Away from the pitch, the club wanted to create the best football website in the country – and appointed Purpose Media to build it.
It was over 15 years since supporters were able to enjoy an original website dedicated to the fans, with the club being previously tied into the EFL Digital agreement.
The result has seen the delivery of a market-leading online football platform that redefines football websites by placing fans at its very core, while generating significant new commercial opportunities for the club.
DCFC needed to position itself differently from other clubs with a platform that mirrored their unique identity that would act as the heart of the Rams online community. The website needed to support several integrated tools including Official EFL stats, single shop and checkout, integrated RamsTV and live match streams.
The club took the decision to create an exclusive digital platform to give the flexibility to engage its supporters in and create a fully-immersive fan experience, where they had control.
To achieve that, DCFC partnered with Purpose Media to:
Our team spent time with the DCFC digital team to build our understanding of how the club operates and to appreciate the importance of a CMS that was easy to use and offered data visibility.
Establishing a Fans’ Forum gave supporters the chance to share ideas on how the platform should look and function, and what content they would like to see, giving us insight into how to deliver the best digital experience for users.
The team worked to create a site that met the demands of the club and fans, increasing opportunities for revenue generation while being responsive and intuitive for users.
For fans the site offers a unique identity, mapped out for ease of use and can be easily accessed at home or on the go, providing a fluid service that is just as responsive on mobile or tablet as it is on desktop.
For the club it means faster load speeds, an easier way to expand commercial opportunities, visibility of data and simple tools to ensure content can be made visible on all verticals of search at the touch of a button.
DCFC had an aging web presence when our work with them commenced, tied into the EFL Digital agreement. It wasn’t mobile friendly and had a complex navigation for users, making it difficult for fans to find information and make multiple purchases in one transaction. The content management system (CMS) was restrictive and inflexible, making it hard for the team at DCFC to add and update content.
Purpose Media developed a fully responsive website, built around fans, integrated with multiple tools that deliver opportunities for revenue generation on match-days and every other day in-between.
Video supports DCFC in showing their audience how their staff are professional and approachable, and how the treatments they offer help people to boost their confidence and well-being.
Proven to increase engagement and understanding, video production provided DCFC’s audience with information that explained their service and treatments with clarity, capturing attention and boosting calls to action.
Implementation of the brand and strategic approach across multi-channel campaigns has transformed DCFC’s presence.
Assets developed have received praise from the team internally at DCFC, and data from campaigns has been captured and analysed to identify success and build effective practices into upcoming plans.
Work with DCFC is ongoing as we collaborate with the team to develop new campaigns and strategies to continue their amazing growth.
The introduction of a new Match Centre allows fans to follow the action in every game from the club’s pre-season friendlies to end of season deciders and beyond.
Partnering with Opta, site stats are driven by official data, providing fans with insightful statistical analysis of each Derby player throughout the season.
Our solution supports a personalised single customer view which allows seamless access between the main site, store and ticketing platform. It also allows the club to personalise content, advertising and promotions based on stored user data and preferences.
The club’s video news channel, RamsTV, is fully-integrated. Acting as part of the site it features player and manager interviews, extended highlights and the full 90 minutes of every fixture, pre- and post-match news, features and studio chat
The site allows DCFC to stream first team league matches live to supporters based overseas. The pre-match and post-match shows are available free of charge, while the match action is subscription only.
Unified from top to bottom, supporters can find what they’re after in one place, and with a single user account and login, it’s easier than ever to buy tickets, merchandise and hospitality package
Built on a unique framework created by Purpose Media, offering full customisation and flexibility. It delivers on the club’s vision of providing fans with the best possible cross-channel experience, and an agile solution that’s future-proofed.
This project was all about creating the number one place that all supporters go to find out what they want across all areas of Derby County.
It is also a clear representation of who Derby County are, what the club is trying to achieve and what is happening across all levels of the club to reach that goal.”
Brandon Furse – Director of Stadium Operations