At the end of this month I’m lucky enough to be heading over to Paris to cover an event that will include some of the best minds in digital and football.

The event is the inaugural ‘Football Production Summit‘ which will take place in the iconic French national stadium, Stade de Paris, on 29th February.

What interests me most about the conference is that it will be first chance to hear (and hopefully meet up with) the new Head of Digital at Manchester City, Russell Stopford.  He has taken over from the interim boss of the last year Richard Ayers, who is working for City still from his London base.

The panel session that Russell will be taking part in is on ‘Football Club Perspectives’ and also includes Guiliano Giogetti (Head of New Wed & New Media at AC Milan), Kieron Kilbride (Director of Biz Development at Football League) and Warren Perk (MD, Northern Europe at Perform).

The panel is being moderated by an old aquaintance in Cas Knight, formerly the MD of Chelsea Digital and now SVP at Wasserman Media Group.  If nothing else it is worth heading along to hear these people give their thoughts and, hopefully, get to meet them too.

To help set our expectations here is what the panel session is about;

“Clubs have more ways of engaging with their fans than ever, with a spectrum of possibilities that run from social networking initiatives all the way up to running their own TV channels. What are the perils and pitfalls of joining the broadcasting business? How much does the equipment cost? What is the minimum technical spec that should be considered? And how do clubs monetise one of the most precious assets that they have; their archive?”

There is more to this show than the one panel, though that is where most of my interest is going to lie.

There is also a EURO 2012 overview from the Head of TV Production at EUFA.  A panel session on broadcast technologies with FIFA, STATS, Opta and deltatre.  Finishing off with a panel session on next-generate technologies (3D, 4k, etc).

Its an awesome line up for what promises to be a really interesting event.  If you fancy hopping onto the Eurostar to Paris then head to http://svgeurope.org/football-production/ first to book your place.

Hopefully see you there!

We see in many posts how clubs should be utilising social media for fans who come along to the games. The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona have upped the game by making wifi powerful enough to actually be able to use your smart phone when there are 30,000+ other people in the area trying to do the same thing.

The owner of NBA team Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban wrote an article on his blog recently to say that he doesn’t believe in any of this in-game digital entertainment with his post ‘The Fan Experience at Sporting Events – We don’t need no stinking smartphones!‘.

I can’t say that I agree with everything that he says but some of it does make sense. When people go to a game it is about the experience, otherwise they would just stay at home and watch it on TV right? (its cheaper and more comfortable for starters). The first aim for any club is to make the event day the most memorable, fun experience possible both on and off the pitch, or at least try to.

So when we start talking about in-game apps, talking to fans at the game on Twitter, etc should we be getting them staring at their smartphones and away from the match day experience they should be enjoying?

For one it depends on the sport. If you go to football, basketball or another fast-action sport then you will be too ‘in the game’ to give a damn about looking at your phone checking up on the latest stats of the players. But for a more drawn out event such as cricket, long distance running or motor racing then there will be things you can do that can actually add to the experience of the day, when they won’t actually be seeing that much action.

This is not to say there is not a role for using social media with fans coming to a game of football or basketabll. But I would recommend sticking to this mantra…. ‘be useful’! What do I mean by this? I mean that when you are looking at doing something for the fans, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself ‘Would I find this useful? Does it add to my experience? Would I use it?’ and ask the others you work with or friends who are fans the same thing. If not, then stop!

Take time out and think about what content is right for the fans on your different pages and apps. Are they are going to be either at the game or watching it on TV? Are you adding that much by giving out score and action updates? (If they’re watching it you would presume they already know).

An alternative would be to set up an @XXXXlive account so people who want live updates, when they are out shopping or on holiday, can opt-in by following the account and follow the game. Thats a useful benefit without creating lots of spam.

Likewise, how about offering fans some useful match day info when they are on their way to the game. Give out traffic news from the area, updates on what the car parking situation is like, let fans know if tickets are still on sale, etc.

This is all information which is useful to those coming in and at a time when they are more likely to be on their phones. Answer peoples questions and add to making the day the best possible experience for everyone coming along.

Before they set off for the game, Facebook and YouTube could be used to show the players getting ready for a match and offering behind the scenes clips that add to the pre-match buzz. Inform them of where they can get match updates or which channel the game is being shown on or when highlights will be on. Remember….think about which fans you are targeting with which platform.

There are so many platforms out there now, and not forgetting club websites, that it can be tempting to treat them all the same and farm out links and replicate content. If you can put together a strategy that gives each a purpose and is targeted so you know which audience you are speaking to then you really are being ‘useful’.

