London Wasps have recently launched a supporter-driven, summer-long campaign to build up to the new season.  Match tickets, hospitality, signed shirts, playing kit, exclusive training with the Club and even Season Tickets are up for grabs in their #EveryFanCounts campaign, where they will be asking supporters across all of their online platforms to share their memories, highlights, views and reasons to look forward to the new season.

Throughout the summer there will be lots of ways for fans to take part in the campaign across wasps.co.uk, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. They will run a series of competitions on these platforms with no limit to how many of these you can enter as well as online chats with players and coaches at Wasps.

London Wasps have also teamed up with American-based company tagboard to collate the interactions around #EveryFanCounts, across all of the Club’s digital platforms into one place. The London Wasps #EveryFanCounts tagboard can be found at wasps.co.uk/EveryFanCounts.ink

Over the summer they will be collecting as many supporters’ messages, pictures and comments as they can and the best will be posted up in the Twickenham changing room for the London Double Header, before being transported back to the Wasps Nest at Adams Park in time for the first home game!

The campaign will provide a great outlet for fans to engage with the Club in the summer months, sharing images, messages and videos in time for the new season as well as offering a great way to engage with the team and the coaches.

To launch the campaign London Wasps players new and old combined to let fans know why they are so important to the club…

One match to go. Two teams left and one of them 80 minutes from glory. Now it’s your chance to get involved and make a difference to the two Aviva Premiership Rugby finalists.  This is the message being driven by Premiership Rugby ahead of the big day between Leicester and Northampton at Twickenham next week (25th May).

It’s a game I was looking forward to going to but its going to be all about football for me instead (more details to follow soon).  My better half will be there cheering them on, my rugbyt will have to wait for the next day when its England v Barbarians. Should be a cracking weekend!

Aviva and Premiership Rugby have joined together to give the fans a chance to have their messages of support actually seen by the finalists. All you have to do is send in your messages of support via Twitter using the hashtag #LittleThingsMatter and the best messages will be selected to appear at Twickenham on the day. These messages will be displayed on the LED boards in the stadium, in the tunnel for the players to see, or even on boards that will placed in both dressing rooms.

Aviva’s Senior Sponsorship Manager, Louisa Cheetham explains the thinking behind the campaign;

“Players and coaches love to hear messages of support from their fans. The connection between rugby fans and their club sides is so strong they appreciate every word of encouragement from their supporters.  So this year we are going to make it as easy as possible for the players and coaches to find out what their fans think and how much they want them to bring the Aviva Premiership Rugby trophy home.  Think about the little thing you could say that could help your team on the day and use that thought.”

The best messages will be mounted on boards in the Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers dressing rooms, displayed on LED screens around Twickenham and written on the tunnel. So your message might be the last thing the players see before they run out onto the pitch at Twickenham.

It’s a nice touch by the league and stadium as they look to maximise the use of the screens on match day.  We have seen a trend for their to be more fan engagement around big matches in different sports over recent times.  The technology is getting better, stadiums are starting to ramp up their wifi and 3G capabilities and its all about the fan experience.

Here’s a great video to help promote the initiative.  They gained the help of players from both teams, fans and some other notables.

Video, as per my last post, is becoming even more prevalent   YouTube is pushing the production of unique content of a professional quality with it’s ‘Originals’ programme.  This article may not be about social media but it’s certainly a digital advancement.

Broadcasters know the power of this medium but it can be difficult to offer much more to fans than has already been done.  We see new innovations in how fans can join in with live broadcasts, the likes of Mass Relevance and Pulse have been at the forefront of this.

But in Australia they have taken things a step further.  Last month Fox Sports took the brave step of bringing fans a new angle they probably never thought they would have during a Super League Game between the Reds and Waratahs.  A referee’s point of view!  This is also a REALLY brave move from the referee’s as they are really opening themselves up with no hiding place.

Not only has it happened in Australia but, in a world first, the RFU and SkySports led the way by pinning a camera on the refs shirt for a Premiership game between Newcastle Falcons and London Irish.  That was in December was certainly an exciting development.  The Head of Professional Referee Development Ed Morrison said;

“This is an exciting development and one that we’re excited to trial. Not only will it offer a new perspective for viewers but it will also provide us with an additional tool which can be utilised within the on-going development of our referees.”

It takes place within rugby union, a sport which has given broadcasters access to what the referee’s have been saying for some time now.  The language used by the officials and players a like is very cordial and a swear word is a rarity – shame we can’t the say within football.

