How Football Clubs Are Redefining the Fan Shop Experience

The most innovative fan shops in football today don’t just sell shirts – they sell the club experience. As supporter expectations rise and stadium visits compete with digital convenience, clubs are rethinking their retail strategies from the ground up.

This article explores how forward-thinking teams like Celtic, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, and F.C. Copenhagen are using fan shops as strategic tools to drive revenue, deepen loyalty, and bring their brand to life – online and on matchday.

From immersive store design to personalized e-commerce and community-led activations, we break down what makes these spaces work, and what other clubs can learn from them.

By Joachim Stelmach

Celtic FC – Immersive Flagship Superstore

Celtic FC is launching a new flagship superstore in Glasgow’s city centre, designed to offer an immersive fan experience. Located on Queen Street, the two-floor space spans 5,500 square feet – double the size of the previous outlet – and reflects a modern retail vision shaped in collaboration with Adidas.

The design blends Celtic’s green-and-white identity with a museum-like atmosphere, likely featuring trophies and memorabilia to strengthen the connection between fans and the club’s heritage. Adidas contributed directly to the store’s layout and visuals, showing how sponsors can enhance retail spaces beyond just kit deals.

The club has also prioritized accessibility, creating a modern, spacious environment that likely includes features like wide aisles and interactive elements, welcoming fans of all ages and abilities.

Already generating over £30 million annually in retail sales, Celtic aims to further boost engagement and revenue through this upgraded, brand-aligned space. The project illustrates how experiential design and strategic partnerships can elevate a fan shop into a powerful commercial and emotional asset.

Club Brugge – Integrating Online Shopping and Personalization

Belgium’s Club Brugge shows how upgrading the online side of the fan shop can boost both sales and fan experience. The club migrated its e-commerce store to a new platform (Shopify Plus) and invested in a club-branded, mobile-first design, recognizing that 72% of its fan shop traffic came via mobile devices. The revamped shop was built as an extension of the club, replacing generic templates with a customized interface that reflects Brugge’s colors and identity. This not only improved usability (achieving a 77% mobile checkout conversion rate) but also strengthened the emotional connection between fans and club.

A key innovation was the launch of a personalized jersey builder and a “gift finder” feature, helping fans easily navigate products by category or occasion. By removing friction, such as enabling thousands of shirts to be personalized within hours of a star player signing, Club Brugge capitalized on spikes in demand.

These improvements delivered results: printed jersey sales jumped 25% after the launch. The club successfully bridged physical and digital retail, letting fans design gear online and collect it at the stadium, a seamless omnichannel experience. The case underlines how modern e-commerce, mobile optimization, and personalization can increase revenue while making fans feel more connected.

PSV Eindhoven – Stadium Fanstore as an Experience Hub

PSV Eindhoven has transformed its Philips Stadium fan shop into a dynamic experience hub that blends retail, entertainment, and heritage. In partnership with Puma, the 2021 revamp introduced a sleek interior and a connected PSV Experience zone, offering fans much more than merchandise.

The zone features an on-site gaming area where visitors can play games like FIFA or League of Legends, appealing to younger fans and increasing time spent in-store. Other features include table football and direct access to the PSV Museum, creating a fluid path from shopping to exploring club history.

Visually, the shop is enhanced by floating LED light tubes in red and white, developed with Signify/Philips. These energy-efficient lights create atmosphere and reinforce the club’s identity.

Tied closely to matchdays, the fan shop syncs with stadium events, allowing fans to shop, game, and connect with PSV culture before and after matches. This approach turns the store into a natural extension of the matchday experience.

PSV also uses its FANstore as an event space to celebrate culture and connect with its diverse community. In June 2024, the club hosted a Brazilian-themed evening in the PSV FANstore, featuring freestyle football, samba dancers, live music, and themed merchandise tied to former Brazilian legends like Romário and Ronaldo.

PSV’s model proves that even a mid-sized club can make retail a destination. With interactive technology, heritage integration, and matchday alignment, the shop drives both engagement and commercial value.

F.C. Copenhagen – Fan Shop with Community & Collaborative Focus

F.C. Copenhagen has redefined its Parken Stadium fan shop as a space that merges retail with community engagement and local culture. Far from a typical store, it reflects the club’s values through events and partnerships.

In 2024, the club launched its new home kit in partnership with Adidas by turning the shop into a pop-up health clinic. Fans received free screenings and a limited-edition “FCK Forever” jersey print promoting regular health check-ups – a campaign that tied retail to public health while deepening fan loyalty.

The club also collaborates with local brands, offering exclusive items like the “Matchday Chronograph”, co-designed with About Vintage, a Copenhagen watchmaker. Other collaborations include breweries, fashion labels, and a distillery – turning the shop into a boutique for curated merchandise.

Digitally, FCK links its physical and online stores. In-store kiosks, the fan app, and social media support a connected shopping experience, with customization options and matchday offers driving further engagement.

On matchdays, the shop plays a central role in the fan experience. Located at the stadium and integrated with pre- and post-game rituals, it encourages visitors to explore new products, relax, or join in-store activities.

FCK’s strategy shows how retail can reflect club identity, promote health and inclusion, and strengthen community ties – while also opening new commercial opportunities.

10 Ways Clubs Are Reinventing Fan Shops

Turn the store into an experience
Make it a place fans want to spend time – through design, interactivity, or heritage elements – not just a checkout line.

Bring the brand to life
Let your visual identity shine in-store: from lighting to layout, retail should look and feel like the club.

Involve partners creatively
Sponsors and local brands can add value when they co-create, not just co-badge. Think collaboration over logo placement.

Optimise for mobile-first retail
Most fans browse on mobile – your online shop should feel as smooth and branded as your stadium.

Offer fast, fun personalisation
Let fans customise products in real time, especially during peak moments like player signings or kit launches.

Create a seamless journey
Blend digital and physical touchpoints – click & collect, in-store kiosks, app tie-ins – for convenience and consistency.

Integrate with matchday routines
Make the shop part of the fan’s gameday ritual. Pre- and post-match, the store should feel like home base.

Reflect your local culture
Stock items and run campaigns that resonate with your city’s style, voice, and values – not just generic merchandise.

Use retail to make an impact
Tie launches or events to causes that matter – health, sustainability, inclusion. Fans value purpose-driven engagement.

Design for all supporters
Accessible layouts, family zones, and inclusive signage make it clear – everyone belongs in the club shop.

Conclusion

These examples from Celtic, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, and F.C. Copenhagen show that fan shops are no longer just retail outlets, they are becoming vital touchpoints for fan engagement, brand expression, and commercial growth. Whether it’s through immersive design, mobile-first e-commerce, matchday integration, or community-focused initiatives, clubs are redefining what a fan store can be.

For mid-sized clubs in particular, the opportunity lies in thinking beyond traditional merchandise and aligning retail spaces with broader strategic goals. A modern fan shop can build loyalty, activate sponsorships, support local identity, and generate new revenue, if it’s treated as an extension of the club’s story, not just its sales channel.

The most successful clubs aren’t asking how to sell more shirts. They’re asking: How do we turn every fan visit – online or in person – into a deeper relationship with our brand? The answers are already on display in these forward-thinking retail spaces.

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