How club-branded Fan Apps sell more tickets and build loyal communities - with Adam Stighäll, CEO of Forza Clubs
Description
What can a club-owned fan app do that social media can’t? A lot, especially when it comes to ticket sales, first-party data, and shifting fan behavior at scale, says Forza Clubs' CEO Adam Stighäll.
In this season-opening episode, Adam explains why clubs and leagues are moving beyond algorithms to build their own “digital living rooms,” how ticketing becomes the killer utility that drives adoption, and the best practices behind paywalled content that fans actually value. We dig into launches across Scandinavia, behavior shifts like increased home game attendance, and the real resourcing it takes to make an app work week after week.
Highlights from the conversation:
- Own the journey, not the algorithm: why clubs are reclaiming communication and data with branded apps instead of renting reach on social platforms.
- Ticketing as the adoption engine: how digital tickets, transfers, and season card utilities drive monthly active users and repeat engagement.
- What to keep free vs. what to gate: the 80/20 model for premium content, early access windows, and avoiding fan backlash.
- Longer-form wins in apps: why the same interview that’s 2 minutes on social should be 8 minutes in your app—authentic, low-edit, and higher value.
- Who converts first (and why): younger hardcore fans download early; ticketing utility brings the laggards.
- Proven outcomes: how moving attention from social to a club-owned app correlates with more home game attendance and higher sales.
- Data that matters: building a fan database with demographics and preferences to power automation, merchandising, and smarter campaigns.
- Resource reality: how to shift 4–5 hours a week into app-first content, what to stop doing on social and what to do more of in your own channel.
- Say no to reinventing the wheel: why standardising best practices across launches beats bespoke one-offs that don’t scale.
Adam’s core message: when clubs create a genuine, branded home for fans where utility and content live together, engagement grows, data compounds, and ticketing performance follows.
Tune in for practical playbooks, real-world results, and a clear path to turning fan apps into your primary sales and engagement platform.
Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo and hosted by TicketCo’s CEO, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg. The podcast was originally named TicketingPodcast.com
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