From the dawn of time, or so it seems like, us fans have been critical of refereeing decisions.  ”How did he miss that!” is something we regularly utter and hear on the terraces and at home watching on the TV.  Well, now you can get that very view and find the reasons why he gave the decisions he has.

I can’t really see this happening in football.  The test with microphoning referees during a match many years ago was a disaster.  The language from all sides would be unbroadcastable!  But other sports may benefit if it could be of benefit to fans watching.  Rugby is the perfect one to start with.

Which other sports would you like to see it used in?

Here is a video demonstrating the technology being used.  It’s a real eye-opener and great to watch.  Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of Ref Cam in the coming months and years.

Enjoy!

O2, sponsor of the RFU and England Rugby this week announced the launch of O2 Matchday, a new free app featuring Ref!Link that brings all the thrills and spills of England rugby action live from Twickenham, directly to fans’ phones across the UK.

Exclusive technology developed by O2 delivers a live feed from the referee’s microphone, providing a unique insight into international rugby. Fans get to know the most important man on the field, hearing each and every judgement call as it is made, while the match is being played.

Launched in the thick of the 2013 RBS 6 Nations, O2 Matchday with Ref!Link  is available for England v France on Saturday 23rd February, and when England play Italy at Twickenham on Sunday 10th March.

O2 Matchday can also be used by rugby fans before each Test weekend to get a match preview, find out how the teams line up head to head, which players to watch out for, and to get more information on the man officiating.  Swot up on the referee before he’s even blown the first whistle, and then using Ref!Link hear every decision he makes.

Live text commentary is streamed in from Twickenham, providing an insightful and alternative view of the game from our man at the match, with a social feed that tracks what the rugby commentators have to say about the match in progress.

The app also holds a mirror up to one of the most difficult man management jobs in the world. Hearing a rugby referee at work will reveal the skills and tactics involved in co-ordinating the fairest and most entertaining game of rugby.

International referee Nigel Owens said: “O2 Matchday is a further example of the transparency that rugby champions, but it is also a brilliant way to show the skills involved in being a great facilitator. I’m excited that the challenges of getting the best out of 30 men will now be available to a bigger audience.”

Mark Stevenson, Head of Priority and Sponsorship at O2 comments: “O2 Matchday allows you about as close to the England rugby action as it’s possible to get. Any closer and you’d be on the pitch. We’ve developed the technology using fan feedback and it will continue to evolve throughout the RBS 6 Nations as rugby lovers put it through its paces. O2 has a strong heritage supporting England and the Ref!Link feature means those fans who can’t journey to Twickenham still get the amazing live stadium experience.”

Jonathan Downey, Ref!Link Director comments: “We’re delighted to be working with O2 to bring Ref!Link to those fans not fortunate enough to be at England games at Twickenham. O2 Matchday allows them to experience what thousands do inside the stadium, a live feed from the ref during the game. Delivering this service with O2 to smartphones is a logical next step and we’re really excited about the development.”

O2 Matchday is available now as a free download at >> http://o2lin.kr/o2matchday

The app is currently available on any iOS mobile handset in the UK, with Android version coming very soon. Wi Fi is recommended. Data usage will be charged at the standard rate according to customers’ data agreement or package. The Ref!Link feature will not work within Twickenham Stadium itself.

Fans attending the match at Twickenham can continue to get closer to the action on pitch by purchasing a Ref!Link from a Ref!Link kiosk at the ground.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and IBM today announced a new five year agreement. As Official Analytics Partner for the RFU, IBM will implement a leading analytics solution to provide fans with real-time insights into the game, including information about individual performance by players – the IBM TryTracker.

To cap a busy week of launches and prep for the opening game of the 6 Nations, they have launched a great new feature for rugby fans.  In a first for the sport, IBM’s Predictive Analytics software will analyse historic and current rugby data provided by Opta to provide valuable in-game stats. It gives viewers access to insights that will heighten their understanding of what to watch for in each game and explains what needs to be done to increase the likelihood of a team win against specific opponents.

The IBM TryTracker includes the ‘Keys to the Game’, which predict three crucial areas of performance specific to each team ahead of match day. If a side hits their target in these aspects of their game they will significantly increase their chances of victory. The data collected and provided by Opta for all England internationals is analysed by IBM, before being hosted on RFU.com. The design, development and integration of IBM’s feeds was carried out by RFU.com‘s digital partner Aqueduct (www.aqueduct.co.uk).

