LINFIELD EMBRACE THEIR WORLDWIDE APPEAL AS THEY CATER FOR BRAZILIAN FANBASE

We often hear how the advancement of technology is making the world a smaller place.

That has certainly been the case for Linfield FC who are now catering for fans in Brazil!

Regarded by some as the biggest club in the island of Ireland the Blues can boast a worldwide fanbase.

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Backed by its software and technology partner ULNK, Linfield are now creating content in Portuguese for its fans in South America.

"Really the idea came to me as we had made contact with the Linfield Fan Club in Brazil, I asked them how they came across The Blues and heard their story," explained ULNK founder Simon Steele.

"It blew me away that guys from halfway around the world can fall in love with a club in Belfast, it's the power of football.

"So then the plan was to make Linfield FC content accessible in their own language with a view to hopefully attracting more fans to our local game and with the board at Linfield being so forwardthinking we are able to make this a reality.

"We live in a digital world now where for the first time we can realistically connect with fans from around the world, making these efforts to attract football lovers in markets such as China we believe is an opportunity to bring our local game to them.

"It boosts opportunities to create a following and attract sponsorship from abroad.

"Also we haven't had a Chinese player in the Irish Premiership so potentially it may inspire Asian players to come and play here also."

Irish League clubs have really embraced the digital age in recent years and Simon has been impressed with the content being produced by clubs throughout the leagues.

"The level of media in the local game over the past few seasons has been fantastic.

"The team at the NIFL alongside the clubs are putting out massively engaging content which is helping to attract the next generation of Irish League fans.

"Not to sound old but the fan of today has very different needs to those a decade ago.

"They want to be connected with their team. Living in a mobile world, being on their phone updating latest news and getting access to all that the club has to offer them is essential.

"With the NIFL's plans to become a fully professional league I think there is a necessity for our clubs to use all the digital assets available to help with the growth and promotion of the NIFL Leagues.

"Seeing the successful methods being implemented at clubs like Linfield, which are bringing incredible results commercially and with their loyal fan base I think the need for all clubs to embrace their digital presence is essential for growth."

Simon knows the Irish League only too well having been a goalkeeper with Glentoran, Glenavon, Carrick Rangers and Bangor in the past, but how does he find being involved in this side of the game?

"It's definitely very different to playing but there are a lot of transferrable skills," he said.

"Players always want to improve and win things which is the same mindset in business.

"Like high-level sports, in technology if you are not innovating and striving to constantly improve then you can get left behind.

"Being behind the scenes I have learnt so much from great people in football locally, a lot of whom dedicate their lives to the successful running of the clubs they love.

"I think the big lesson has been that the Irish League is a great product, and when we can align our clubs with the assets being successfully implemented at the elite clubs, make access to streaming and improve the marketing strategies the sky's the limit for our clubs."

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2024-02-11T21:47:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd