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

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

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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

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 39 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Christopher Addison from Le Golf National in Paris, where he holds a customer experience and marketing role. He has also studied sport and management both at the renowned Stirling University, and at Dundee, where he did a Masters. 

This was recorded in Summer 2020, not long after the first nationwide lockdowns finished both at home and abroad. 

Although he’s done some football related work with Mark Bradley at the Fan Experience Company, our chat centred on Golf and the lessons that football can learn from the relationship between golf club members and clubs - and there are many, particularly around loyalty, and the challenge faced in attracting new participants in the face of other leisure pursuits.

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.

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

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 4 of BasChat is a bit of a departure, but for a reason. It’s the last one in its current format. As you’ll hear in this episode we’re going to be changing things around a little bit, and in the future, focusing on the club side of Fan Engagement with Bas.

This time around 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.

In the future we would also love to begin incorporating more views and questions from listeners, so drop us a line at [email protected] or pop onto Twitter @faninsightscouk or any other of our social channels.

Don’t forget, Fan Insights becomes Think Fan Engagement soon.  

And also, you can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join

If you want to find out more about the title track to this episode, it’s called Exotica, and is by the Juanitos. You can find their albums at freemusicarchive.org/music/Juanitos#contact-artist

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 38 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Cambridge United Director, Dave Matthews Jones. Dave is the director elected by fans, via the Cambridge United supporters’ trust, Cambridge Fans United. He’s learned to accept the realities of the game and not let them get to him too much!

This was recorded in late May 2020, towards the end of the first nationwide lockdown. 

The role Dave holds has existed since 2004, coming from a crisis that saw the Trust lead a campaign to raise £100,000 to save the club, with a director in exchange for their efforts Since the role was created, they have repeatedly played a critical role in good times and bad, and even though the club’s shares are now all owned by Chairman Paul Barry, the Trust retains their role through an article in the company rules.

This episode brings to life some of the things that The FA’s Andy Ambler said about the value of having a fan on the board, and we talk about how critical the role is to Fan Engagement at the club, the listening he does amongst the fanbase, the practicalities of the role, and balancing the duties with the legal requirements.

Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including Episode Three of Bas Chat is now out, and we take a look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, whether brands will pull back, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. The next episode, Episode 4, will be back to the regular date of the last Thursday of the month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.

You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 37 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with the Football Supporters Association’s Ashley Brown. 

Ashley led the fan takeover of Portsmouth FC in 2013, and was a director until 2017 when US media mogul Michael Eisner took over. Under the stewardship of the supporters, the club was transformed off the pitch into a club unrecognisable from the one that collapsed twice and was caught up in never-ending financial crises. 

Ashley now works as Head of Supporter Engagement and Governance at The FSA, leading on the reform work the organisation campaigns on. He was also the final Chief Executive of Supporters Direct.

We cover every bit of ground from activism to engagement at a club where trust had to be rebuilt as a matter of priority, and talk about the role The FSA plays in the game today.

Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Three of Bas Chat is now out, and we take a look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, whether brands will pull back, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. The next episode, Episode 4, will be back to the regular date of the last Thursday of the month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.

You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join

PS: don't forget the listener survey. It'll only take two minutes of your time to complete: https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 36 of the Fan Engagement Pod is a chat with Cheltenham Town Media Manager, Richard Joyce and Associate Director Murry Toms.

Like many clubs of their size and level, they don’t have teams of people working on communications & engagement. Richard works across the piece, whilst Murry provides support on a practical and strategic level for Richard’s work. 

This interview provides a really good window into Fan Engagement & communication with fans at a club of their size, how important unpaid support from directors often is, and how fan involvement in ownership impacts the culture. We also get a good idea of what it’s been like during Covid and how it’s been communicating with fans at a distance. Murry’s dayjob is as campaigns director at Crowdfunder, whilst Richard was formerly at Forest Green Rovers.

Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes. Episode Three of Bas Chat is now out, and we take a look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, whether brands will pull back, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. The next episode, Episode 4, will be back to the regular date of the last Thursday of the month. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.

You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join

PS: don't forget the listener survey. It'll only take two minutes of your time to complete: https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to BasChat episode three. This is where me, Kevin Rye and Bas Schnater, Fan Engagement consultant and expert, chat about marketing, commercial and activations with a Fan Engagement Flavour. 

This month we look at the known unknown of what happens after Covid and the return of fans to stadiums, focusing on whether brands will pull back from their involvement in clubs, season ticket ‘no-shows’, and why we both think that in rebuilding a commercially viable club, dialogue will matter more. Further reading via Dominik Schreyer, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management's paper: Football Spectator No-Show Behaviour in Switzerland: Empirical Evidence From Season Ticket Holder Behaviour

If you enjoy this, have a look at our other episodes, where I chat about Fan Engagement with a whole plethora of people in the field, including Chief Executives, Owners, Supporter Liaison Officers, Public Relations and Marketing experts and politicians. Search Fan Engagement Pod.

Don’t forget, Bas Chat will return to the regular date of the last Thursday of every month for the scheduled March episode. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.

You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join

PS: We’d love some feedback from you about the Pod. We’ve set up a survey that will only take a couple of minutes to complete. It’s at https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Episode 35 of the Fan Engagement Pod, a chat with the person responsible at The FA for relationships with The Football Supporters Association, as well as clubs and others, Director of Professional Game Relations, Andy Ambler. 

Andy used to run Millwall and before that, Fulham, under quite different owners, John Berylson and Muhammed Fayed. At Millwall they had a fan on the board (and still do). He has a fantastic level of insight when it comes to how clubs and their owners think, and how Fan Engagement is done well.

He’s a big advocate of listening and working proactively with fans and their representatives, and applies those principles to what he now does for The FA. 

Alongside plenty of great insights on Fan Engagement, we also touch on some areas of regulation, particularly the misunderstandings that some fans have about who is and isn’t responsible and why. 

As a listener to the Fan Engagement Pod, we'd like you to take just a couple of minutes of your day to fill in a quick survey about it. Go to https://tinyurl.com/fanengagementpod

Don’t forget we’ve got loads of other episodes, including the new Bas Chat, where we take a particular look at activations, sponsorships and partnerships between brands and rights holders with a Fan Engagement flavour, with a real expert in the field, Bas Schnater. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the next episode will be out on the 4th March. 

We’ll return to the regular date of the last Thursday of every month for the scheduled March episode. Listen via the usual channels. Search Fan Engagement Pod.

You can join the Fan Engagement Network at faninsights.co.uk/network/join

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fan-engagement-pod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.