Scunthorpe United announces partnership with Knapton Wright, as the Iron looks to put fans at the centre of its online offering.
Scunthorpe United is excited to announce it has partnered with planet-positive creative, digital marketing firm, Knapton Wright, to kick off a 12-month schedule that will see the Iron firmly place its fans at the heart of the club, and establish themselves as one to watch for the 2024-25 season.
The duo of Lincolnshire businesses have committed to a year-long partnership, with Knapton Wright acting as the club’s official Marketing and Website partner to take forwards the club’s site into the 2024-25 season.
The move comes as the club’s existing arrangement with the English Football League (EFL) comes to an end, giving the Board of Directors at Scunthorpe United FC a golden opportunity to reinvent how the club presents itself online, and more importantly, how it addresses, encourages and facilitates fan engagement.
Scunthorpe United Media, Ticketing and Retail Manager, James Moody, said: “We are delighted to be working with Knapton Wright moving forward as we say goodbye to EFL Digital - something which EFL clubs are also doing as we branch off and launch our own platform.
“Having met with Alex and Rob on a number of occasions to align our visions for the next 12 months, it became abundantly clear how hard Knapton Wright would work in delivering us a fantastic product that the club, and most importantly you, as the supporters, could be proud of. This is just the start of a fantastic partnership, with the team at Knapton Wright working tirelessly to deliver deadlines, and more recently transitioning across ready for the changeover.
“Alex and Rob will continue to work closely with Jake and myself in the media department to continue to improve and drive the standards of our output on the website. They are both as passionate as we are about the end product being perfect, so I've got no doubt that’s what we will have to offer during the forthcoming season.”
The first stage of this partnership will be coming to fruition in the next few days, with a re-platformed website launching. While currently reflecting the online presence fans are familiar with, with all functionality and bookability remaining, this is merely a starting point for what Knapton Wright and Scunthorpe United FC see as a reimagining of the club’s website.
Much like the Attis Arena, even at this re-platforming stage, the team at Knapton Wright have taken the opportunity to give the Iron’s website a virtual coat of paint and launch some improvements including:
○ Improved news article browsing, particularly on mobile with scroll-based navigation
○ Improved layouts of player profiles
○ Better exposure and presentation of club sponsors
○ More consistent visual branding
Over the coming months, Knapton Wright and the club will be working closely together to take full advantage of the exciting opportunities this virtual make-over poses. Moving away from the templated experience which goes hand-in-hand with the EFL, with Knapton Wright’s support Scunthorpe United has the chance to build something unique to the club and represent the town in a much more effective way.
There are plans to engage directly with the fanbase and other stakeholders to build a better site with benefits to all Irons fans too. A shift which Knapton Wright is excited to be able to support, especially for a club so close to its heart and community and with a drive to become sustainable again also.
Rob Jefferson, Director of Operations at Knapton Wright, said: “As a lifelong Iron fan, it’s an absolute honour to be able to help the club transform their digital presence in light of the EFL arrangement coming to an end. Our shared ambition with the club is to make scunthorpe-united.co.uk one of the best National League football club websites, and working directly with fans and other stakeholders is the way to make this happen.
“Having spent seven years working at the Attis Arena with Study United FC, I’ve felt firsthand how important the club is to its town and the wider community; experiencing both the highs and recent lows. This is purely the start of what’s to come. The developments we’re working on will supercharge how fans engage with the club while bringing more commercial opportunities, as well as introducing technology which brings cost savings. I’m genuinely excited about what the next 12 months look like for SUFC both on and off the pitch.”
