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CRM automation is moving from theory to daily reality across football clubs of all sizes. Yet while most organisations already sit on rich fan data, many still struggle to turn it into consistent, automated action that connects engagement with revenue.
In this article, written by Matthias Werner from High Block — a partner within the FBIN Network — we explore three automations every club should run. Each example shows how to progress from a basic setup to an advanced, data-driven operation that adds measurable value for both fans and the business side.
CRM automation is one of the highest-leverage capabilities a club can build, precisely because it connects revenue drivers to fan behaviour without requiring a bigger team or a new organigram. Yet the gap between discussion and execution remains wide. Not because clubs lack ambition, but because the foundations are often missing or misunderstood.
While most professional clubs sit on valuable fan data, like ticket sales, shop behaviour, web browsing, the first real step toward meaningful automation is connecting the right data sources in the first place. Ticketing data, merchandise transactions, and basic web tracking form the minimum viable foundation. Without this, segmentation remains shallow and automation becomes little more than scheduled email blasts.
Over time, adding further inputs such as grassroots membership databases, hospitality platforms, loyalty or gamification tools, and eventually app usage data allows the club to move closer to a true 360-degree fan profile. That broader context is what turns automation from functional to powerful.
1) Matchday Journey Automation
Why this matters
Matchdays are the most predictable and emotionally charged touchpoints a club has. They combine anticipation, physical presence, and spending intent. Despite this, many clubs still treat matchday communication as a one-off transaction rather than a structured journey.
A well-designed matchday automation does not just inform. It subtly shapes arrival behaviour, in-stadium spend, and post-match engagement.
Basic: Confirmation and Reminder
At the basic level, the automation is triggered by a ticket purchase and focuses on reliability.
A fan receives a clear purchase confirmation followed by a timely pre-match reminder. The content is practical and reduces friction: kickoff time, stadium access, transport information, and relevant FAQs or even some interesting stats. Nothing fancy, but consistent and dependable.
Pro tip: Enrich your purchase confirmations with meaningful CTAs. These transactional emails have extremely high open rates yet remain highly underutilized.
This level already creates value by reducing uncertainty and support requests. The key KPI is operational trust: high delivery rates, strong open rates, and meaningful clicks to match information pages.
Advanced: Behaviour-Driven Matchday Communication
The advanced level introduces behavioural signals and context.
Instead of sending the same content to everyone, the club starts using what it already knows. Arrival patterns inferred from previous ticket scans. Seating areas. Web behaviour before the match.
For example, fans who typically arrive just before kickoff can be nudged earlier with information about fan zone activities or pre-match offers. Families receive different guidance than hospitality guests. Fans browsing food and beverage pages on the website see relevant content ahead of time.
The goal here is not personalisation for its own sake, but relevance. KPIs expand to include engagement with specific offers, earlier arrival times, and incremental in-stadium spend tied to campaign logic.
Elite: Incentive-Enhanced, Real-Time Matchday Triggers
Elite execution treats matchday as a live environment.
Automation now reacts to moments, not just dates. Ticket scans can trigger location-relevant messages. Halftime becomes a commercial opportunity rather than a dead zone. Post-match communication adapts to context and emotion.
A fan scanning their ticket might receive a time-bound offer for a nearby kiosk. After a standout cup match, the next-day email highlights a limited merchandise drop tied to that moment. A statistical match summary can double as sponsor inventory, tailored by match outcome.
At this level, channels expand beyond email. SMS, push notifications, or even paid retargeting play defined roles. SMS especially has strong open rates and is much more effective for time-based communication compared to email. Who’s checking emails in the stadium?
2) Abandoned Cart Automation (Merchandise)
Why this matters
Merchandise shops suffer from a universal problem: high intent, low completion. Fans browse, add items to their cart, then disappear. In ecommerce, this behaviour is well understood and well monetised. In football, it is often ignored.
Abandoned cart automation works because it targets fans who have already shown purchase intent. It does not require guesswork or broad messaging. Nowadays, the average cart abandonment rate is at around 70%. In other words, roughly 7 out of 10 shoppers who add something to cart do not complete the purchase. Recovering only a fraction of this can really move the needle for a club.
