Christer’s Corner - October 2023

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that could not be more true than at Never Offside as of late. Overall, it has been an exciting start to the Fall as the ice hockey leagues across Europe have started and the Football season in Scandinavia is approaching its final stages. All over the world people are looking forward to seeing how their teams perform.

My team, Never Offside, has had an excellent transfer window with new additions coming in at a quick rate. During the Spring, Kristian Persson joined our Stockholm office as our new CTO, and shortly after, Johan Falk joined as Head of Sales. Towards the end of Summer, we added yet another person in Sweden, William Quist, who joined as a sales executive. William has experience as an ice hockey player and has a direct link to many of our existing clubs and partners. We have also got important pieces in place in the platform and today our Club App is a revenue and communication tool you should not be without.

Unfortunately, the world situation and the macro economy also affect the sports industry. We see that it is more difficult than ever to run an elite sports organisation today, which not least applies to the smaller sports where transfer fees, TV and betting company sponsorships are not a factor. When companies and consumers have less to spend, the clubs have to find other ways. A classic motto is that winners are created during recessions. So dear clubs, club management, and boards - now is the time to build the digital arena. Significant new revenue, more efficient administration with accurate and relevant communication. Substantial new income from the start.

If you have come this far, you also need to make the right choice and choose the right platform. Apps are as different as car brands and models. Our platform contains lots of functionality for big and small clubs and an administration tool anyone can handle. When you choose an App, you get the performance you pay for. One of the big advantages of our product is that you get your investment back in the first year.

Finally, recently a successful leader of a large Swedish football club told me something that gave me lots of motivation:

“Christer, you have succeeded in something similar to other great brands. Everyone I hear talking about apps in the sports industry is now saying they have a Score app or that other providers are going to implement Score-like functionality.”

I thought this was cool, but it is important to remember that Score was the old platform we launched in 2019. Now, we create club-specific apps that allow the clubs themselves to administer everything and own their data. That means the apps are now called, “Färjestad”, “Vålerenga”, “Djurgården”, “Hammarby” and so on instead of having one app called “Score”.

Many new clubs are joining the Never Offside family soon, and I look forward to sharing details with you soon.

See you out there!

Christer Haglund, CEO, Never Offside