The idea of fan involvement has been around for a while. For as long as there have been sports, athletes and sports teams have interacted with their supporters. The advent of digital technology has been a major factor in the rise in use of the phrase "fan engagement" itself in the early 2000s.

Over the past two decades, fan involvement has been a standard practice for sports organizations, including leagues, international sports federations, national governing bodies (NGBs), and sports clubs.

Fan Engagement: What Is It

The practice of engaging fans before, during, and after events using a range of platforms and techniques in an effort to build and deepen a lasting emotional connection is known as fan engagement.

This is how iSportConnect and Choicely defined fan engagement in their April 2023 survey. It encapsulates the ultimate objective of fan engagement, which is to have devoted and active fans, as well as the methods used, which include both online and offline fan interactions.

Fan engagement is typically brought up when discussing digital platforms, tools, and channels that are intended to increase fan involvement. In this piece, we'll also pay greater attention to the digital side of fan interaction. 

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Why do sports organizations care about fan engagement

According to 71% of sports professionals in the iSportConnect and Choicely research, fan involvement is critical to achieving their organization's objectives.

1. Revenue and loyalty are driven by fan involvement

Whether you work for a club, league, or sports federation, fans are the lifeblood of a sports organization. Developing a long-lasting relationship with the fans pays rewards. A brand's lifetime worth is 306% higher for customers who feel an emotional connection to it than for those who are merely content.

This is due to the fact that engaged fans are more devoted, long-term brand advocates who are also more likely to buy items and go to additional events, which impacts their customer lifetime value to the company.

2. Enthusiastic supporters attract new followers.

• Fans of a sports team are not formed in the same manner as brand customers. Fandom is closely associated with social circles rather than rational reasons or the desire to accomplish a task.
• Adam Earnhardt, the chairman of Youngstown State University's communications department and co-author of "Sports Fans, Identity and Socialization: Exploring the Fandemonium," claims that the most frequent cause of fandom is a person's ties to their initial community, which includes close friends and family in particular.
• Enthusiastic fans tell their social networks about their experiences, such as going to games together. These kinds of gatherings might cause someone to develop a similar interest to their friends and become a fan of the same club.

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3. Gaining insight into your fan base and gathering fan opinions

• Interacting with fans is a fantastic way to find out about their tastes and viewpoints, then utilize the information to enhance the sports industry.
• Allowing fans to vote and make decisions about the sports club is another way for a sports organization to empower its supporters.
• By surveying supporters, you may find out how satisfied they are with the organization's operations and what they think could be done better.
• One of the most often used customer satisfaction indicators and survey formats is the Net Promoter Score (NPS).
• It is also very applicable in the setting of athletic organizations.
• The NPS asks respondents to rate their likelihood of recommending a product or service to their peers. In addition to providing a numerical response, the responder is asked to justify their choice of number.

How can fan engagement be raised

Establishing a defined approach is the first step in improving fan involvement. It is based on three essential steps:

• Specify your objectives for fan interaction.
• Recognize your fan base
• Select your strategies for engaging fans.
• The strategies for increasing fan interaction make sense when the first two have been established.
• Let's explore these processes in more detail!

Establish your objectives for fan interaction.

Fan involvement, like any corporate endeavor, begins with establishing your organization's specific goals. Furthermore, it might be challenging to discern between fan interaction and revenue, which frequently coexist.

The State of Sports Fan Engagement 2023 report states that increasing income, website traffic, social media followers, and app users are the most popular fan engagement objectives.