We all know FC Barcelona as one of the best football clubs in the world, or for the more knowledgeable, a multidisciplinary sports club with a range of sports teams. And until 2015, this would have been a perfect definition. At the time, Barça’s management followed a traditional business model and based strategic decisions on intuition. But then, everything changed. Management realized that the club possessed a huge amount of data that was often not collected, or belonged to third parties such as sponsors.
Instead, Barça launched a six-year strategic plan, which comprised the hiring of data managers, homogenising the IT structure, and building analytics tools. And in just a few years, it transformed into a global entertainment and data-driven company.
Now, Barça can collect all types of data and gain a wide range of advantages from it. For the sport itself, collecting data during training and games enhances performance by giving trainers information on what to focus on. In terms of fan engagement, data allows Barça to know its customers and tailor its merchandise, physical stores, and ticket offerings to them. Being provided with the most requested products at appropriate prices improves fan engagement and satisfaction. Data also supports stadium operations, such as ticketing and security systems. Finally, business analytics tools are used by executives to make data-driven decisions.
Other clubs have since followed FC Barcelona’s path, for example, PSG with its heavy investments in digital fan engagement, or Manchester City having built a data and analytics division. In the last years, even while facing financial challenges, Barça has continued following its slogan “More than a club” and continues engaging with digital innovations to enhance and customize customer experiences. Currently, the club is investing in Web 3.0 digital content platforms to be accessible to fans worldwide and offer more interactive, decentralized participation. Moreover, they are expanding e-games and exploring the idea of offering digital collectibles or NFTs for fans.
The declared goal of the digital strategies pursued by Barça over the last decade is that of achieving personalization for fans, which can lead to more global engagement and connection with the next generation of supporters. However, some may wonder whether such a heavy extrapolation of fans’ data and consequent monetization come at the expense not only of the privacy of Barça supporters, but also of the authenticity of the sport itself.
Dear readers, I now pass the ball to you. Would you also like to see your favorite teams offer you a broad range of customized services? Or would you rather have them remain faithful to tradition?
REFERENCES
Greenwald, M. (2025, February 3). How FC Barcelona is pioneering new digital innovation frontiers. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michellegreenwald/2025/02/03/how-fc-barcelona-is-pioneering-new-digital-innovation-frontiers/
Manchester City FC. (2021, May 17). SAP data analytics helps measure how football is changing lives. Manchester City FC. Retrieved from https://www.mancity.com/news/club/manchester-city-cityzens-giving-sap-data-analytics-63756833
OpenAI. (2025). From Sports to Smart Business: Barça’s Digital Turn [Digital image]. Generated with DALL·E.
Paris Saint-Germain. (2025, June 24). Paris Saint-Germain leverages CrowdIQ analytics to elevate the stadium experience. PSG. Retrieved from https://www.psg.fr/en/content/paris-saint-germain-leverages-crowdiq-analytics-to-elevate-the-stadium-experience
Zamora, J., Sastre Boquet, F., & Vilet, C. (2021). FC Barcelona: More than a club, more than data (IESE Business School Case Study). IESE Business School. https://www.iesepublishing.com/fc-barcelona-more-than-a-club-more-than-data–english.html#full-description-anchor
