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On the Ball - a Football First App for Club Fan Owners
Lewes FC
With just over a decade passing since Lewes Community Football Club took a punt to transform the vital community asset out of a privately owned organisation and into the hands of its supporters, see’s the exciting launch of an industry first app for the Fan Owners.
As part of the club’s ownership scheme (where contributions are made in exchange for one share and one vote into the organisation), the new app will not only add extra value to the various membership packages but it will also help to grow their owner base globally with the aim of becoming the world’s most owned team.
Clock, together with its sister company, leading fan experience provider Colooder, kicked off discussions with the passionate and committed team at Lewes FC to establish key goals (for users as well as the organisation) that would aid the delivery of their purpose-driven strategy, both in the short and long-term; ultimately to achieve a vibrant app that helps retention of its 2000+ current members by enriching their club interaction, whilst also acting as a marketing tool to attract and engage new owners.
With an official roadmap of priority features and functionality, we injected the club’s distinctive Rooks colour palette and brand personality into the UX/UI design with simple animation throughout. Members are able to access the free app with their existing account via an API authentication and have the option to invite friends to join the fan-ownership revolution by offering a special discount off their first year’s subscription.
One of the most important features was to enable the Board of Lewes FC to directly connect with its fan owner community by sharing proposed club initiatives - giving their fan owners a direct say - and collecting responses in real-time. Using a custom CMS solution, the Lewes FC team can now push issues to the app for owners to voice their opinions, having the power to influence the governance of the club, whether that be commenting on what they think of the new club kit, voting for the latest club scarf design, or submitting general feedback to guide club improvements.
Clock, together with its sister company, leading fan experience provider Colooder, kicked off discussions with the passionate and committed team at Lewes FC to establish key goals (for users as well as the organisation) that would aid the delivery of their purpose-driven strategy, both in the short and long-term; ultimately to achieve a vibrant app that helps retention of its 2000+ current members by enriching their club interaction, whilst also acting as a marketing tool to attract and engage new owners.
With an official roadmap of priority features and functionality, we injected the club’s distinctive Rooks colour palette and brand personality into the UX/UI design with simple animation throughout. Members are able to access the free app with their existing account via an API authentication and have the option to invite friends to join the fan-ownership revolution by offering a special discount off their first year’s subscription.
One of the most important features was to enable the Board of Lewes FC to directly connect with its fan owner community by sharing proposed club initiatives - giving their fan owners a direct say - and collecting responses in real-time. Using a custom CMS solution, the Lewes FC team can now push issues to the app for owners to voice their opinions, having the power to influence the governance of the club, whether that be commenting on what they think of the new club kit, voting for the latest club scarf design, or submitting general feedback to guide club improvements.
Fan owners are also be able to watch replays and live matches exclusively within the app, as well as access a number of nationwide and small independent local business savings, benefits and discounts which can either be claimed online at various retailers, or in-store by activating their digital membership card inspired by the club’s striped red and black home shirts.
The newly-launched app available to download on iOS and Android will support Lewes FC in further establishing its status as a successful change leader, whilst remaining unified with fans at the heart of the club.
Lewes FC Ownership Director, Charlie Dobre,said:
We set out with Clock & Colooder to make a different type of football club app. One which did not simply replicate our website, but that was focussed on engagement, feedback and exclusive rewards (content & discounts). What we got has exceeded our expectations and, crucially, our worldwide Ownership’s expectations. We are, for now, a small club with modest resources but the new app enables us to appear fully professional, responsive and punch way above our weight.
We are so proud to be part of Lewes’ journey in continuing to improve the club through its fan share model, inspiring other sports teams to embrace change and take ownership of their club. And as one of their top signings of the 2021 summer window, we can’t wait to expand the digital platform to introduce more unique features to the app over time that will bring further benefits to being a club owner. #COYR!
