The Fan Lifecycle Framework: How Smart Clubs Turn Data into Loyalty
Reading time:
13 mins
Nicky Verjans is the founder of Fan First, a company dedicated to making sure sports tech partnerships deliver real value, not just flashy features.
After 15 years as a professional handball player, he now helps bridge the gap between tech vendors and sports organizations.
His mission: implement solutions that genuinely improve the fan experience and build long-term strategic alignment between partners.
In this interview, he shares what “fan-centric” really means, how to avoid investing in “nice-to-have” tools, and why listening to your fans still beats any dashboard.
One of the most important things is to align on both short-term and long-term goals right from the start. I’ve seen many partnerships where both sides are excited at the beginning, but then drift onto different paths, which puts the relationship at real risk.
The only way to prevent this is through regular update meetings, clear communication, and, most importantly, shared goals and measurable KPIs.
There are so many tech companies and startups claiming to be game changers and the perfect solution for fans. Often, they have great ideas and a lot of potential, but they’re not solving a clear problem for the fans. This is especially true in the fan engagement space. A solution might add value for the club, but if it doesn’t genuinely help fans in the long run, it won’t work.
Real fan-centric tech means addressing actual pain points and making the fan experience meaningfully better.
The best approach is simple in theory but not easy in practice: talk to your fans and track their behavior. Some clubs are very open, run surveys, and really listen.
The next step is to use that feedback to improve the situation. Fans don’t need the newest, high-end innovations, they want a better experience.
By combining surveys with the data clubs already have, it becomes clear where improvements are needed. It’s ultimately about setting priorities and tackling the issues that matter most to the fans first.
What resonated most with me in this conversation is how easily clubs and vendors mistake novelty for value. Nicky draws a clear line: technology is only meaningful if it solves real fan problems. That means shared goals and KPIs between clubs and vendors, not just excitement at the start of a partnership. It also means resisting the temptation of shiny features and instead focusing on actual pain points. The biggest takeaway is almost disarmingly simple: ask fans what they need and listen to them carefully. When feedback and behavior guide investment decisions, fan experience improves in ways no dashboard alone can predict.
