Delighted to share a special #TheFanExperienceEXPERIENCE episode on #fanexperience & attendance growth in #womensfootball. Mark Donnelly tells us about Durham Women FC’s unique fan-centric approach & Nicole Allison charts Worcester City Women FC’s purpose-driven story. fanexperienceco.com/podcast/

Shocking new piece of sportswashing reported in @privateeyenews: Bahrain has recruited an all-star team of triathletes and called it Bahrain Victorious 13, thus obliterating search mentions of the "Bahrain 13," a group of political prisoners from the Arab Spring.

The latest episode of #TheFanExperienceEXPERIENCE podcast is out today. In Episode 7, Darren & Mark chat to @tranmererovers.bsky.social Chief Operating Officer Christine Roberts about how this EFL Family Excellence Gold Award-winning club delivers on match days. fanexperienceco.com/podcast/

#womensfootball is unique: transmitting values & beliefs that are completely different to the men’s game (& capable of engaging groups that men’s football finds so difficult to engage - like GenZ). And yet so few women’s clubs lead their comms on what makes them - and their match days - so special.

Time for a new episode of #TheFanExperienceEXPERIENCE This time Darren & I spend 35 minutes in the company of Doncaster Rovers’ Shaun Lockwood. Listen in & hear about a brand new innovation that’s taking Rovers’ family experience to new heights. fanexperienceco.com/podcast/

Here’s our festive gift to you: The 12 Days of Christmas (with a #fanexperience flavour). The #FanExperienceEXPERIENCE podcast Xmas Special - a bumper holiday edition with (almost) all the team. fanexperienceco.com/podcast/ Or wherever you get your podcasts! May it be peaceful!

With Xmas on the horizon, the latest #FanExperienceEXPERIENCE podcast episode drops today. In it, Darren & Mark chat to Walsall FC SLO Graham Whittaker about the eternal question: where do you start? Find it here: fanexperienceco.com/podcast/

I spoke to a Wolves 🟠 fan at Molineux yesterday. Told me he'd paid £939 for his season ticket, £100+ more than last season despite selling their best players. His mate pays £200+ less to watch #LFC 🔴 on the Kop at Anfield. #WWFC have lost 6 of 8 home PL games this season, LFC have won 6 of their 8.

Interesting

As I’ve been working in sports apparel for some time now, I’ve started to observe how the fashion industry operates and what we can learn from it in #sportsbiz and specifically #fanengagement. So here are my most important picks from McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2025. www.linkedin.com/posts/bassch...

This week Brentford bucked the trend of ever-increasing ticket prices by introducing a new concessionary price for young fans – who will now pay no more than £10 home and away. "Clubs have the power to make the game more affordable for everyone," they said. #Bees #Brentford

I went to Port Vale to spend time with Carol Shanahan, who is one of the most fascinating club owners in England. She doesn’t like a lot of what she sees in football. We spoke hot meals, fan funerals and monopoly. inews.co.uk/sport/footba...

Our @EFL Family Excellence Gold Award Club season (say that quickly) continues with a chat with @stokecity’s Anthony Emmerson. Check it (& 30+ other episodes) on #TheFanExperienceExperience podcast fanexperienceco.com/podcast/ Who wants a Xmas special?

Thanks to Matt, James & Jack for welcoming us to ⁦‪Scunthorpe United yesterday. Quick quiz: who was the third Iron player to captain England? Only 3 ever did.

You can get more insight into how Plymouth consider all angles of the fan experience by listening to this episode of @fanexperienceco.bsky.social’s podcast. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

I’ve taken a look at what teams are doing to make match days memorable for fans. Take a look at examples including game-specific info on websites, and social posts from SLOs. A lot of clubs focus on bringing people in, not making them want to return. theonlinerule.com/making-the-m...

Out today: Ep. 4 of Season 4 of #TheFanExperienceEXPERIENCE with special guest @AGEmmerson of @stokecity. Answering the WHY is key to growing a club so how do the Potters bring their unique history & identity to the match day experience (& more)? Find our chat here: fanexperienceco.com/podcast/

Fifa bid reviewers have given Saudi Arabia 2034 the "highest ever evaluation score" even though they don't even yet know when the World Cup will be played and the report references 40-degree summer heat (and cities suggested aren't yet built, let alone stadiums).

2 years ago this week Darren Young and I were out at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. By escalating our #fanexperience feedback ‘live’ the organisers were able to address issues immediately (like addressing a significant barrier to sales in the stadium retail facilities before the next game took place).

