The 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.

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.

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

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

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

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