Basic: Single Reminder
At the basic level, the logic is simple. A fan adds items to their cart but leaves without completing the purchase.
Within a short window, typically 30 to 60 minutes, they receive a single reminder email showing the items they left behind and a direct link back to checkout. The message is factual and unobtrusive.
Even this minimal setup recovers revenue that would otherwise be lost. The primary KPI is recovered orders attributed to the reminder.
Advanced: Behaviour-Driven, Multi-Touch Sequence
The advanced stage introduces structure and timing.
Instead of one message, the club runs a sequence over several days. The first email reminds. The second reinforces value, for example by highlighting product details or social proof. The final message introduces a soft incentive, such as free shipping, if the cart remains abandoned.
Timing becomes deliberate. Most recoverable carts convert within the first 72 hours. Product category matters too. A shirt purchase behaves differently from a scarf or accessory.
KPIs now focus on recovery rate, revenue per recipient, and performance by product segment. This data helps refine both pricing and merchandising strategy.
Elite: Incentive-Enhanced, Personalisation and Channel Mix
At the elite level, abandoned cart recovery becomes part of a broader commercial system.
Messages adapt to fan context. A frequent buyer receives different treatment than a first-time visitor. A fan who attended the last match may see different creative than an online-only customer.
Crucially, incentives are controlled. Discounts are used selectively and measured against margin impact. Success is defined by incremental revenue and sustained conversion behaviour, not short-term spikes.
3) Birthday Journey Automation
Why this matters
Birthdays are rare moments when personal communication is expected rather than intrusive. When used well, they strengthen emotional connection and drive action without feeling transactional.
For clubs, birthday automations are a simple way to humanise CRM while still delivering commercial value.
Basic: Birthday Greeting
The basic version is a single email sent on the fan’s birthday.
The message is friendly, branded, and appreciative. No offer, no pressure. Just recognition.
This already creates goodwill and reinforces the idea that the club knows and values the individual. KPIs here are engagement-focused: open rates and positive signals such as replies or social shares.
Advanced: Incentive-Driven Birthday Experience
At the advanced level, the birthday message becomes an experience.
The email includes a time-bound incentive, such as a merchandise discount or ticket upgrade. Visuals are personalised where possible, for example using the fan’s name in an image. If the offer is not redeemed, a gentle reminder is sent shortly before expiry.
This adds urgency while remaining appropriate to the occasion. KPIs expand to redemption rate, incremental revenue, and time to conversion.
Elite: Emotional Personalisation and Virality
While still including a time-based coupon codes and a conditional nudge to non-redeemers before expiry, the elite execution pushes beyond that and emphasizes hyper personalisation.
The birthday journey now includes emotional elements that scale. A short video message from the fan’s favourite player, whether generic or personalised at scale with AI, transforms the interaction. The offer may be paired with a referral mechanic, encouraging the fan to share the moment with friends or family and invite them to a stadium visit, for example. Further, a personalized product recommendation can increase the commercial value of this automation, for instance, promoting a jersey, if the person didn’t buy one yet.
This level requires more coordination and data maturity, but the impact is different. The KPI conversation shifts toward lifetime value, advocacy, and secondary reach rather than direct revenue alone.
Putting It All Together: Discipline Over Complexity
The most common failure pattern in CRM automation is trying to do everything at once. Multi-channel journeys, heavy personalisation, and advanced tooling without clear ownership.
What works is sequencing. Start with one automation. Make it reliable. Then add intelligence. Then add incentives. Then expand channels. Do some A/B tests and monitor your outcomes closely, as circumstances change over time. There is no e-commerce business that just figured it out forever but you have to continuously evolve your operations.
Hence, discipline matters more than sophistication. Clear ownership matters more than feature depth. Even though it sounds paradox, automation is not a set-and-forget asset. Much more it is a system that either compounds through iteration or quietly decays. However, once you reach the compounding stage, it can 10x your output, without increasing headcount.
Clubs that respect this progression build automation that earns attention because it is relevant and genuinely useful to the fan. Relevance is the key and football clubs come along with a big advantage: fans already have a strong loyalty, and many actively want to hear from their club. If you use that permission responsibly, and keep every message tied to real fan value and the right moment, revenue follows inevitably.
