By Grant Caley, NetApp chief technologist, on how moving the goal posts can engage the fans
Author:
ContributorPublish date:
Oct 4, 2018
The sporting experience is being disrupted by the transformative power of data at every level, from scouting talent to personalised marketing putting fans at the heart of the action. With a jam-packed calendar of sporting events ahead of us, and the Premier League in full swing, there's no time like the present when it comes to bringing a critical eye to the potential for data-driven innovations in sport. As the goal posts move, which areas are ripe for revolution in the sporting arena and how can organisations thrive amongst the change?
We're used to considering the transformative power of data among more traditional verticals, like the financial services and telecommunications providers, but with sport, it's a little different: your customers are your fans and they want to support teams that are on their game. They want to be on top of the latest news and feel a part of the organisation and they don't want to miss a beat when it comes to watching their team. Whether it's top football clubs like Chelsea FC or England's Team GB, loyal fans love being at the centre of their club: they want the benefits of a turbo-charged, data-driven team.
Data analytics: From scouting on the field to personalisation
In the football world, data analytics is enhancing talent scouting activities. Scout 7 is one such example, offering football clubs a database of player information collated by a team of researchers including video content from around the world. Aston Villa and Wolves were some of the first to sign-up, but now over 230 clubs in 30 leagues around the world utilise the software, which has evolved to enable subscribers to stream full matches and clips straight from their mobile device on-the-go. Applying data analytics to scouting means the best players can be recruited, improving the quality of the game from the grass roots.
Meanwhile, the digital age means fan bases can not only expand beyond local and national borders, but those supporting from afar can truly feel a part of the family. Digitally transforming a sports team means thinking globally and improving the fan experience for all. Enabling a mobile first strategy is a crucial part of this, giving fans the always-on interactions they have come to expect this means the ability to roll out real-time updates, sport coverage and targeted marketing campaigns. Personalisation is crucial, as with business customers, you can get a whole variety of football fans within any given club and they want the sporting experience curated especially for them.
Digitally transforming the stadium experience
The same sentiment is filtering through to stadium design. The much anticipated opening of the redeveloped Tottenham Hotspurs stadium at White Hart Lane this year billed as the intelligent stadium of the future offers a tantalising snap-shot of what a data-driven approach can achieve in sport. With a capacity of 61,559 and set to be one of London's largest sporting stadiums, you would be forgiven for thinking you might feel a little lost in a sea of football fans. But this stadium has been designed to engage visitors as a destination not simply a sporting venue.
Apart from the more obvious large screens and LED signage, the facility will boast public WiFi access, mobile point of sale systems, as well as click and collect food and beverage systems. Underneath it all, an analytics platform is in place to learn about user behaviour uncovering customer flows and providing opportunities to personalise and scale services. The intention is to create an experience that fans enjoy beyond the 90-minutes of a match.
As sports venues around the world look to transform their digital strategies, fan safety is particularly pertinent, as is aggressive fan behaviour which can deter visitors. Deloitte predicted this was an on-going trend for 2018, with fibre-optic camera surveillance, video analytics, and other non-invasive technologies playing an increasing role in stadium security.
Millennial fans and data-driven sports consumption
However, with digital platforms making it easier than ever before for fans to tune in and live-stream the game, sports viewing is changing and creating ample new opportunities to engage with fans. As clubs track the digital footprints of their growing millennial fan base, from viewing the game to social platforms and reaching fans with targeted content, the viewers on the sofa are just as important commercially as those in the stadiums.
Sport is being disrupted at every level by data-driven innovations that ultimately put the fans at the heart of the action. But in order to truly thrive and digitally transform, sporting organisations need to ensure that all their stakeholders are aligned and the right data management strategy is in place tailored to their needs. Extracting the true value of the hybrid cloud and innovating in order to manage data effectively will ensure the fan experience remains tip-top of the range. No one wants data down-time during a penalty shoot-out or while purchasing their prized match tickets. With fans so invested in the game, an own goal in the business of sport can lead to fans giving you the red card.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
By Grant Caley, NetApp chief technologist, on how moving the goal posts can engage the fans