English intensity vs Scottish spirit

The Keys to the Game for England’s first match of the RBS 6 Nations show that in the face of a mean Scottish defence, it’s all about line breaks and possession for Stuart Lancaster’s side. Win more than 14 turnovers and break through the Scottish defence more than five times and England will be laying important foundations for a home win

England keys:

• Win more than 14 turnovers
• Make more than 5 linebreaks
• Achieve a successful goal kick percentage of more than 74%

Scotland’s best chance of leaving Twickenham with a rare win comes from playing a tight, accurate and disciplined game. The TryTracker analysis has identified that if Scotland can be successful in 95% of their tackles and win more than 85% of their own lineout ball they will significantly increase their chances of victory.

Scotland keys:

• Achieve a tackle success rate greater than 95%
• Win more than 85% of own lineouts thrown
• Have more than 6 attempts at goal

Momentum and more

In addition, the platform will feature a new way to represent ‘Momentum’, which identifies key moments, decisions and turning points based on every facet of the game and then depicts the flow of the match, visually.

TryTracker also determines the match’s ‘Key Influencers’ by analysing every action of every player to reveal which three players are having the biggest positive impact on their team’s overall performance. Results are based on position specific historical data, and will benchmark players against the average performance of their teammates.

The momentum and player influence views are available once the match starts along with live text commentary and vital stats for each team. Before the game users can check out what the keys to the match will be and look at both teams’ lineups.

IBM and the RFU

As well as providing the analytics for IBM TryTracker, the agreement also includes the implementation of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) transformational plan for the RFU. Using IBM Analytics will allow the RFU to better understand information on rugby fans, their needs and preferences, to enable the organisation to communicate with supporters and participants in a more personalised way.

Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial Officer, RFU:

“We’re delighted to be working with a company of IBM’s calibre. This important new long-term agreement will enable the RFU to give fans even more insight and understanding into what’s happening on the pitch and why, as well as ensuring we remain at the forefront of new technology to enrich the overall fan experience.  Our plans also involve utilising IBM’s expertise to further benefit the grassroots game and enhance performance at the elite level.”

“In sport and business, data is a game changer, “said Martin Guillaume, Media and Sports Leader for IBM Global Business Services UK and Ireland. “IBM is powering new consumer experiences with advanced real -time analytics. By doing this, we offer a new way to enjoy the game, by uncovering insights that matter, enhancing the fan experience and providing vital feedback to players and stakeholders.”

This technology builds on what is already in use in well-known global tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon, The Australian Open and The US Open. IBM is tapping the power of predictive analytics to help deliver insights into everything touching performance, sports injuries, key plays and more. By delivering these insights directly to fans, IBM is driving a smarter sporting experience, giving millions of rugby fans around the world the tools to a more enjoyable game.

The world of sports, and many sporting teams alike, are finding new ways to uncover hidden insights from Big Data to gain a competitive edge.  Analytics continues to change how sport is being viewed and played, ensuring that fans have a complete interactive experience so they do not miss a moment.

The IBM TryTracker can be accessed by all mobile devices and tablets. The three Keys to the Game will be released every Thursday ahead of England games during the RBS 6 Nations.

The RFU have been very active in bringing the online and offline experiences closer together over the last couple of years.  They’ve managed to foster a really engaged audience on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RFUTV and the ‘O2 Inside Line’ behind the scenes magazine show.

How do you top 2012?  Well, following work this summer Twickenham is now the first stadium in England and the first rugby stadium in Europe with full 360 degree mid-tier LED displays and they’re using them primarily to build atmosphere during games.

The match day experience is something that has been much discussed.  How can fans engaged using mobile, and social media generally, become more involved when it comes to the big games?  Many have tried with Foursquare initiatives, Twitter handles on player shirts (and pitches), tunnel cams and pushing fan messages.

So how are the RFU using their new 360 degree LED displays to tap into the fan experience?  Tom Hines, Digital Content Strategist at the RFU, explains;

“One of the ways we want to do this is by asking for messages of support for the team via Twitter using the hashtag #fanfortress. Fans can send in their tweets all week and we’ll then pick the best and display them on the mid-tier LEDs during the match along with the @ handles of the fans who sent them in. It’s also a neat way for fans who can’t be at the match to get their voice into the stadium in some form.”

This is a really nice initiative and be a great reward for those at the game, and watching on TV, to see their messages of support appear.  On top of this they have been building up to the game by running Twitter Q&A’s with players during training sessions and pics showing the players preparing for the visit of Scotland on Saturday.

