![Ten things your application needs](jpg/ten-things-your-football-application-needs.jpg)
![Ten things your application needs](jpg/ten-things-your-football-application-needs.jpg)
You have a great business idea, a great data provider that offers excellent data, and you have (or you are) a great developer. You might need some insight into what data you need to create a profitable and unique application.
Let’s get inside a sports fan’s head and see the ten things your application needs to enrich your fans’ matchday. Please remember that this blog’s ‘point of view’ refers to a fan visiting a stadium or watching a game on live television.
Another thing to remember is that 40.269 people attend each Premier League game (380 in total). I could give you more numbers, but my message is clear. Football is in hot demand!
Team and player data
Fans aren’t only sports fans. Most sports fans only support a single team or even a single player. This is why team and player data is essential for your application. As a fan, I want to know who plays for my club and how the team is doing.
Schedules
Fans need to know when their team plays to add matches to their calendar. They want to go to the stadium or watch the game on television. Do people who attend the stadium still need your app? YES! I visit the home games of my favourite team during the season and use applications to find all kinds of information about my team. For example, when my team plays, I must watch the game in the stadium or at home on the television.
The Premier League schedule displayed in our schedule widget.
Line-ups
I am going to my team’s match, and now I want to know which 22 players will play and who is on the bench. Will my favourite player be in the starting eleven, or will I miss out on him today? I will check your application to find the line-ups.
(Live)Odds
Thanks to your application, I know which players will play, but I want to place a bet before the match starts. To do so, I’ll go to a website that compares several bookmakers’ odds. I’m looking for the best odds to see if there are any value bets* I can place. Even during the match, the odds can change, and I might want to place another bet.
Live, and pre-match odds are two features you should consider including in your application. Because if you don’t, I will find another application that compares the best odds for me. As a fan, I need the best odds to make my day perfect.
Head to Head
I want to place a bet before the match starts. Should I place bets and risk my money based on my feelings? No, I can use Head to Head statistics to determine what my team did versus the opponent in previous matches. This way, I can predict the results of tonight’s game.
Predictions
Results in the past are not a certainty for results in the future. Head to Head might help me decide which bet to place, but there is an even better data feature to add to your application. A science-based and AI-trained prediction model will help me profit from my bets. It is even based on a player contribution model!
Thanks to your application, I know which bet I should place now.
Live scores
I want to be alerted when a game of my favourite team will start. Alerts about goals, cards and the final result are a must-have in your application. If I miss my team’s game, I want to be updated about goals and cards! If I am at my team’s game, I still follow the live scores of the other competitors. I am also interested in teams from completely different leagues.
Statistics
I check apps for match statistics even when watching a game in the stadium. Is my squad as good as I claim? How many corners did we have in total? What about possession and shots on target? Look at that! My favourite player did not lose the ball once.
My friends and I have football discussions with the people around me, and I need to back up my arguments with correct and real-time statistics. Your application can help me win the discussion by giving me these stats!
(Live)Standings
After visiting the stadium, I want to know what changed in the league standings. Did my team move up a spot, and will we qualify for the European tournaments? Or are we close to relegation/promotion? This is something all fans want to know. Of course, I watched the standings before and knew that if we won, we would move up in the standings. I want to see that it truly happened, and I will double-check this in the following days until the next game!
Highlights
So, I have just been to the stadium, but I missed a goal because I was buying myself something to drink or went to the toilet for a second. If your application allows me to watch the highlights, I can see what I missed and be updated in a few seconds. This way, I will always attend important events.
I want to see the missed goal, but your application doesn’t show me highlights. Alright, time for me to download another application that does help me to see the goal.
Bonus: Trends
Trends are interesting because I love knowing which part of the game my club plays the best. Is my team good at scoring in the last 15 minutes of the match, or should I be worried if my team is down by a goal or a couple of points? In which minutes is my team highly effective or under much pressure?
Due to the trends in your application, I can see all kinds of details of matches that I cannot find anywhere else.
At the end of the day…
My match day is great, thanks to your application. Your app makes my life better, and you are my hero! I will use your application again on the next matchday to make it another great day.
*Value betting is the ability to identify an edge against a bookmaker or another user on the exchange. If a bet is priced for less than it’s worth, it offers value.
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