Customer Highlights

At Never Offside, we take pride in our clients' achievements, and we're thrilled to share some recent highlights from our family of clubs. Choosing these was no easy task for us and there are many great stories that are left untold in this article. 

Halmstads BK recently launched its first-ever auction within the app, and the results have been spectacular! The auction, featuring players' shirts, not only engaged partners but also brought in a substantial revenue boost for the club. This auction has really proven the power of sports organisations who have loyal partners.

Leksands IF has been on a roll with exciting activities and initiatives. Their ongoing unique auctions and raffles have led to an impressive 100% increase in their user base. Well done to the club for fostering a strong connection with their audience and reaping the rewards!

Sarpsborg 08 has teamed up with their partner, Power, for an extraordinary campaign. To attract more users to their app, they held a raffle with a chance to win a TV if you signed up for the app. Partnerships and campaigns like these showcase the possibilities of collaboration between clubs and partners.

Storhamar Hockey became the first of our clubs to reach 25.000 users in their app. No small feat when the town it is located in has a population of just over 30.000. Storhamar was also the first club to start using our platform way back, and we are very happy to see the progress the club has made.

These are just some of the many success stories of our clients, but they prove parts of what is possible for clubs who embrace digitalisation, engage fans and collaborate with their partners. At Never Offside, we are proud to work alongside innovative and forward-thinking sports organisations. We look forward to continuing to share success stories with you all going forward.

The Never Offside APP

We pride ourselves on the family of clubs we work with daily. The family has grown a lot and we want all our clubs to benefit from each other and the network as a whole. It is with this in mind that we have decided to create our own Never Offside app.

The app will be built on the same platform and foundation that most of our clubs use today. Our plan and idea are based on having all our clubs added as partners so that you can easily contact, discuss and exchange ideas with each other. We will also be hosting Never Offside-themed events such as workshops, best practices when using the platform, and meet-ups for all our friends and partners.

Also worth mentioning is that we have a plan to use the app to communicate changes to the platform and any known issues you might encounter if, for example, a service is down. We hope this will result in quick and effective communication with you. 

The app is currently under development and we look forward to seeing you all there when it is ready.

Quickfire Q&A with Mehran from VIF Fotball

Mehran, you are a profile in Norwegian football and one of those responsible for the decision to bring Never Offside to Vålerenga – tell us why.
For us, there was never any doubt. We had several companies who wanted to collaborate with us but based on our conversations with Never Offside - the professionalism they showed us and the opportunities outlined through the app were completely in line with our needs and thoughts.


Now you're leaving Vålerenga – was it because they were relegated?
I decided long before relegation was confirmed, already in the summer, but it's unfortunate for Norwegian football that the club got relegated. Now I hope they come back up as soon as possible.


You've already signed with HamKam, so you'll remain in the top league; what will your role be there?

Here, I will have full responsibility for the commercial department and will contribute to HamKam taking more steps off the pitch. In addition, I will also be involved in the sporting aspect, making the job even more exciting and helping me take further steps in my career. 


An hour between them, will you commute, or are you exchanging the big city for small-town charm?

There will be no commuting for a good while; it will be good, but at the same time, very unusual to spend only 8 minutes commuting to work instead of 2 hours each way. I will surely miss city life at times - although Hamar is very idyllic and beautiful.


Then we keep our fingers crossed that HamKam becomes a member of the Never Offside family. Wasn't that a requirement to be part of this interview?

Haha, I must be allowed to start the job first, and then we'll see how things go over time. But there's no doubt that HamKam is also going to take significant steps off the field, especially in the digital realm, and with the experience I've gained with Never Offside, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of us wanting to collaborate with you. But first, I'm going to enjoy two more weeks of paternity leave.

New functionality - December 2023

Another year has passed which means it is time for a summary of what is new in our platform. A lot has been added, way too much to summarise in one place, but we thought we would at least mention all the major changes.


Events for private persons

Previously, events have only been accessible to partners of the clubs who use our B2B functionality, but now it is available for members and normal non-paying users of the app. As a club looking to host an event, selecting who has access to it has never been easier. In the events tab, you can select the target audience as well as whether or not it should be visible to those who do not have access. 

The key benefit to adding private events is that event functionality is no longer only available for the clubs who subscribe to our B2B package. Events to the people, we say!

The news module 

We’ve had a major reconstruction of the news module as a whole. For the end users and the admins of our clubs, this means more flexibility and tailoring content towards specific segments. Here are a few bullet points of what has changed:

  • A new content builder where admins can add flexible blocks of content

  • Segmentation towards partners, members and other customisable groups

  • Scheduling push messages leading to news articles

  • The option to enable “likes” to articles has been added

  • Customisable news categories to allow users to filter by type of news

  • Option to edit news originating from 3rd party news providers



Spotlight rework

We are currently working on reworking our spotlight module. The new version will allow admins to ann multiple spotlight sections on the home screen, add visibility based on segmentation and use different formats and layouts for the tiles. 

Overall, the idea here is to allow for a lot more customisation and for each app to look and feel a bit different to each other. We truly believe that this rework will be a great improvement to our platform. Development is well underway and we look forward to delivering it in the near future. Stay tuned.

