SO WHAT IF YOU’RE GRASSROOTS? DREAM BIG!

Football ain’t what it used to be…

Certainly, with the advent of VAR, increasingly confusing handball laws (does anyone understand this anymore?) and added time regularly hitting double figures in the World Cup, the game on the field is constantly evolving. Sometimes for good, sometimes hmmm…well.

And there are also significant changes off the field, especially in the way that fans are consuming football. Sports viewing has increased significantly since the start of the pandemic with 57% now watching more sport than they did in 2020 – with football remaining the most watched sport.

But we are also seeing a huge shift away from traditional ‘passive’ ways of watching – via TV sports broadcasting – with fans increasingly streaming OTT services that provide real time updates and stats, and viewing on digital platforms that allow a far more interactive experience. Fans are increasingly expecting more direct engagement with their club, preferring shorter form content such as news and highlights packages, and ways to interact like voting on goal of the month, or even the clubs new kit or badge.

This is changing the landscape for professional clubs but, interestingly, it is also creating an unprecedented opportunity for non-league and grassroots clubs to adopt a more marketed approach. Previously this was the domain of clubs higher up the pyramid but now there are opportunities for clubs at all levels to satisfy their existing fans and engage new fans via social media and to generate new revenue streams.

At the same time, clubs are facing a significant challenge as a result of the pandemic and cost of living crisis. This is having a seismic impact on traditional football finances meaning that clubs are having to seek new and creative ways to balance the books.

In order to take advantage of these opportunities and to mitigate the financial impacts, we believe that the time is right for clubs to find ways to:

Make fans feel more ‘connected’ with the club
Promote the club more professionally and develop their brand using social media
Provide sponsors with greater digital exposure and improve visibility of their ROI

However, we also know that most clubs don’t have the necessary time, funding or digital expertise to maximise this opportunity, and that’s why we created TouchlineTech – to help clubs at all levels do what previously only bigger clubs were able to.

We believe that every club should be able to achieve their ambitions, so take a look at our Product page to see how TouchlineTech can help your club or get in touch.