Finally, who’s this? (1/3)

For those playing along, here’s the second part of the quiz? Which 🇳🇱 footballing heroes can you spot here? (2)

Just back from 🇳🇱 where engaging young people in attending football matches was the subject of a #KNVBKnowledge workshop. Among the many wonderful memories, the decoration of the KNVB Campus stood out. How many Dutch footballing legends can you spot in this picture (1)

Football, integrity and values, part 368.

Missed Everton joining, but look at this! If you want a case study in how to set up your Bluesky presence this ticks all the boxes. They have a verified domain and they’ve extended this to subdomains for other languages and teams. And grouped them all together in a starter pack. 10/10, no notes.

A club very close to our hearts: from the creation of the Black Bank (with fans driving the process) to their deserved reputation as a leading family club, there is much for others to learn here.

Everton have introduced an interactive tool so fans can see what the view is like from different seats in their new stadium. It’s really useful, but also something all clubs should have anyway. via @paddyboyland.bsky.social #SportsMarketing evertonstadium.io-media.com/web/index.html

Off to the Netherlands to talk ‘young fans & match attendance’ at the #KNVBKnowledge event. Takes me back to 2018/19 when we worked with @eredivisie.nl on #fanexperience - wonderful memories of landing in Schiphol & heading off by train to games all over the country. Superbly welcoming clubs ❤️🇳🇱

Somewhere in the mud and the destruction, the greatest symbol of joy and happiness there is: a ball. Valencia’s congregation comes together again for the first time since the flood. This week’s column www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Best footie programme on tv by a country mile is @TheTerraceTV. Last night’s feature on #awaydays another highlight. We’re hoping to be doing our thing in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 again soon btw. Ah, the memories of being stuck in the snow on the A9 with @Julianj1973. #thehighlandparkanecdote

So far this year we’ve carried out over 250 #fanexperience assessments across the UK & Europe in men’s & women’s sport. Thx to frozen pitch & #StormBert postponements, our team has a rare free weekend ahead. Can we help you to grow attendances? Say [email protected]

Great point below. For existing young supporters, is enough being done to keep the habit thru teens?

In the last couple of decades young family attendance is rocketing in English football. The next challenge (it seems to us) is young people (GenZ). So (1) what should clubs do to get young people to attend & (2) what does a GenZ match day experience look like?

Here’s a really great example of some personal branding, and using club comms to tell individual stories. Firstly, Southampton Women identified fans who’ve followed the club the longest and paid them a visit with a gift. That’s nice enough on its own, but there’s a bit more. #SportsMarketing

A crucial campaign launched today to tackle hygiene poverty for young people, backed by sports and entertainment stars themultibank.co.uk/christmas-ca...

#FanEngagement gives the best outcomes (fans as club ambassadors & club commercials 🆙) when leaders see it in strategic & organisation design terms. So kicking off Season 4 of #TheFanExperienceEXPERIENCE is @lincolncityfc.bsky.social CEO @liamjscully.bsky.social. open.spotify.com/episode/3v3T...

A big thank you to my beloved #SunderlandAFC (& specifically to club SLO Chris Waters) for making my Dad’s 90th birthday such an unforgettable day. There he is, 3rd from the left. What a team too! Montgomery, @juanluisbradley.bsky.social, Bradley (senior), Neil, Patterson, Watson & yours truly.

Another share for the #FanExperienceEXPERIENCE podcast episode we recorded on location at @htafc.bsky.social with Head of Supporter Experience Robyn Kennerdale. Some heartwarming & inspiring insights into what a match day could be like when co-created with fans. open.spotify.com/episode/58Et...

For more than 30 episodes from 3 seasons of #fanexperience & #fanengagement insights, search for The Fan Experience EXPERIENCE wherever you get your podcasts. If you’re a practitioner, a student or simply interested in the topic, you’ll find fascinating insights across our 38 published episodes.

New episode klaxon! The 3rd guest in Season 4 of our podcast is Dan Pippen from @Argyle: the 2023/24 EFL Family Excellence Club of the Season. Hear Dan describe the club’s Here to Help team, the role they play on match days & the impact they bring. open.spotify.com/episode/3Fvt...

Renfe - Spain's state-owned railway company - announce all matches in La Liga, Segunda and the Champions League will be available to watch for free on their high-speed AVE and Avlo trains across the country throughout 2024-25, starting this weekend. www.vozpopuli.com/espana/renfe...

We’ve just kicked off Season 4 of the Fan Experience EXPERIENCE podcast. In it, we speak to guests from EFL clubs who achieved a Gold Award as part of the 2023/24 Family Excellence scheme. Listen to the 1st 2 episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks to ESSMA for inviting me to moderate an afternoon season at their conference in Madrid. High point? The venue: El Estadio Metropolitano de Atlético de Madrid.