“We’ve been able to ask the fans and get an answer within 48 hours, which is fantastic because internal stakeholders make decisions based on insight rather than gut feel.”
—Erica County
Research Analyst, Australian Football League
Football is one of the most popular sports in Australia, with the Australian Football League annually drawing seven million fans to matches. The AFL Commission, the sport’s governing body, controls the laws of the game for all elite, community and regional level matches. To better understand the needs of the fanbase and help support strategic business decisions, the league launched Fan Focus, an 11,000-member insight community.
Listening to the right fans at the right time
The members of Fan Focus represent a diverse range of Australians, allowing the league to target and analyze the needs of highly specific demographic groups. The AFL can connect with select Fan Focus members at any time to help solve various business decisions and challenges. Customer intelligence often supports decisions made at executive meetings and helps the organization be more fan- and customer-focused.
How the AFL benefits from our software
Establishes strategy and control of customer insight
Targets specific fan and consumer groups
Supports customer centricity
Creates an internal collaborative environment
Brings fans into the decision-making process
Nurtures relationship between brand and fans
Accesses instant customer intelligence
Deciding the future of football with Fan Focus members
Fan Focus members even influence the direction of the sport. When the AFL Commission considered making changes to the league’s elite competition format, insight community members weighed in. Fans wanted a short pre-season competition and earlier premiership season. Based on fan intelligence, the organization made changes and saw a 52 percent increase in satisfaction year-over-year as a direct result.
Creating a meaningful experience for the fans
While traditional research receives response rates of around 20 to 30 percent, the AFL sees upwards of 70 percent from Fan Focus members. The organization doesn’t have to rely on gut feel anymore because it receives reliable customer intelligence at speed—often within 48 hours. Fans now help decide how the sport is run and provide insight into fan sentiment season to season.