When i watch a Football Match, either on the Stadium or not, one aspect i observe is how the manager, the staff, the team and the fans interact, this creates the Stadium Atmosphere.
The Stadium Atmosphere is what the Fan absorve from goingto the game, the fun, the excitement, the pain, the intensity, everything a match can provide as a feeling they absorve.
A Team can hack the stadium atmosphere through the Players, the Coach, the Fans, the Half-Time, the Sponsors... So why i still feel that teams ignore this major aspect?
Many Marketers ignore and focus on other areas like sponsorships,merchandising and internationalization. WRONG! Why? The Perfect Stadium Atmosphere will bring Sponsors, more Sales and a full Stadium.
How can i improve my Stadium Atmosphere?
1. 100% Mentality
The team must show 100% mentality to the fans, never give up the game until the referee blows, pressure, running to everyball, physical game, even if the team is losing 2-0 the fans will notice they all are trying and that creates expectation and enthusiasm on the stands.
A Football Club nowaday must have all departments connected and with easy communication between them. The key here is having your marketing people being able to talk to the sport people and asking them how the manager can input this all effort mentality on players.
It may seem hard, but if you're players are not giving enthusiasm to your fans, winning or losing, they're not doing the job they should and that is a key aspect of a football manager's task.
100% Mentality will not only provide a better Stadium Atmosphere but will also play a main role in the game style. A great example is Atletico de Madrid last season.
2. Manager as Fuel
When hiring a Manager one of the thing i feel like teams ignore is the PR potential of the manger. A Football Manager should be a brand with value, teams should pick the Manager that has the package of good Football experience and results but also a very good PR potential because he will soon be the one that media got the aim on.
The Manager should be the Fuel of the fans and the team, they should all drink from the energy he provides. The Manager should never stop while on the pitch, should celebrate, should argue and should be the King of Conferences.
Jurgen Klopp is the perfect example and so is Mourinho, even Simeone.
The Management Board should understand the role of the Manager and the role he will play in order to create Stadium Atmosphere.
3. The Ultras
The Ultras, the core fans of your team. Not the core consumers that's another talk.
Ultras go with the team wherever the team go and play a major role in Home and Away games, they should never be ignore as a special audience.
They need a Business to Business approach, they generally sell tickets through their own channel or merchandising or a membership, they generate money through the Team, they are indeed a Business.
Ultras affect directly the Stadium Atmosphere they create the noise, the chants, the support, the defense of the club against rival fans. They have banners, flags and do unforgettable choreographies.
The other side of the coin, Ultras are sometimes related to violence, internal fights and other obscure subjects like drugs. Do not forget getting fined due to Ultra's actions is hard as well.
An exchange must be made in order to get the best from having a top notch Ultra's group or more than one, you should seek the Ultra's leader and negotiate in order to give them benefits to achieve your goals.
One easy way to have the ultras on your side is integrating one of the leaders in an important role position like Chief Liaison Officer. He will actually have internal roles but one of his roles is still managing the Ultras, so he will be able to see the two sides of the coin.
4. Improving Stadium Access
Stadium Access is one of the main reasons people decide to stay home instead of going to the stadium, customers avoid mental pains.
Trafic. Parking. Subway completely Full. Giant Lines to enter the Stadium. You know the process.
How can a Football Club focus on improving the access, a few takeaways:
- Stadium only bus and subway
- Private parking lots for free on game days
- Deals with public transportation companies to drop prices on game day
- Parking in other areas with shuttles to the stadium
- Electronic and Paper tickets (Validating by Machine and Mobile)
- Police to better flow the traffic
- Activities outside the stadium to improve the flow of people getting in
Do a mix of strategies to have better access even if you think you already nail it and listen to your fans, they know the pain and they can express it.
5. Ticketing
This is my personal takeaway on the future of football. Ticketing will not be seen mainly as a revenue generator but instead as a Stadium Atmosphere generator.
Ticketing Pricing should aim to fill the stadium. Is a job of the Marketing department to understand what level of Pricing achieves the goal of filling the stadium. The better the place the highest the price is the main strategy, but, we also need to understand that if our sits are not filled we are failing to understand our Market.
Bundesliga prices are much lower than the other top leagues and they own the Stadium Experience like no other League.
Clubs should aim at promotions, game packages, offers and contests in order to have a stadium that even on the most "boring" game is full and a full stadium is an experience.
The Ticketing purpose is to understand the Market to fill the Stadium.
6. Home Grown Players
This last topic i feel is losing some importance, football is getting more and more globalized, and some times having players from all the countries open the Club's door to a fast internationalization.
FCPorto had a rampant growth in Colômbia with Falcao, then came James, then came Jackson, then came Quintero. Did i forget to mention that Porto is one of the most loved clubs in Colômbia now? The same is true for the brazilian market and now Porto got a Sponsorship deal with BMG one of the main Brazilian Banks.
Sporting Clube de Portugal experienced a similar success specially on Social Media, with Shikabala, Egyptians invaded Sporting all over the Internet.
This is a very gool policy for clubs that don't have such hype internationally to get international business and sponsorhips growing.
Still, for the Fan, there is nothing like the hardworking kid with some skills that they saw as a Junior and is now on the First Team.
The Fans see a Home Grown Player as a Fan of the club and one that will always have the 100% Mentality i discussed in the first point. Working your youngsters can be a Marketing trick to have players on your First Team that fans will give everything to protect.
Borussia Dortmund is a good case here, but so is Sporting and Porto with Rúben Neves now, the fans( me included) love the kid. Barcelona is another good example.
Crafting Home Grown Players is an art and a good policy for revenue, since you don't invest millions on a Home Grown Player, it's almost all Profit.
Keep in mind that if your Stadium is not giving you chills, something is wrong.
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