Football NSW sees winning formula with visual analytics

Football NSW has applied SAS Visual Analytics to gain an in-depth understanding of its clubs, players, coaches and referees, with the objective of providing greater value for its football community with better targeted and more effective communications.
Having experienced 15% participation growth over the past three years and with the sport’s image heightened by the recent FIFA World Cup and the upcoming 2015 Asian Cup, Football NSW believes this growth is set to accelerate.
Football NSW Chief Executive Eddie Moore says while the governing body may not be dealing with the amount of data that banks do, gleaning insights from their 210,000 members is helping create a value network around their key business goals of football, facilities and finance.
Moore explains “football is about creating a positive experience for all our members including clubs, players and their families, referees and coaches.
“Gaining an in-depth understanding of our members and their involvement with the football community can help us better engage with them using effective communications and fostering a more exciting connection with the game.”
Moore says that SAS Visual Analytics helps tell the story around where investments are needed in facilities, adding "it is phenomenally powerful to be able to show our local councils, State or Federal governments a map visualisation of hotspots where our players are located against facilities.
"We can zoom right down to postcode, street or the individual and show why investing in better lights or irrigation at the local oval will help their community – and the players who use the facility.”
The SAS solution sits within Football NSW’s marketing function which has enabled better engagement with commercial partners by allowing them to understand more about their core football audience.
Moore concludes "wWe can show our partners where their stores are in relation to large clusters of players or our newest members, and help manage a piece of communication to those members.
“A new player might be offered a discount to purchase their footy boots from a sportswear shop at their local mall, which not only adds commercial value for that partner but also enhances the welcome experience for our new member.”
The solution is managed via a cloud platform through SAS partner Selerity, which meant that no ‘skills ramp up’ was needed and users are able access information from anywhere and on any device.
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