Using the opportunity of time during the Covid-19 match restrictions, the executive team at Sheffield FC (officially recognised by the Football Association as the world’s first football club) appointed Phoenix Digital to not only create a new, more functional website, but to develop a new membership scheme for the club, to launch as part of an enhanced brand offering.
Taking on the challenge, Phoenix Digital headed up by avid football fans, Co-directors Chris Gibson and Davinia Hamilton-Maddox, first strategised the membership scheme creating three distinct and accessible levels with valuable benefits including free monthly prize draws and discounts, giving all fans of football across the world an opportunity to be part of football history.
Davinia comments “We then assessed the technical needs of the new website and decided that a bespoke-build solution rather than a template-based platform, was the best way forward to achieve Sheffield FC’s objectives.” The developers therefore opted for the increasingly more popular Laravel framework, and, having recently started using the new Teesside founded Aero Commerce shop platform which works seamlessly alongside Laravel, were able to put together a more functional, speedier and capable website at sheffieldfc.com; the results have more than exceeded the client’s initial goals (no pun intended!).
In the new website’s first live week alone, the club has seen a sales uplift of 1172.7% and received 800 new membership registrations. This has been achieved by the Salford agency’s delivery of a whole-of-service approach including SEO, a communications launch campaign, and social media content.
Sheffield FC’s Chairman, Richard Tims comments “The understanding of the positioning of our brand and the global potential was understood from the first meeting with Chris and Davinia, through to the final execution. We are extremely happy.”
Through the Covid challenges, Phoenix Digital have been working on a number of large-scale website projects including increased demand from online retailer Argos, and the launch of a new creative co-working space in central Manchester, due to go live before lockdown restrictions are lifted…more information will be released soon. The agency has recently acknowledged their 5th birthday in February 2021, with celebrations planned later this year.