Comcast’s Xfinity Service is launching a contest to hire an individual who will serve as the new voice of Xfinity in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest nationwide sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans.

The contest, entitled “Xfinity Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job,” runs from January 13 through March 25 in search of the next sports social media star.  It has been put together by our friends at GMR Marketing and especially Brian Gainor.

The winner will receive a one-year salary and will be responsible for tweeting from the @XFINITYSports Twitter handle on continual basis,  reporting live from premier sporting events throughout 2012, and educating and engaging avid sports fans in social media communities. In addition to live event access, the winner will also receive all the electronics for the ultimate sports pad, including televisions, home audio/video equipment, etc.

From January 13 – February 6, consumers can log on to Facebook.com/Xfinity and then go to the “Xfinity Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job” contest tab to submit video between 30 seconds and two-minutes in length explaining why they should be selected as the sports social media voice of Xfinity based on their sports knowledge, social media expertise, personality, and passion for Comcast.

The top video submissions will be featured on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab located on Facebook.com/Xfinity for fans to vote on from February 9-19. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round of the contest where they will cover one of five premier sports events the weekend of March 8-11.

Each candidate will receive access typically granted to event personnel, athletes and media and be asked to chronicle their live experiences behind-the-scenes with tweets, video uploads, and short posts that will be featured on the Xfinity Facebook contest tab as well as their own social media channels.

Following that weekend, a panel of celebrity judges will evaluate each performance and announce the winner of “Xfinity Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job” contest by March 25^th. The winner will travel throughout the year to the biggest rivalry games, championship games, and premier sporting events.

catch more articles back on the homepage here at UK Sports Network

I know this is slightly off from the usual posts on here but it is great news for the group and for those coming along to the Christmas drinks talking place in London tomorrow night.  I’m delighted to say that the conversation agency We Are Social, the great company I happen to work for, is going to be sponsoring the fun get together.

The event is now fully booked and I really cant wait to chat and get to know all those who will be coming along.   Hopefully it will kick what for most of us will be the start of a week of Christmas events in style.

In other news, we are looking to host an event as part of Social Media Week London (13-17 Feb).  What the topic will be and the venue for it are yet to be decided but that will announced shortly into the start of the new year.

If you would like to speak at the event or like to help out then do send me an email or DM, be great to hear from you.

This is a post by Manchester City’s Head of Digital, Richard Ayers taken from the club blog www.mcfcgeeks.co.uk first published on 26th November this year.  Its a really honest appraisal of the clubs efforts and is well worth a read.

Pies, beer, football – that’s all you need for the perfect day out. At least, that’s the view of some people who think that media and technology are a distraction – both in terms of the organisation of a football club and also the fans’ experience on the day.

Last week I was speaking at the inaugural How-Do Sports Business and Marketing conference and I listened to Robert Elstone, Everton’s CEO, speak about the importance of the match-day experience for fans. He was very clear about doing everything he can to ensure that when you turn up at Goodison, you have as good a time as possible.

Where he and I differ is that I believe that digital media has an increasingly important role to play. Robert said he wasn’t convinced and felt that there were more important things to focus on for now – and as he’s infinitely more experience in football than I am, I’m sure he’s right – for Everton. Digital media can be an addition to the excitement, not an alternative.

I know some diehards feel that nothing should distract from the action on the pitch, but my bet would be that it won’t be long before some fans are using handheld devices during the match to add something to the game.

Football isn’t like many US sports where there are long breaks mid-play that give you time to check up on the last play or the stats or watch a replay (like with FanVision)… but I think it would be foolish to bet against services being used by a large enough audience in the near future. In fact, if you include the use of SMS, then you could argue that handheld devices and their communication capability has already changed a match-day. How many people do you know who are in touch with mates at other grounds during the game?

Now, putting aside the fact that all stadia act like Faraday cages and so getting a signal (never mind 3G) can be nigh-on impossible, and assuming that this will change, then it’s interesting to consider how social media might affect the fans on a match day.

[as an aside, thanks to all the @mcfcgeeks twitter followers who continue to ask about our progress with boosting signal or installing wifi in the Etihad stadium - we're working on it and it's a high priority for me so it's good to hear your needs]

I wanted to experiment with social media on a match day. So we decided to run a test using twitter, discussion between two blogger/supporters over twitter, and integrating that into the pre-match media that we run in City Square.

As an experiment, it was a great success.

As an enhancement of the match-day experience it was, well… rubbish.

