A collaborative article from Dennis Claus, vice president for strategy in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, at consumer strategy agency Apply.
In the hope of their first Champions League trophy, Arsenal fans who travelled to Budapest for the final at the end of May were asked to pay extreme prices just to get there. Flights surged. Hotels inflated. And yet, thousands still made the trip without hesitation.
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That is the reality of sports fandom. People will absorb rising costs, logistical friction, and inconvenience for the love of their team. Research showed that only a quarter of sports fans base their loyalty on on‑field performance.
But the uncomfortable truth is that, while clubs inspire this level of loyalty, they rarely control the experience around it. Today, fans are often at the mercy of third-party providers. Airlines, hotels, ticket resellers, and streaming platforms capture a disproportionate share of the value created by fandom.
The club owns the badge, not the full journey. But that imbalance is starting to shift.
From audience to ecosystem
Sports fandom has long been framed as identity and belonging to certain clubs, sports, and athletes. And while that still holds true, the next evolution is more structural fandom – an ecosystem that can be owned, orchestrated, and expanded by the organisations themselves.
Clubs, franchises, athletes, and even artists now have the opportunity to become the centre of fandoms for their audiences – not just emotionally around the games, but commercially and operationally too.
This means moving beyond reach into ownership – building direct relationships, owning data, and shaping experiences end-to-end rather than just engaging fans on third-party platforms.
Arsenal’s new app is an early signal of this shift, promising to bring together content, commerce, ticketing, and community into a single environment. Features like “The Big Match,” pairing fans on matchday experiences, show how digital can deepen connection beyond the 90 minutes.
One fan, one ID, many experiences
But this is only the first step. The real opportunity lies in connecting the entire fan journey.
Imagine a single fan ID that unlocks value across the ecosystem. Seamless travel and accommodation tailored to match schedules, personalised merchandise and exclusive drops, integrated gaming and digital experiences, partnerships that reward loyalty beyond the stadium.
In this new model, the club is no longer just a content producer or matchday host. It becomes a platform or a hub through which fans access a broader, more valuable experience.
Crucially, this also allows clubs to reclaim their fans – understanding who they are, their behaviours, preferences, and lifetime value across different touchpoints. That shifts the dynamic from rented audiences to owned relationships.
Gunning for success
Arsenal’s recent growth reflects more than on-pitch success. With a valuation now at €4.9 billion, up 23% year-on-year, the club is benefiting from a more deliberate, fan-first approach.
Its digital investments signal a recognition that loyalty is maintained through results as well as relevance and access. By creating a destination for fans, Arsenal is starting to reduce its reliance on external platforms and intermediaries.
However, the broader challenge remains: most of the fan journey still sits outside club control. Travel, resale, hospitality, and even parts of media consumption are fragmented across third parties.
The clubs that win long-term will be those that stitch these pieces together.
Lessons for business
There is a clear parallel for brands beyond sport.
Many businesses also operate in ecosystems they do not fully control, relying on intermediaries for distribution, data, and customer relationships. The risk is the same: value leakage and weakened loyalty.
The lesson from football is about ownership just as much as it is about creating emotional connections. It’s building direct relationships rather than pure reach and creating integrated experiences, not isolated touchpoints. Being able to use platforms to personalise and deepen engagements, expanding your role from provider to platform.
Loyalty today is no longer just earned through brand affinity. It is reinforced through convenience, access, and value across an entire journey.
Reclaiming fandom
Arsenal’s supporters who travelled to Budapest at any cost tell a powerful story of loyalty, but also of untapped opportunity.
Fandom is one of the most resilient forms of engagement in any industry. For too long, much of its value has been captured elsewhere. The next phase is about reclaiming it.
For clubs, franchises, and brands alike, the goal is clear now: become the centre of gravity in your own ecosystem, and turn loyalty into something you don’t just inspire, but actively own.
