The F.A. Liveplayer
How do you create greater engagement through the use of data and insight in order to build upon the highs and lows of the modern game?
A game of two halves
The beautiful game, o jogo bonito, is not only the most popular sport to watch in the UK and England but also the most popular team sport to participate in, with roughly 1.9 million people in England playing at least twice per month in 2020.
Yet ticket prices for matches rise at almost x3 the rate of inflation each year, meaning fans are tuning in much more from the comfort of their homes.
How can the anticipation, the atmosphere, and the drama be captured in a digital experience?
Engagement beyond 90 minutes
Not only has football never been more accessible, it has never been so popular. Football has a worldwide market, and as such, it is marketed to a whole world of consumers.
In times gone by, catching the action meant heading to the game at 3 p.m. each Saturday or reading the Sunday papers. Whereas fans can now view every goal, highlight and result as soon as it happens, in slow-mo with supporting analysis and context.
Fan habits and rituals are changing. The thirst for information and instant entertainment is at fever pitch it would seem, and those that can match this desire will come out on top.
Below is an overview of how users choose to consume football beyond the live game:
79% use YouTube
to view football highlights (Ages 23-38)
25% of football fans
watch a live game on social media
65% of users view content
on their smartphone and 53% on their PC
56% would consider
purchasing passes for greater coverage
46% choose to stream
content via Over-the-Top (OTT) channels
77% dual screen
and watch games with a second device nearby
Leading by example
The F.A is a beacon of inspiration for football fans across the globe and recognises that football is a game for all. They provide governance, education, escapism and enjoyment for so many.
Whilst The F.A. are keen to see stadiums up and down the country packed with fans, they recognise that through the power of digital media even more can enjoy the 158-year-old game and not miss out.
With an abundance of knowledge, insight and data at their disposal, The F.A set out to create a lasting digital experience underpinned by their PRIDE values of Progressive, Respectful, Inclusive, Determined, Excellent.
Getting the chemistry right
In order to best understand what users would want and expect from a new digital experience, extensive user research was conducted. The insight and findings gathered were essential in informing the direction ahead.
Here are some of the key wants and needs from users:
Connect with others
Users talked about using their devices to connect with other fans. Others were focused on being the first to share content and have their voice heard.
Stats at the ready
"If my friends from rival teams are bragging about a game online, I want to be able to immediately bring up stats about their team from to throw in their faces."
Have a social voice
For some fans, connecting meant finding a common language and building social connections out in the world, away from their televisions.
Own the moment
Stats, goals, and highlights shared in real time are the fuel that drives most fans. "I want to be able to create my own highlight reel and share quickly.”
Real-time reaction
During lulls in action, several users chose to message friends and family “I'd like to see my family's reactions during a game, right after we score.”
Be in the know
For two fans that never miss a game, the second screen is a way to search for facts, stats and trivia to fuel both game-time and water cooler discussions at work.
Second screening
Second-screening is about immediate social connection and validation—feeling the adrenaline of the crowd in real time and speaking their mind.
Home from home
Several users spoke around the fact that following a game online is the next best thing to being at the game willing their team on, feeding off the excitement.
The A-game
With quantitative and qualitative insight gathered the ideation phase commenced. Focussing on a digital experience that could cater for fans pre, during and post-game, ensuring engagement, captivation and value could exceed the duration of the live-action.
This would not only build out a richer user experience, but it would also incentivise a broader stream of traffic and dwell time with casual fans through to die-hard football fanatics. Commercially this could open up opportunities for media placements, sponsored editorial content, pundit analysis and more.
“We are leaning into what we know the next generation wants to see in football: long-form storytelling, highlights, and the players and influencers that matter to them,”
Mark Bullingham, CEO, The F.A
Design thinking
Rising to the challenge of creating a digital experience that could capture all the action of a live game but also add to the build up and aftermath had opened up an opportunity to leverage data insight, editorial content and analysis.
This allowed for greater storytelling and the creation of features that would compliment second screening.
Below are the features and ideas that were explored, tested and iterated against:
Dedicated views for all user needs
Focussed content and feeds for specific detail to aid variety and depth of information
Never miss out on the action or news again
User led reminders, notifications and rewards based upon viewing habits.
Shareable content and insight
Stat driven editorial content to consume and fuel interest outside of the live game.
Social engagement and community
Your voice counts. Support and get behind your team during and outside of the game.
Sponsorship and influencer crossover
Greater opportunity for commercial partnering with sports stars new and old.
Tablet and mobile friendly experience
Vertical timelines, expandable media and scrollable content compliment all devices.
Light and heavy touch ‘datatainment’
Control the data you see during a live game. Every aspect covered or just the goals.
Enhanced use of video and animation
Real time highlights, incidents, audio and commentary build an immersive experience.
Never miss out on the action again. User settings enabling push notification reminders for games, goals, highlights and new content.
Dedicated views for pre-game, in-game and post-game content for casual through to die-hard fans.
Long-form editorial content providing users with in-depth analysis, bringing data to the fore to support insight and narratives. Potential for commercial partnerships and advertising.
In-game action focussed into three views, commentary feed, highlights timeline and social feeds. Allowing for greater focus and clarity.
Engaging 'Datatainment' covering key detail, incidents and analysis. Bite-size shareable content for users to feast upon.
Timeline feed capturing the highlights and lowlights of the match. Users can access additional videos of key incidents and read more per timeline entry to expand upon their enjoyment of the live game.
Users can view feature stats or team and player specific data to broaden out their understanding of the beautiful game.
