The most valuable audiences don't just need attracting, they need nurturing.
For football supporters, the relationship with their club doesn’t start and end on matchday – it exists every day.
Buying tickets, watching the club’s TV channel, devouring transfer news, following the academy, shopping for merchandise online, checking fixtures and sharing moments with other supporters – every one of those interactions shapes how people experience their club.
When Derby County began looking beyond the English Football League’s shared digital platform, the opportunity wasn’t simply to create a new website.
It was to build a digital experience that reflected the identity, ambition and expectations of one of English football’s most passionate fanbases.
Supporters don’t think about technology, they think about their club. They expect every interaction to feel simple, connected and intuitive, regardless of whether they’re buying tickets, watching live coverage or catching up with the latest news.
Like many clubs operating within centrally managed digital systems, Derby County had limited freedom to shape that experience around its own supporters.
+12 years
as a strategic partner
4 apps
integrated in single sign-on
As the club regained control of its digital future, it needed more than a web developer. It needed a strategic partner capable of understanding both the technical complexity and the emotional importance of the supporter experience.
This wasn't simply another website project. It was one of the club's most important communication channels. Our relationship with Derby County began in 2014 and has continued to evolve ever since.
When the opportunity came to create the club’s first independent digital platform following its departure from the EFL framework, we worked closely with key stakeholders to understand how supporters naturally interacted with the club.
Rather than beginning with technology, we conducted a supporter survey and organised focus groups to map the journeys fans took every day, identifying where unnecessary friction interrupted what should have been a seamless experience.
That thinking shaped a new digital platform centred around supporter behaviour rather than internal systems.
A responsive website brought together club news, RamsTV, live streaming, ticketing and supporter services through a simplified, intuitive interface.
Single sign-on removed barriers between platforms, allowing supporters to move effortlessly between different parts of the club’s digital ecosystem.
But the relationship didn’t end when the website launched. As supporter expectations evolved, so did the platform. More than a decade after our partnership began, Derby County once again entrusted us with reimagining one of its most valuable digital assets.
This time, we were encouraged to challenge convention. Looking beyond football, we explored best practice from global sports organisations including Formula 1 and the NFL, using those insights to create a faster, more dynamic experience that reflected how modern audiences consume content.
The result wasn’t simply a refreshed website. It was the next stage in an ongoing digital partnership built on shared understanding, continuous improvement and mutual trust.
Today, Derby County benefits from a flexible digital platform that continues to evolve alongside the club and its supporters. Fans enjoy a faster, more engaging experience across desktop and mobile, with seamless access to ticketing, RamsTV and club content through a single sign-on.
Behind the scenes, the platform gives the club greater control, improved performance and the flexibility to continue developing its digital offer as supporter expectations change.
Perhaps the most significant result, however, isn’t technical. More than 10 years after our relationship began, Derby County continues to trust Purpose Media with one of the club’s most important connections to its supporters.
That trust has been earned through collaboration, strategic thinking and a shared commitment to continually improving the fan experience.
They always meet deadlines and provide positive feedback during the scoping/design and testing elements of a project.
Martin Coleman
Head of IT & Data Services
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