They’ve also been giving fans the opportunity to post questions on Facebook to the likes of Brad Barritt.  This has received almost 200 comments from their 480k fan page.  The best questions are then asked to Brad, recorded and the final video posted onto the Facebook page.

Tom promises that; “If we get a good response this week and it’s well received by the fans on Saturday then we aim to do it for each of England’s home games during the 6 Nations.”

Its also been getting support from Twitter as the platform works ever closer with sporting names, teams and events.

If you want to keep up to date about all things England during the 6 Nations, then make sure you visit the RFU website.  It’s very slick and has loads of top content for you to find your way round.  It also showcases tweets from their two official accounts; @Official_RFU and @RFUchampionship.

So get Tweeting now!!! and enjoy the start of the 6 Nations.

Sale Sharks’ head of social media has been forced to apologise to the clubs fans following a post she made on her personal Facebook page.

With the Aviva Premiership side struggling after losing seven consecutive home games, some fans took to Twitter to criticise the clubs social media approach.

In response, Holleh Nowrouz posted on her personal Facebook page: “Oh the joys of managing a sport club’s social media when we’ve lost the last 7 home games.

“To the Sale Sharks fans, who comment about the club needing to spend less time blogging and tweeting and more time coaching, the staff who create content for the website and social media platforms, are not the same members of staff who coach the team. You absolute ****wits.”

The post, which was written in October, was spotted by a fan and posted on a rugby fan site.

Sale replied to the incident on an online message board, saying: “Holleh Nowrouz deeply regrets the posting she made on her personal Facebook page at the end of October.”

“Disciplinary action has been taken and the matter has been dealt with internally and both Sale Sharks and Holleh Nowrouz would like to apologise to supporters of Sale Sharks for causing unnecessary distress.”

Sale originally confirmed that Nowrouz has been disciplined and she was expected to stay on in her role as head of social media.  However, in a statement released a few days later it emerged that she had been sacked with immediate effect.

A spokesman said: “Following a stringent disciplinary review Sale Sharks has announced that the club’s Social Media Executive Holleh Nowrouz, has been dismissed from her role with immediate effect.

“The club’s CEO Steve Diamond conducted the review in the aftermath of adverse comments made by Ms Nowrouz towards a section of the club’s fans on a personal social networking site.”

Mr Diamond added: ” As a club we have always been proud of the backing we receive from our supporters through thick and thin over our 151 year history.

“At this crucial time for the club Holleh’s comments, though private, just overstepped the mark and left her position untenable.”

We have seen this year that a new meaning has been attached to the phrase “Content is King” with the greater emphasis placed by the major platforms in the use of imagery.  It is becoming less about the written word and more about great images.

The rise of platforms such as Tumblr and Pinterest has meant that Twitter and Facebook have had to react.  Now you rarely see a Facebook post made by a brand (or person) without a picture associated with it.  You can also now view images within a Twitter post, making the experience more fluid within the platform.

Sport has been quick to pick up on this and two of the biggest sports bodies in Australia have released ‘Social Hubs’ in time for their Finals.  Both have been produced by specialist company Stackla who claim to ‘aggregate and sort the social content around your brand’ and allows clients to collect social user data for profiling and communications.

The Australian Football League have launched ‘The Huddle‘ for 2012 Toyota Finals Series, bringing together updates from both fans and official accounts.  The nice thing about this software is that it lets you sort between seeing both fans and official updates (the default setting) or filter down to just one or the other.

The National Rugby League have also taken the step forward for their Telstra Premiership finale.  The ‘Big Noise‘ is the name given for this activation and to join in with either this or the AFL site you have to create an account, ensuring that the league get as much data to use next season as they can.

It also fits into the website well as the options shown link through to the relevant section; news, team, etc.  This makes the experience whole rather than trying to direct people to different sites for different activities.  One of the difficulties has been over recent times has been, how do you integrate all these new sites you control so that fans get the full experience?

Facebook and Twitter are becoming better at, and releasing new tools, to show feeds and post comments within your site without the need to go to the platform to do so.  Facebook has had this comments functionality for a while and many blogs make use of this.  Twitter has just released its first official tool to embed twitter feed into your website, as we have done here at UKSN (look to the right of the screen).

We are going to see more of these hubs over the course of the next year as sports look to own the conversations and have them taking place on their sites.  It’s always been a issue that no matter how many fans you have on Facebook or Twitter, you will never own that data.   That belongs to Mark Zuckerberg and Biz Stone.

