The Fan Experience EXPERIENCE Podcast

Mark and Darren welcome their latest special guest, Kevin Rye, to season two of the podcast series.  Kevin was a part of the story of Wimbledon, a fan who turned activist working to save and then re-birth the club in 2001/2002 as AFC Wimbledon. He spent eleven-years at Supporters Direct and has been a Fan Engagement consultant since 2015, setting up Fan Insights in 2018, so he’s perfectly placed t...

Mark and Darren are joined by Geoff Pearson on the latest episode of the Fan Experience Experience (Season Two). Geoff is Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law at Manchester University, having been previously employed at the Football Research Unit (FRU) at the University of Liverpool, where he taught Football and Law on their MBA programme.  Geoff’s research interests include crowd behaviour, human righ...

As a special treat for Darren, he and Mark are joined by Walsall FC CEO, Stefan Gamble, in the latest episode of Season Two of our podcast series.  In our fascinating discussion, Stefan describes the difficulties of running a lower league club during a pandemic, what he thinks the main differences will be when fans come back into stadiums while, somehow, Darren manages to resist making him promise...

Mark and Darren talk to SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster about the experience of leading a league through change and of growing engagement and attendances north of the border. In this episode we also take in what Neil has learned in his time at Norwich City too, including the establishment of a supporter board and the benefits this partnership continues to bring for the Canaries and their commu...

After more than a decade as Commercial Director at Huddersfield Town (including two incredible seasons in the Premier League), Sean Jarvis has 'switched codes' to professional cricket.  As CEO of Leicestershire County Cricket Club (based in the city of his birth), Sean is quickly making his mark. Mark and Darren ask him what he's learned and what the future holds for the Running Fox...

Natalia (Moldova FA) and Veiko (Estonia FA) talk about their experience of community engagement and attendance growth in their respective countries' top tiers of football. Expect to hear about UEFA's Grow Programme; the contribution of the amazing Community Development Officers (CDOs) and much that can be learned and applied in any football setting.   What did you think of this episode....

Mark and Darren talk to progressive policing expert Owen West about his work in football and how a move from coercive to engagement-based policing could not only transform the fan experience, but also release £millions back into public services, where it is needed most. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedback via hello@fanexperienceco.com Follow us on @FanExperienceCo on X Ch...

Mark  spent much of 2020 writing the first online / physical match day Fan Engagement certificate for FC Barcelona's Innovation Hub. In this special episode, Mark and Darren chat to Marcos Picalló Aguilar (from the Barça Innovation Hub) as he explains the Hub's status as a learning eco-system. You can sign up to study Fan Engagement with Mark Bradley and FC Barcelona here: https://barcai...

After 26 years of igniting crowds all over the world, Cameron Hughes launches his autobiography 'King of Cheer'.   Like Cameron says: he didn't make his ice hockey team at College, but he did make it to the NHL. He tried so hard to make the basketball team, but missed out there too (but he did make it to the NBA). Mark and Darren chat to Novak Djokovic's favourite 'dancing...

Chris Samson and Michael Bochel from the Scottish Football Marketing Podcast (in partnership with Sports Marketing Scotland) join Darren and Mark for this episode that focuses on the experience outside the stadium on match days and looks in more detail at what the clubs in the Scottish Championship, League One and Two could do more to share their qualities & engage more of the local population...

The latest episode of the podcast moves inside the stadium. Mark and Darren welcome guest, Sian Jones, Head of Customer Experience at Leeds Rhinos, as they discuss what's important for fans when they get through the turnstiles, the importance of well-trained staff and the difficulties in opening up two new stands in a matter of weeks. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedb...

Sport Business Researcher & Business Development Strategist, Kenneth Cortsen, joins Darren and Mark to discuss the fan experience from an academic perspective, looking at his time studying Danish football and the economics of effective engagement and marketing a great match day experience. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedback via hello@fanexperienceco.com Follow us on...

Chairman of Lewes FC, Stuart Fuller, joins Darren and Mark to tell them how and why Lewes became his club, the difference between the Premier League and non-league and how thinking outside the box can make a huge difference to the way a club is run, and perceived What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedback via hello@fanexperienceco.com Follow us on @FanExperienceCo on X Check out...

How do you get your fans to be passionate and loyal, spend more money at the club on refreshments and merchandise? Win? Well, Bohemians FC have those type of fans, doing all those things and it's definitely not because the team is winning. Dan Lambert, the clubs Commercial & Marketing Director, joins Mark and Darren to discuss fan-owned clubs and how thinking outside the box can create a...

This season, we had completed around 350 match day assessments up until fixtures were postponed. Our team of assessors travel across the country, recording what they see and giving the home club as much information as possible in their final report. One of our most experienced, freelance writer in When Saturday Comes, Andy Ollerenshaw, joins Darren and Mark on this episode to talk about his own ex...

Footballing and broadcasting legend, not to mention our Honorary President, Don Goodman joins us to discuss the launch of the podcast, our work in football and what he thinks will happen when we come out on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedback via hello@fanexperienceco.com Follow us on @FanExperienceCo on X Check out our new website...

Joining Mark and Darren at the first touchpoint on the fan experience journey is Ante Cicvaric (Marketing Manager at the Croatian Football Federation) as they tackle the importance of first impressions. This touchpoint centres mainly on the online and digital aspects of the experience with the website being the key starting point for many fans, especially new ones. Ante helps to unpack some of the...

One of the recently added touch points on the fan experience journey, social media has quickly become a key way to engage with supporters, communicate important information and develop innovative content that lifts the overall experience. Shaun Lockwood of Doncaster Rovers joins Mark and Darren as they discuss the topic, identify ways that clubs can fully utilise the tools and find out how Donny D...

As well as joining Darren and Mark to discuss how important travelling to the match is, Aleks Dmitrijev tells them about the journey he took with Estonian Club FC Narva Trans as they saw attendances increase from 85 fans to over 850, thanks to some innovative match day experience initiatives as well as engaging with the local schools. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedback v...

Noel Mooney, Head of National Associations Business Development at UEFA, is Mark and Darren’s special guest as he describes his journey from goalkeeper to goal setter, and how football at all levels and in all countries needs to understand the power of the fan experience when it comes to growing attendances. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your feedback via hello@fanexperienceco.co...

Darren and Mark are joined by sporting royalty in this special episode as rugby league legend, Robbie Hunter-Paul, shares his experiences as a player when it comes to fan engagement and tells them why players can make the match day experience more memorable, as well as why you'll get a lot of stares if you walk around Bradford in bare feet. What did you think of this episode. Let us have your...