Fan Engagement

Fans are undoubtedly the heartbeat of football, the engine that fuels the game. FIFA saw an opportunity back in 2017 and took the bold step to create and grow a community of genuine fans with real stories to tell. Fan Movement has become an invaluable asset for FIFA in driving value for the organisation and its partners. This unique project demonstrates the active inclusion of fans, one of the biggest stakeholders in football, and brings them closer to the sport they love.

What is Fan Movement?

Fan Movement acts as a bridge that connects FIFA with the people and places where football lives and helps FIFA to deliver its organisational goals. Fan Movement is a diverse community of football fans, artists, gamers, coaches, grassroots referees and more who all share a passion for the beautiful game. The community empowers the members, as FIFA develops the game, making football truly global.

How did it Start and Where to Next?

The concept of Fan Movement was born in 2017 as part of Gianni Infantino’s FIFA 2.0 vision for the future. The community was officially launched in the run-up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, when Brazil star Hulk challenged Fan Movement members to make a football out of recycled materials, to mark World Earth Day.

Currently, there are just over 1,000 members from more than 80 countries.

Fan Movement has evolved to become a central part of multiple FIFA business areas, playing a key role in several FIFA strategies. It’s based on the concept of value exchange where both FIFA and Fan Movement members benefit from it. FIFA can draw on authentic insights from a global fanbase, create value for commercial affiliates and generate content for FIFA’s channels. As part of Fan Movement, members act as ambassadors, ensuring that football fans have a voice, they get exclusive access to FIFA events, have their stories recognised and showcased by FIFA and opportunities to grow their network with other like-minded individuals.

In line with the value exchange, there are future plans for Fan Movement to support in the delivery of ongoing projects for a number of FIFA Divisions, including Football Technology and Innovation and Women’s Football. Fans are recognised as an essential stakeholder to develop those areas of the game and Fan Movement is uniquely positioned to offer FIFA a direct connection with fans.  

At the moment, Fan Movement is recruiting new members to join, with ambitions to have at least one member in every country, making the community truly global. Applications can be submitted via the Fan Movement website.

Highlights

To date, Fan Movement members have created over 15,000 authentic UGC pieces that were used to produce more than 250 original videos, which have fuelled FIFA’s channels, generating in excess of 200 million impressions.

As part of the value exchange, Fan Movement generates content for FIFA’s channels focused on telling authentic stories and amplifies FIFA’s marketing messages, and community members are given value back by receiving social kudos and being featured on FIFA’s digital platforms. Amongst the pieces of content that have been professionally produced for FIFA’s channels are spotlight videos on members, highlighting inspirational and unique stories. So far, a range of members with different backgrounds, including artists, futsal players, football club founders, activists and more have been featured. In the below example, Olivia Hancock from England talks about how she takes a stand for women’s rights in sports.

One of the benefits of being a Fan Movement member is exclusive access to money-can’t-buy experiences at FIFA events. In 2019, 10 Fan Movement members and their guests were invited to take part in the FIFA Women’s Football Convention for the first time ever. As part of Fan Movement’s involvement in the convention, two members were interviewed by FIFA legend Karina LeBlanc on stage.

In line with FIFA’s objective of raising support for the recovery and reconstruction of damaged or destroyed sports infrastructure worldwide via the FIFA Foundation, a number of Fan Movement members visited the Tiempo de Juego Foundation in Colombia, which has used the power of football to positively impact the local community. The Fan Movement members acted as ambassadors, where they provided gifts for the children and captured content for the below video, showcasing their experiences.

Exclusive access to FIFA events is another way for FIFA to give value back to the community. A selected number of Fan Movement members were invited to The 2019 FIFA Best Awards in Milan. As well as being the only fans present inside the Teatro alla Scala, the Fan Movement members also went to the San Siro, where they watched the Derby di Milano, attended the FIFA Football Conference and the FIFA Diversity Awards. Additionally, a further group of members were present on the green carpet, welcoming players, managers and legends as they arrived.  

Since Covid-19 has caused many events to be postponed or cancelled, the Fan Movement Community Managers have found other ways to deliver value to the community while supporting FIFA objectives. Weekly Zoom calls have provided members with opportunities to make connections, engage in discussions and hear from leaders within the football industry. So far, Fan Movement members have heard from a number of guest speakers, with presentations from the FIFA Sustainability team, a deaf women’s football coach on the impact that Covid-19 has had, the founder of a diversity & inclusion football charity and more. For members, these weekly calls allow them to gain insight and deliver value in unprecedented times when physical events have been cancelled or postponed.

Join the conversation by using #WeLiveFootball on social media and see what Fan Movement members are posting about.

https://www.fanmovement.com/
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https://es.fifa.com
https://fifaofficial.cn/