The Power of CX in Sports Governing Bodies

Sports governing bodies (and clubs) occupy a unique space when it comes to customer experience and marketing communications. Unlike most commercial entities, they’re not just dealing with customers or fans – they’re engaging with entire communities of people who often have layered and shifting relationships with the organisation. One person might be a weekend player, a club secretary, a parent, a referee, and a lifelong supporter – all rolled into one. This complexity demands a more nuanced approach to engagement. It also offers an enormous opportunity: to deliver tailored, meaningful experiences that foster lifelong loyalty and involvement across all levels of the sport. So how do we deliver great CX in sports?

Understanding the uniqueness of sports engagement

In most industries, customer loyalty is something you earn – and regularly must re-earn. But in sport, allegiance runs deeper. A die-hard football fan doesn’t switch to cricket because of a poor matchday experience and you’ll never find a South African singing “Advance Australia Fair” after a poor rugby test match performance. (Although my friends joke I have a rugby shirt for every team, I promise it’s just Scotland, the Lions, and New Zealand – that last one thanks to my father, a naturalised Kiwi).

Still, this loyalty isn’t an excuse for poor engagement. In fact, with so many stakeholders and limited competition for attention within the sport, governing bodies should be leading the way in customer experience.

A growing focus on experience

Organisations across sport are recognising this shift. A report by Sport England found that whilst National Governing Bodies (NGBs) believe attracting new participants is critical, only a small proportion feel they’re doing it well. One of the core issues? A lack of effective, personalised communications that reflect the breadth of roles and experiences across their audiences.

What we’ve found in the past is that this this is both a major barrier to growth and an opportunity, by improving engagement across the membership base, especially among volunteers and community-level participants, NGBs can dramatically improve satisfaction and long-term participation.

At Purple Square, we believe that to meet these challenges, sports organisations need a structured, strategic approach to customer experience. We use five core principles to support clients in developing the right capabilities, processes and technology.

The Five Core Principles of CX in Sports

1. Vision & Strategy

A clear CX vision ensures that every part of the organisation understands what great engagement looks like – not just in abstract, but in practical terms. Without it, efforts can become disjointed or even counterproductive. Equally important is ensuring that different functions – from marketing to operations – are aligned behind that shared vision.

2. Operations & Process

Great communications require great process. For sports bodies, this might mean sending different messages to the same person depending on the hat they’re wearing that day. A parent coaching an under-12s team needs different information as a volunteer than they do as a season ticket holder. Clarity, consistency and timeliness are key.

3. Data & Insights

Engagement isn’t just about getting the message out – it’s about understanding what lands and what doesn’t. Sports bodies often have access to an extraordinary volume of data, from registration systems to ticketing and volunteer platforms. The challenge is bringing it together, analysing it meaningfully, and using those insights to inform and refine future activity.

4. People & Organisation

Even the best processes fall short without the right people and structure behind them. In many organisations, the customer engagement team is relatively small and may not always be resourced to keep pace with expectations. Add to that a strong focus (and budget) on high-profile, above-the-line campaigns, and it’s easy to see how grassroots communications can be left behind.

We see huge value in helping teams build capability – not just through training, but by making sure they have the time, authority and support to innovate and adapt.

5. Technology

It’s a familiar story: the wrong tools can lead to overworked teams sending manual emails, or fragmented, inconsistent communications that feel impersonal and disconnected. Investing in the right technology – whether that’s CRM, marketing automation, or data platforms – enables scale, personalisation, and efficiency. It also frees teams up to do more meaningful, strategic work.

The Final Whistle

Delivering outstanding CX in sport isn’t about slick ads, rolling out high profile players, or flashy websites. It’s about understanding people in context – recognising the different roles they play, the ways they engage, and the reasons they care.

For sports governing bodies, this isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s fundamental to driving participation, retaining volunteers, engaging fans, and ultimately sustaining the sport itself.

At Purple Square, we’ve seen how applying these principles can help organisations not only engage better, but operate more effectively and with greater clarity. Sport has the power to inspire and unite – and with the right approach to customer experience, it can do that more consistently, and for more people.