If you follow me on twitter, or @vickistansfield or @mcfcgeeks then you will know how much we try to be open and straight-talking with fans about what we’re trying to achieve as well as sharing with the digital community about our plans and progress. So, in that spirit, I wanted to share with you the case-study that we put together to debrief this experiment.

You can view or download the Manchester City FC Matchday Tweets Case Study_MCFC vs NUFC 19.11.11.

Our project manager, John Kearney, comes to some clear conclusions about what didn’t work and why: the conversation was out of context, it wasn’t live enough, you couldn’t interact with it … to name a few. But he also comes up with a series of recommendations which gives me hope for trying this again and making it work better next time.

Our American geek friends are particularly fond of a phrase that sums up our approach here – and it’s one we’ve taken to heart in the @mcfcgeeks team: Fail Better. Working with new technologies, new forms of social interaction, and integrating them into such a well-developed experience as the warm-up to a Premier League football match is never going to be easy, but we’re experimenting, learning and innovating…. and that leads to success.

When I wrapped up my talk about engaging a fanbase online at the How-Do conference, there was one thing I should have added: The reason why we feel like this kind of thing is important isn’t just to do with being innovative for the sake of it; it’s not because we like spending time and money on the latest digital fad; it’s not because we want to find a way to make money out of fans. The reason why we do this is because our fans deserve it.

City fans use mobiles and facebook and twitter and foursquare and and youtube every day, just like everyone else, and if we can give them more access to the club they love via those platforms, we will.

I know its not yet December, we’ve got 2 more days left yet, so apologies for the Santa covered picture but I’m sure you wont mind.

Anyway, I cant believe it is almost Christmas again.  I’ve absolutely no idea where the last year has disappeared to!  I’m sure you are all feeling the same way too.

To help bring the festive season in with a #DigiSport bang there is going to be a get together in central London on Monday 12th December.  It’s free to attend and hopefully someone kind out there will put some money behind the bar for at least one free drink!

If you would like to come along then drop me an email at daniel@theuksportsnetwork.com to be added to the guest list.  There is limited room at the venue but there is also a public bar downstairs so we can always overspill a little.

If you would like to meet up with some new people in the industry or get together with some old friends then this is going to be ideal.  It will certainly start the main Christmas party week off well!

At the moment it is a pure networking/drinks gig (no sales pitches going on please) but we may add in some yuletide surprises to liven the night up.  I promise not to keep you up too late as it is a school night but it would be great to see you there even for a short while.

As way of a teaser here is the venue.  Can you guess where it is??

Read the full story

Yesterday saw the International Paralympic Committee release their guidelines on the use of Social Media during the games in London next year.  In a refreshing change to the normal reaction to new technologies, especially those that affect communication, they are encouraging athletes to maximise its use.

What they have come up with is not a list of ‘Do Nots’, though there a few to ensure that the Paralympic partners are covered.  It is mainly around athletes taking responsibility for what they are posting online.

Craig Spence, IPC Media & Communications Senior Manager, said: “The IPC wants to make the London 2012 Paralympics a truly digital Games.

“We want to use the power of social media to spread the Paralympic vision and share the Paralympic experience so that anyone anywhere in the world can be part of these Games.

“In producing the new guidelines we have gone back to the drawing board and also consulted with the IPC Athletes’ Council to ensure their views are represented.

“Many of our athletes are already on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. What these Guidelines aim to do, as well as encouraging them to embrace social media, is also protect the integrity of the Paralympic Games and anyone associated with them.”

You can have a look at the full guidelines here.  I’ve picked out some of the highlights to give you an idea of the restrictions that athletes will have to abide by;

• Encouraged to use Social Media during Games time
• No interviews or stories about other accredited athletes
• No private or confidential informational to be posted
• Cannot add content for commercial and/or advertising purposes
• Only add video/audio taken outside of the venues
• Can film in the accommodation areas
• Any pictures taken tagged with ‘ParalympicSport.tv’ on Facebook and ‘@paralympic’ on Twitter

This is a sensible use of social by the IPC as they recognise that they are not going to get the same global attention as the Olympic Games, that takes place just before it, is going to get.  They need to encourage as much conversation around the Games as possible and having the content being provided by the athletes taking part is a great way to engage the world.

Media often quote athletes from a multitude of sports and having these quotes to use from Paralympic athletes will be ideal for the daily papers and websites covering the sports.  It also gives a great insight into who they are, the stories about them and how they cope with the pressure of competing at the biggest event on the planet.

Today is probably the most frenetic day in British football with the summer transfer window shutting at 11pm tonight.  Millions of pounds (and Euro’s) will be shelled out by clubs who find themselves in desperate need of reinforcements to see them through until at least the January transfer window.

