In a constantly growing digital world, fan engagement is becoming one of the most important aspects of sports and entertainment. At Project FANchise, that fan engagement is being take to a whole new level.
For football fans who have dreamed of being a GM, scout, or even a coach, Project FANchise is in the process of creating an expansion franchise in the Indoor Football League (IFL). For the first time ever, fans have been given complete power over a football team, from naming the team and providing a logo to selecting a coaching staff and players to even calling plays in real time.
“I think every sports fan has had this thought that they can run a sports team,” said FANchise CEO Sohrob Farudi. “The growth of gaming, social media and mobile technology has all come together to help us pull something like this off.”
The team is expected to play its first game during the 2017 season, and the fans decided to place the franchise in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the team playing in the Maverik Center. Fans are now in process of deciding the team name, with some of the top options including the Screaming Eagles and Stromin’ Mormons.
The project has been backed by members of the tech industry, including Farudi, along with a number of former NFL personnel, including former Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green, former All-Pro linebacker Al Wilson and former COO and President of the San Francisco 49ers, Andy Dolich.
Like many members of FANchise, Dolich believes that the project could fundamentally change the way fans interact with their favorite teams.
“Professional sports by nature have become monolithic,” said Dolich, now an advisor for FANchise. “There are things that the casual fan isn’t allowed to know.”
Instead of closed doors and private discussions, everything is open to the fans, from practice to team meetings to personnel decisions.
“We have to be transparent and open with our fans,” Farudi said. “The first time they make a decision that we go against, that’s going to be the death knell.”
Not only will fans have a say in choosing the front office, coaching staff and players, but they will also get to help decide which plays the team call on game day in real time. Using the FANchise app, which will be in Beta testing this June, fans will vote on which plays they want the team to run, giving them absolute power.
Considering the team is completely run by fans from across the world, there are concerns about uneducated fans, internet trolls and the like sabotaging aspects of the team. However, using something called FANIQ, FANchise is doing what it can to educate the fans and incentivize those who know more about the game to give them more power to make decisions.
“Our goal is to be inclusive, not exclusive,” Farudi said. “However, we do believe that not all fans are created equal.”
By quantifying and qualifying football knowledge, the FANIQ gives a fan extra power and more opportunities to make decisions for the team as they continue to study the game. For example, a “Rookie” may only watch film and take quizzes to improve their FANIQ, while a “Hall of Famer” has direct access to the coaches, players, recruiting, game strategy and the strongest weighted votes when calling plays.
“To really get involved in the football experience, you’ll have to spend some time to learn the game,” Farudi said. “We want to have an educated fan base and to help fans learn the game at a deeper level.”
Despite the excitement about unparalleled fan engagement, there are plenty of people who have their own concerns with a fan-run franchise. In a sport where GMs and head coaches have almost always had complete control, there will be plenty of candidates who will withdraw their names from the running knowing that almost all of their power will be taken by the fans.
“The types of people that will ultimately work here are those that have an open mind,” Dolich said. “Those individuals who refuse to change their thinking won’t be involved. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to think the same way, and we encourage contrarians that can argue maturely and keep an open mind.”
There are also current IFL players who have their own concerns about a team completely run by the fans. One current player, Cedar Rapids Titans defensive back Tim Bennett, felt that the power of the fans should be limited in order to protect the welfare of the players.
“I wouldn’t mind fans picking the team name or little stuff outside of the actual game, but when they try to make decisions on the field, that’s when I have a problem,” Bennett said. “If I was on that team, I would feel like they are messing up my opportunity to get somewhere else. It’s like they are turning this into a joke and playing with peoples lives.
“Most people that are in the IFL aren’t doing this for a living or to become an IFL legend. Most dudes are doing it to get somewhere else.”
There are certainly others who feel the same way as Bennett, and Farudi understands that the project won’t be for everyone.
”I don’t expect every player to agree with this, and I think those players will naturally be weeded out of our selection process,” Farudi said.
Considering fans will be selecting the players that make the team’s final roster, it will take more than just pure on-field talent for players to resonate with the fans.
“Players will be selected as much for their on-field talent as much as their off-field personalities and interactions with fans,” Farudi said. “I think we’ll see a group of players selected for this team with big personalities that engage with fans and see this as an opportunity to build their brand.”
Regardless of what you think about a fan-run football team, this is an unprecedented experiment that will give fans control like never before, and Farudi expects the effects of the project to go well beyond the Indoor Football League.
“If we can do this successfully, we can change the way other professional sports teams interact with their fans and change the amount of access that the teams give them.”