ‘a reflection of society’. Admittedly, it’s usually after something bad has taken place. For example, if some kind of abuse is aimed at someone either at a game or online. We semi-explain it by trying to take it out of […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 7: Buying Merchandise
While many of the steps in a fan journey have to happen – for example, getting a ticket, travelling to the game and spending time both outside and inside the stadium – one that doesn’t have to take place is the purchasing of merchandise. That purely comes down to choice. A fan doesn’t even need […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 6: Outside The Venue
The phrase ‘hidden gem’ is usually associated with afternoon TV: the lovely villages by the seaside, those sepia tinged railway journeys, the secret Victorian kitchen garden or even a secluded spot where nature, in its full beauty, can be observed. By now, you’ve probably spotted that this is a flimsy preamble to our latest thoughts […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 5: Getting To The Game
October 1983. I walked to my first ever football game. Not, I should add, completely by choice. It was a Saturday; my Dad was at work, my Mom didn’t drive and no-one else I knew could take me. There was the bus, of course, but it meant catching two and I had neither the budget […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 4: Digital Communications
The tweet went viral. A professional football player had read about a long-term supporter of the club’s work injury and how that had prevented him from attending the game when the team won promotion. Having carefully planned the moment, he simply turned up and knocked on the door (accompanied by a club colleague so the […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 3: Buying a Ticket
So, we’ve seen the game we want to go to. We’ve checked online and there are still some seats available. Now all we need to do is purchase our tickets and we’re on our way, right? Well…kind of. In theory it should be that easy. After all, we live in a world where we can […]
Read moreThe Fans Journey - Part 2: Before Game Day
When we began our work nearly two decades ago, the vast majority of football club websites appeared to have been designed for existing fans, not new ones. The information required to engage, inform, reassure and compel new fans to attend was missing while long term supporters tended to prefer alternative or independent sources of information […]
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