Sports Technology

With its Finals Series having commenced this weekend, Football Federation Australia (FFA) has advised that the 2019/20 A-League season has generated record digital fan engagement figures.

Advising that numbers are a strong indicator of the health of the A-League and the commitment of loyal fans, FFA Head of Leagues, Greg O’Rourke explained “year on year, the Hyundai A-League has seen a 30% growth in digital followers and a 15% increase in engagements also over that time.”

Fan engagement was identified by the FFA as one of the key elements of its XI principles to assist the "transformation of Australian football".

Linked to this is the the Matildas engagement with fans being a factor that places them among Australia’s favourite national sporting teams.

Last year, Australia's national women's football team topped the BenchMark EC Ladder, a survey conducted by True North Research to gauge the emotional connection fans have with their teams.

Speaking last month, FFA Chief Executive, James Johnson reflected on the impact of COVID-19, stating "this period has forced many sports, including football, to evolve the way in which they communicate with fans, and innovate their matchday and non-matchday offerings.

“The digital disruption prompted by the pandemic will accelerate some evolutions to the game day experience moving forward."

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