Author: Darren Young
WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER PICTURE - PART 2
Our look at the fallout from the Project Big Picture debate continues here with the rest of the key stakeholders: If you haven't read Part 1, you can view it here The Big Six Although Liverpool and Manchester United were named as co-conspirators in this, the other members of the so-called ‘Big 6’ – […]
Read moreWE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER PICTURE - PART 1
England has always had a classic club versus country issue so it was fitting that, as the national team were recording a victory over the #1 ranked team in the world, all that anyone in football was talking about was the leaked proposals from Liverpool and Manchester United that were being described as ‘seismic’. Project Big Picture […]
Read moreFLOWER OF SCOTLAND (for Ian Laurie)
Many years ago, when I began my graduate trainee programme at a Building Society in England, I met Ian. He was originally from Ayr; he’d studied History and Politics at Strathclyde University and was part of the emerging independent fan movement at his beloved Celtic, where he’d contributed to a website that I think was […]
Read moreSEVERAL WRONGS DO MAKE A RIGHT MESS OF UK SPORT - PART 2
Click here to read PART 1 The sportswriter eagerly gets the words down to turn ‘prepare for a difficult winter’ into the story that will eventually have the headline ‘no fans at games until March.’ It’s definitely a scare story, although it may well turn into a real living nightmare, that will attract clicks and […]
Read moreSEVERAL WRONGS DO MAKE A RIGHT MESS OF UK SPORT - PART 1
As a fan, it was very easy to get frustrated when the announcement was must made that the planned October reintroduction of fans into sports (mainly football) stadiums is now on hold, amid an increase in Covid-19 infections. Pilots for September have also been paused. You could see it coming. The virus is spreading more […]
Read moreTHERE'S NO SHORT CUT TO GETTING FANS BACK
At the end of the latest Jurassic World movie, Jeff Goldblum – after years of trying to warn people against meddling with science – tells a select committee that we are going to have to get used to a new kind of normal now, where the dinos and humans co-exist on earth, rather than having […]
Read moreHOW CLUBS CAN SURVIVE & THRIVE post-COVID
Who’d want to own a football club right now? Well, probably most people if that club was in the Premier League. But what about if that club wasn’t part of the elite; wasn’t one of those clubs that can withstand the financial pressures more than most because they have many more income streams available - […]
Read moreCreating Great Fan Experiences: The Missing Link in the Women's Game?
Mark is a regular contributor in FC Business magazine. He set up The Fan Experience Company in 2005, and they now assess over 350 games each season in 13 countries, including the EFL, FAWSL and Championship. The news that the Premier League is set to support the top two tiers of English women’s football with […]
Read moreDo We Need New Rules Of Engagement?
Mark is a regular contributor in FC Business magazine. He set up The Fan Experience Company in 2005, and they now assess over 350 games each season in 13 countries. In December, at our Rules of Engagement event at Manchester City’s Football Academy, we shared our story. We presented a mix of films, interviews and […]
Read moreCulture At Clubs Doesn’t Just Come And Go
Darren has a weekly column on the D3D4 Football website. He is responsible for The Fan Experience Company reports that in 2019/20, went to over 200 clubs in 13 countries. Before the lockdown curtailed all travel plans curtailed, I was at a meeting in Switzerland with a group of people described as the ‘leading European […]
Read moreA Non-League Club Is For Life, Not Just For Non-League Day
Mark is a regular contributor in FC Business magazine. He set up The Fan Experience Company in 2005, and they now assess over 350 games each season in 13 countries. Every autumn we celebrate Non-League Day: an opportunity to celebrate the huge community contribution made by small volunteer-run local community clubs and a chance for […]
Read moreYou Only Win When You're Singing
Darren has a weekly column on the D3D4 Football website. He is responsible for The Fan Experience Company reports that in 2019/20, went to over 200 clubs in 13 countries. The football authorities have a serious decision to make when it comes to COVID-19. Most associations, leagues, clubs (except West Ham), managers and players want […]
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