Best Match (or Game) Day Experience
Bradley Lowery Celebrity Charity Football Match – Everton Football Club
In September 2017, Everton Football Club hosted a celebrity charity football match to celebrate the life of Bradley Lowery, the young Sunderland supporter who won the hearts of the nation during his brave battle against neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer, before his sad passing in July 2017 aged six.
Working hand-in-hand with the Bradley Lowery Foundation, the game took place on Sunday 3 September and saw a host of celebrities lace up their boots for the match which benefitted the Foundation and Everton in the Community.
The two teams were called ‘Bradley’s Blues’ and ‘The Lowery Legends’ with the team names personally selected by Bradley’s mum Gemma.
Over 15,000 people turned out at Goodison Park for the celebrity game in memory of young Bradley with the day raising over £70,000 for the two charities.
Cardiff City FC
At Cardiff City FC, our aim is to make match days fun and affordable days out for the whole family, whilst also increasing participation figures within the local and wider community. In conjunction with Cardiff City Foundation, we currently engage with all age ranges through a variety of projects, whilst having improved upon our family-centric activities at Cardiff City home fixtures.
Cardiff City FC’s continued efforts to adopt a welcoming and memorable experience as a supporter are ever evolving, but with engagement figures currently at a high, encouraging a family orientated ethos remains at the heart of the club.
DHL New Zealand Lions Series – Auckland Fan Activation
In June/July 2017 the DHL New Zealand Lions Series tour came to New Zealand, bringing legions of dedicated visiting fans on what was, for many, the ‘trip of a lifetime’.
The task for ATEED was to bring the city of Auckland to life during the tour, and provide an unrivalled game-day experience. ATEED delivered an entertaining and inclusive game-day experience that was fun and exciting for fans of all ages and allegiances, and gave visitors a taste of Auckland’s unique cultural heritage.
The Queens Wharf Fanzone in central Auckland had a family zone and a Sports Bar. There were thrilling Māori cultural performances and an all-star line-up of live musicians. Fans enjoyed talks from famous players, an exhibition of rugby photography and a chance to get up close to rugby trophies including the Webb Ellis Trophy (Rugby World Cup).
The fun and festivity continued all the way to Eden Park stadium with Auckland’s famous 4.2km Fan Trail.
Fans were guided along a route which featured entertainment, lighting displays, street performers, fire-dancers and interactive activities. Lions fans were greeted with the sounds of home, including bag pipers and Irish bands and everyone had a chance to sample some kiwi kai (food).
Great Big Events – NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day
THE CHALLENGE
The NatWest T20 Blast culminates in a day-long event at Edgbaston Cricket Ground known as Finals Day. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) requested that Finals Day be the ultimate day out for fans. Finals Day was to be a festival of sport, music and cricket must be the main focus. Outside the bowl, bands played on the concourse throughout the day on different stages to entertain fans in between the cricket action.
THE SOLUTION
Great Big Events, leaders in global sport presentation, worked closely with the ECB to deliver an exhilarating finals series that encapsulated the fever pitch excitement fit for the T20 finals series. Great Big Events delivered expert Sport Presentation techniques and activities to make NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day the Best Match Day Experience for fans.
THE RESULT
As a result of the success of Finals Day at a sold out, Edgbaston, the ECB has seen sales for Finals Day 2018 increase by 170 per cent, with the potential of a sell-out before the tournament begins in July.
The T20 Blast product has seen a huge improvement in satisfaction scores, achieving 8.7 out of 10 for Match Day experience, an increase of 0.7% year on year. LiveTourism assessments an overall satisfaction rating of 77%, up by 2% year on year.
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Football Club’s Perrys FanZone was created in 2017 to add to the matchday experience of fans attending games at the John Smith’s Stadium.
The aim was simple – to be able to offer what our fans would like before the match to make their matchday more than just a 90 minute game of football. After consulting with our fans, the Club created a blueprint of what should happen before games. With the feedback of affordable food, good entertainment, and lots going on for fans of all types and ages, the FanZone was born!
The FanZone provides a free entry, match day experience for all fans visiting PPG Canalside. With special guests interviewed every week, live music, beer tents, inflatables, face painting, balloon modelling, Terry The Terrier and much more, this has become a real addition to our fans both before and after games.
The attendance at the Perrys FanZone has steadily risen, with figures now of 1,000+ fans attending weekend games. The feedback has been excellent. It has been a delight watching this initiative grow and see the increased engagement from fans.
Manchester City Football Club
Manchester City prides itself on doing things differently. The Club wanted to extend the typical match day fan experience beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch. We now offer our fans something that no other club offers their fans. We do it differently to everyone else and we want to lead the way in match day experience.
Our match day fan experience covers five and a half hours with live post-match analysis. Our match day experience is spread throughout the Etihad campus, reaching out to our different fan groups. By constantly gaining feedback from our fans, the Club have tailored our match day experience around them.
This season Manchester City has developed and evolved our provision for supporters including:
o A dedicated staged area outside of Etihad Stadium with 3 large LED screens, where up to 8,000 fans watch and get involved in the pre-match entertainment. It has become a destination with supporters!! City Square opens up and starts entertaining our fans from 2 ½ hours before kick off.
o Post-match interviews: After the game has finished, fans can be a part of the Club’s interactive post-match analysis and see post-match interviews with players and the manager on the big screens.
