ELF: attempt #2
Anna Barshchevskaia
Marketing Consultant | Marketing Strategy | Brand Management | Social Media
Sarcastically my second European League of Football game was with same teams: Hamburg Sea Devils and Berlin Thunder . But this time the game took place in Berlin at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark.
I think it would be unfair to compare any ELF experience with National Football League (NFL) one. ‘Bigger brother’ simply?has more budgets, way bigger and cooler stadiums and a larger fanbase. What needs to be evaluated is the variance in experiences among ELF game days.
While not everything was flawless, I believe a sturdy foundation has been laid. In contrast, there remains significant groundwork to be done in HH. The next step is to cultivate even more immersive and engaging experience for the fanbase.
Great things:
?? Well maintained stadium: no ankle high grass at seats area, nothing is abstracting the view.?
?? Inclusive & accessible stadium with concrete paths and a ramp.
?? Jump house for kids! Great to see that someone thought about future generations of American Football lovers.
?? Cups with players. It is nice to see faces behind the helmet.
Things to improve:
Here it is important to mention that of course in the ideal world each team would have endless budgets to promote the sport on TV, Radio and Social Media, but not all positive shifts require tremendous investments.
?? Player Recognition: Let's take the cup concept further. Providing player names and positions, or a QR code linking to their profiles, fosters a deeper connection. Familiarity breeds admiration, and it's a journey worth investing in. Yes, Mahomes is in the position when most people will recognise him in a plane white T-Shirt, but these things do not happen in a day, it takes time to build stories about players.
?? Bring in more visuals. If you enter the stadium and you see banners portraying players, it underlines team pride, reinforcing the bond between players and the local community.
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?? Consider additional speakers (or screens) near food truck areas, ensuring fans can stay engaged without missing any on-field action. Give your audience access to relevant live content.
?? Educate your audience. Why would anyone come to the stadium and watch a game, rules of which they do not understand? Distribute simplified guides on basic rules, easily accessible in print or digital formats, this will help demystify the game for new fans and children, fostering a deeper appreciation. And what about colouring books for kids with basic rules?
?? STORYTELLING. STORYTELLING. STORYTELLING. Let's share players’ stories, allowing fans to connect on a personal level and enrich their game day experience. Even the NFL team (Who Day! ????) did not care if they were featured by Netflix or Amazon, Cincinnati Bengals brought the production in house and launched FROM THE JUNGLE, which is as engaging as Hard Knocks and in some cases even more relevant to the local community (shoutout to Bengalfest).
?? Seek better sponsorship opportunities. It is quite embarrassing that in the country of automotive industry, teams can not get sponsored busses from big manufacturers.
Apart from that it is pretty evident even comparing Berlin Thunder and Sea Devils, that teams have uneven spending capacity. Which poses a question: why are there so many German teams in the ELF? Quality over quantity could potentially elevate player salaries and enhance promotional efforts, ultimately attracting a wider audience.
We cannot reasonably expect any team to excel, draw in new spectators, and ignite their fanbase when they must resort to seeking secondary employment to make ends meet. Additionally, when players face the daily challenge of commuting from other cities, battling with Deutsche Bahn delays, it becomes an added hurdle. The limited availability of dressing rooms, with the opposing team forced to wait in less than ideal conditions, further shows the need for significant improvements.
ELF has to take bigger steps in developing teams, bringing communities together, engage with existing fanbase and alluring fresh enthusiasts into the fold. Watching SuperBowl at the stadium, simply talking how amazing NFL is and how 100% the American Football will take off in Germany is not enough.
Sports is not only about tackles and scores, it is about make-a-wish opportunities, it is about giving a chance to a boy, who had no idea how to get recognised becoming the highest paid player, it is about having training camps for kids around the country, so they can meet their heroes. Sports is a love story, it is exciting and dreamy.
So many companies around the world trying to implement classic sports marketing techniques in their strategy, so why in Germany we choose for one of the most exciting sports a ‘SaaS marketing’ approach? Let’s learn the fanbase and strive to do better.
BIG THANK YOU TO Juan Francisco Villica?a Del Pozzo for taking his time, inviting me to the game and listening to a regular Football enthusiast! It is my privellege to learn from incredible people like Juan ????
Good luck to all ELF teams in play offs!
And happy NFL season to everyone! Football is back ?? ??