With the 2023 USL Championship season now underway, GameOn Technology is proud to announce the launch of a new conversational chat partnership with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.
Early in the ’23 campaign, the Switchbacks are in the enviable position of sustainable growth as soccer explodes across North America. The club plays its home matches in a beautiful new 8,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. Thanks in part to the five military bases and two colleges in their city, the club has a young fan base energized by rapid improvements in the team’s on-field performance. They play in a city rich in sporting tradition — Colorado Springs is home to the U.S. Olympic Headquarters — yet they are the only show in town when it comes to professional sports.
Since the team’s inaugural season in 2014, the Switchbacks’ front office has set out to grow the brand by creating an engaging and fun experience for its fans. The club delivers a game day experience that goes far beyond the play on the pitch. With movie nights, fireworks, and season ticket holder parties becoming a staple of the team’s schedule, Switchbacks games are quickly becoming a destination in Colorado Springs. With these factors established, the Switchbacks are looking for ways to innovate and drive fandom for the thousands of potential fans in the Colorado Springs area who just don’t know the club yet. In this 2023 season, the team’s staff is seeking new ways to acquire fans in Colorado Springs as part of a larger effort to build brand awareness.
The club, like a handful of other teams in the USL Championship, turned to conversational chat in an effort to transform their fan experience. In partnership with GameOn, they built an omni-channel chat experience built to deepen the team’s connection with existing fans and better engage new fans in the area. It’s a solution built specifically for the needs of the club, and one tailored to the younger, more casual demographic that makes up the core of their fanbase.
With the 2023 season officially underway, we’re taking a look at some of our favorite features from the Switchbacks’ new chat experience!
- Creating More Informed Fans
Chat's ability to support fan FAQs around game day is a major time saver for teams like the Switchbacks FC
One reality of modern fandom is that every stadium has specific rules about what is and is not permitted in the stadium. These procedures can be inconsistent, confusing, and often frustrating for fans as they prepare to attend a game at a new stadium. With thousands of new fans expected at Weidner Field this season, the Switchbacks recognized the importance of using chat as a resource to share key info before kickoff, while reducing the impact on their staff answering easy-to-find responses. Fans can ask a range of questions about the game day experience, including topics like prohibited items, parking information, concession info & match day menus, stadium accessibility, and much more.
"We want games to be as enjoyable as possible for new and returning fans, so we’re leaning on chat to help take the uncertainty out of the experience,” said Tyler Cutler, Communications Manager for the Switchbacks. “Our fans are getting their questions answered faster while the chat function saves the front office crucial time on game days.”
2. A Truly Authentic Experience
Club branding gives fans a comfortable feeling of familiarity when engaging through chat
The club’s chat experience feels uniquely personal, giving fans a comfortable opportunity to connect directly with the team. Beloved team mascot Ziggy leads the conversation, offering an approachable presence for new and returning fans alike. Fans can feel the team’s personal touch at every point of engagement with the chat experience — a huge part of the appeal as the team looks to grow its fanbase.
"Our games are a consistently fun experience for everyone who comes through the gates at Weidner Field, and we wanted our chat experience to reflect that,” said Cutler. “We’re excited to have a solution that looks and feels authentic to this club in every way — it will only enhance the experience for our fans.”
3. Community Building
Fan community is essential to the club's success, and chat supports the growth of these unique communities
Community has been a central part of the club’s DNA since its inception in 2014, and it was important for their chat solution to support such a critical piece of fandom. Their official supporters group, the Trailheads, bring unmatched energy and passion to matches both home and away. The club recently partnered with Special Olympics Colorado to create the USL’s first ever unified soccer team, and continues to pioneer the development of other unified soccer teams nationwide. The club’s new chat solution is capable of educating fans on the Trailheads, the unified team, the Sangre Latina supporters group, and other key tenets of the club’s identity in Colorado Springs.
4. Social Media at the Forefront
Fans are easily able to connect with the club via social media links shared through chat
Social media is a major part of the club’s fan engagement strategy — it has to be for a team with a young fan base and a desire to further captivate the local college community. It is imperative to make the club’s social media presence visible through chat. Fans asking about social media are met immediately with links to the club’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts, as well as to their email newsletter sign-up. It’s a simple inclusion, but one that ensures that fans have all the information they need to stay connected with the club and never miss an update.
Conversational chat is now at the forefront of the fan experience for Switchbacks FC, and it clearly has a crucial role to play as the club continues to grow in popularity in Colorado Springs. Learn more about the growing club and experience their new chat solution for yourself here!