The best you can do is to move those people from using the platforms directly and have them use them on your site.  The bonus is that when this happens and you have a strong Social CRM plan then it can benefit both the club/business and the user in the long term.

*Interesting side note – after publishing this story I received an email about the new Kred Story, a social hub to go with Kred’s influencer rating system.  It looks cool but distinct similarities to the other two mentioned above. Year of the Social Hub!

Watching rugby these days, sports fans are likely to have more than just the remote in one hand and a cold beverage in the other. Making a regular appearance at match time are digital devices – laptops, smartphones, tablets…

This growing trend for “dual-screening” or “second-screening” has inspired adidas to build a cutting-edge Facebook site called adidas Game Day, where All Blacks fans can gather together virtually while they’re watching the match (or if they can’t get to a telly). It ran for the first time last Saturday night during the Bledisloe Cup test.

“adidas Game Day will provide serious All Blacks fans with an outlet for their dual-screening urges, on a Facebook app like no other,” says adidas Marketing Manager Nadia Scott. “It harnesses the power and reach of Facebook but it doesn’t look like your usual Facebook app. It’s really a conventional website within the Facebook framework, that capitalises on the site’s latest layout capabilities.”

adidas has developed the pioneering site in conjunction with Facebook. It has far more functionality than the standard Facebook pages for businesses, and a unique design custom-created for adidas. adidas Game Day has been developed by boutique Auckland web development company Tailor.

It will be the first home on the web in the world for rugby fans that will offer them the combination of:

• live commentary, including the views of All Blacks greats and other experts;
• a chance to discuss the game as it unfolds through live chat;
• up-to-the-minute game stats, equivalent to those provided to match commentators;
• All Blacks team profiles;
• player line ups for both the All Blacks and their competition, for each fixture;
• online voting on contentious decisions;
• a vote for the man of the match; and
• a link to buy official supporters gear.

The initial line-up of guest commentators is injured All Black Ali Williams, former All Black Andrew Blowers and rugby-mad broadcaster Nathan Rarere.

“adidas Game Day is an awesome place to get into the action,” says Ali Williams.

“If there’s one thing Kiwi rugby fans love, it’s having a good argument about an All Blacks game. It’s going to be a great new way to talk rugby, and I’m looking forward to hanging out there in the next few weeks. If I can’t get to the match, this will be the next best thing.” The app, at www.facebook.com/adidasrugby, will also be a hub for All Blacks fans between games, where they can dissect match stats, view fixtures and results, follow links to buy official All Blacks gear, and read and discuss match previews and news from the All Blacks.

In the launch phase, adidas Game Day will only work on computers and tablets viewed through the internet browser. More exciting pioneering functionality will be rolled out in future seasons, including a smartphone app. Details of these advances will be released closer to the time.

* Local stats for dual-screening aren’t available, but sports and entertainment consultancy Gemba New Zealand notes that during last year’s Rugby World Cup internet consumption of rugby union by New Zealanders increased almost four-fold.

Below are some screenshots from the app:

(Disclaimer: adidas Rugby is a client in my day job)

Last weekend saw the opening matches of the 2012/13 Aviva Premiership season with Wasps kicking things off at Twickenham as they took on Harlequins.  It had earlier been announced by the kit supplier Kukri that the club will be sporting their Twitter handle (@WaspsRugby) on the collar of their shirts for the full season.

We have seen a trend in recent months for teams to show Twitter handles on shirts but this tends to be for one off PR stunts rather than a commitment to build up a follower base over a period of time.  Clubs have many off-line assets that can be use to help in promoting online activities, with the kit being the visible of them.

More and more you can see posters, pitch boards and the like being used to promote Facebook and Twitter to fans on match days.  There is so much opportunity to communicate with a dedicated base that the potential is enormous.

The club also went one step further.  Their players warmed up with kits that showed off their own Twitter handles, a nice way for the club to help boost the players profile on the micro blogging platform.  Rugby at the moment, both Union and League, appear to be embracing the new mediums at an ever increasing rate.  Football is certainly being left behind by the UK’s other sports in the adoption of social media.  Can they catch up or do they even want to?

Here are pics of Tom Varndell and Tom Lindsay sporting his warm up kit prior to the 42-40 defeat to Harleqins.  A game in which Wasps lead 40-13 at one stage before the South London club came back from the brink to take the win in what was one of the most exciting games you’ll see this season.  Not bad for week 1!