Of course we are going to see the likes of Tottenham Hotspur (aren’t they always involved in last minute activity?), Stoke City, Queens Park Rangers (now they have some money to spend under Tony Fernandes), Sunderland, Newcastle and Arsenal (of course) being linked with every player imaginable.

Although fans, managers and players all moan about it being unfair and having to pay inflated fees because of the last second rush to get players in.  But we still live it don’t we!  Is there anything better than watching the BBC Sport website or flicking the TV on to watch SkySports News and their over-hyped countdown with reporters based at every training ground, stadium and hospital (for the medicals).

We saw an explosion of interest in January as Twitter came into its own with #DeadlineDay being a top trend.  Liverpool was mentioned 301,169 times during the month as they spent almost £50m on two major signings in Andy Carroll and Luis Saurez.

So who is going to come out of today with a big grin and who is going to rueing their luck in the last day gamble?  And how is the best way to follow all the action?

BBC

The BBC are running their #BBCFootball tag so that you can follow the gossip and breaking deals with their reporters on the ground.  They have also amalgamated all their news into one feed on their website with SportsDay Live – Transfer Deadline Day.  You can also follow the reporters directly on Twitter to catch the news as it happens – why not set up a list of these guys and watch as the deals unfold before your eyes…..

Paul Plunkett

John Sinnott

Phil McNulty

David Ornstein

Juliette Ferrington

Dan Roan

Howard Nurse

Chris McLaughlin

Ian Dennis

SkySports

Sky will be running their news as it happens mainly through their 24 hour a day TV channel SkySports News.  They also have their website which not only has confirmed news but also has an interesting crowdsource area where all rumours gathered from members of the public are shown (usually something like “I just saw Ronaldo getting off a train in Stoke” or similar).  You can catch up with these in the Rumour Room.

The main feed on Twitter for the channel is going to be the SkySports News official account.  They have also put together a list on Twitter where you can follow their reporters/presenters and get breaking news straight from the horses mouth (so to speak).  Their main people are;

Rob Parrish

Pete Fraser

Mark Buckingham

Pete O’Rourke

Bryan Swanson

Ed Chamberlain

Georgie Thompson

Other Links

Of course there are more ways to follow what is happening but the main action today is easily going to be on Twitter.  The record for the most number of tweets per minute has recently been broken ay the MTV Music Video Awards by the news of Beyonce’s pregnancy with 8,868 tweets per second being achieved.  Can today surpass it?  With more people joining twitter every day then these records are going to continue to be shattered.

ITV appear to be taking a slightly more reserved approach with the news being shown on their website and news through the official channel of @itvfootball

You can also follow any number of journalists who will be covering the days events (and having a very late night);

Oliver Kay

Paul Hayward

Ollie Holt

Dan Silver

Guillem Balague

Ian McGarry

Have fun watching the day of transfers – I know many players are excited to see what happens (those not involved in the action but watching on TV) and I will be glued to the set after work this evening whilst watching Twitter on my iPad.  The full multi-screen experience!

For those of you who are planning to go and watch the anticipated Beach Volleyball warm up event at Horse Guards Parade this weekend you may want to get your smart phones out.

In a sponsorship first, I’m pretty sure I’m safe in saying that, we will see the much loved QR code being used on an athlete.  Top British players Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin have agreed to a lucrative test sponsorship with Betfair where they will be displaying a QR code on their much pictured backsides!

The thought behind it (!) is to test the new found popularity of women’s beach volleyball (was up there with 100m final in popularity for 2012 tickets) with the new use of digital technology.

When the codes are photographed by a smartphone, the user is directed to a registration page to join Betfair, offering consumers a free bet.

The new marketing ploy is being trialed at this week’s London 2012 beach volleyball test tournament at Horse Guards Parade, London, from today (9 August) until 14 August.

Andy Lulham, head of PR at Betfair, said: “There is huge interest in beach volleyball and we want to ensure that our advertising campaign is seen and remembered by as many sports fans as possible.

“As far as we’re aware, this is the first time QR codes have been used in in-play sports advertising, and what better way to test its effectiveness than by putting them on one of the places that is likely to get photographed the most?”  

Be really interesting to see how many click through they get with the QR codes and if was worth the investment.  QR codes so far have had a patchy reception when previously used but this could have a double benefit. For one you can take a photo at the event (could be tricky though) or if you miss that opportunity take a picture of the images that will appear in press, magazines and online.

What are your thoughts, will it work?  Will we see more of this style of advertising?