Additions to Offers

Similarly to Spotlight, we are quite far along in the development of improvements to our offers module. The new version will allow for more data to be tracked so admins can stay up to date on how effective their offers are. There will also be new ways to validate the use of offers in the app as admins can choose between a control image, QR code, bar code and written code. 

This update will lead to a lot more control for admins and partners who use offers on the platform. We look forward to introducing it when it is ready. 

That just about covers all new major functionality that is now out or is in the works. In addition to the above, we always make small changes to the platform. These changes don’t make any headlines but rather make sure that everything is working as well as possible. These changes include things like reduced load times, bug fixes, and optimisation on both Android and iOS.

Christer's Corner - December 2023

In 2023, it felt like the entire world, especially world leaders, was significantly offside. The sports industry is, of course, affected when everything becomes more expensive, and both businesses and individuals tighten their grip on their wallets. It is often said that in tougher times, it is easier to excel and gain market share. For Never Offside, it has been a good year as we continue to build the Digital Arena, help our customers stay onside and generate new revenue streams and opportunities. We have welcomed many new members into the Never Offside family, including the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, Färjestad, Brynäs, Björklöven, Södertälje SK, Vålerenga Hockey, Vålerenga Fotball, Stavanger Oilers, and more. At the same time, our business is growing in many of our existing clubs as more functionality is put into use, and the clubs become more savvy and comfortable using our product.


We have strengthened the Never Offside team during the year with three new additions Johan Falk, Kristian Persson, and William Quist. We also look forward to officially announcing the addition of Stuart Lock, who has 30 years of experience working for Arsenal and Millwall, soon. Stuart will be working from London, England and is going to be the key piece for us as we look to enter the UK market. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement in January.


Our platform is fantastic and will only continue to improve with time. We are creating club apps that become impactful revenue generators, streamline the daily operations of the clubs and increase communication effectiveness. We will take on a greater responsibility for the revenues of many clubs, and we are expanding our geographical presence. It is also a great testament to our impact when more and more industry professionals seek collaborations and integration with our mobile platform. We have a very attractive interface, and the club apps have evolved to become the mobile gateway to everything the club stands for and offers. In our platform, you can find tickets, statistics, news, membership cards, offers, events, and much more.


In all my meetings with potential customers, I present an image of six people standing in a line, all staring at their mobile phones. While showing the image, I ask if there is anyone in the room who doesn't believe that sports clubs must engage with their target audiences through mobile devices. So far, no hand has been raised, proving we are on the right track and that our platform can bring real value to any club.


Thank you for this year, dear customers and friends. 2024 promises to be a great year where we will continue to take new steps together.




Christer Haglund,

CEO of Never Offside

Never Offside 🤝 FC Stockholm

Today, Never Offside is proud to announce a partnership with the Swedish football club, FC Stockholm. The club is based in the Swedish capital and while it has only been around since 2010, it has rapidly grown and climbed up the league system at a rate that has never really been seen before. During its first eight years of existence, the club got promoted from the 7th to the 2nd division in Sweden and also set a new national record for the longest streak of undefeated games. Naturally, stats and records like these do not come without clear ambition and a serious approach to running the club. Here at Never Offside, we now look forward to helping with the club’s ambition and further growth 🇸🇪 ⚽


🗣️“FC Stockholm's forward-thinking approach to running and developing a football club in modern times is impressive and inspiring. They have already made a quick journey to the First Division with their clear focus on both sporting and commercial growth. I am convinced that within a few years, we will see FC Stockholm in the top league. It is with great confidence that we are now starting the partnership and developing the club's digital arena to open up new values and opportunities for their customer groups - all so that they are better equipped for the future”, says William Quist, Sales Executive at Never Offside.

🗣️“We already had contact with Never Offside a few years ago when we played in Division II. Since then, we have followed their journey and we are impressed by their product. We have seen what they do for other slightly larger clubs in the Allsvenskan, which is where we are on our way to and want to be in the near future. As a result, it is nice that we have now agreed on a partnership in which we have full confidence. We are a young, innovative and hungry club that must be at a high level of service to our target groups. We also have some exciting news and content that we will work with and communicate successively on the platform. Of course, it feels extra good that we are the first club in the First Division to take the step and enter this type of partnership. For us, it is an obvious decision in order to keep up with the world of digitisation”, says Edvard Sjöberg, Sales and Marketing Director at FC Stockholm.


Thank you for viewing us as a natural way to make the next steps and continue to grow as a club and organisation. We look forward to working closely with you and helping you in any way we can 🙌 


Welcome to the family, FC Stockholm 🎉

Never Offside 🤝 Stavanger Oilers

Today, Never Offside is proud to announce a partnership with one of Norway’s most well-run ice hockey clubs, Stavanger Oilers. This partnership means a lot to us as Oilers has been one of the key missing partners in our Norwegian family of clubs. We are now committed to enhancing the experiences for the club’s fans and partners and creating new revenue streams for the club.

Together with the club, we will focus on:

  • Engagement: The app developed by Never Offside will allow fans to follow the team more closely than ever before. It will include live updates, news, videos, and other exclusive content, enabling fans to stay informed about everything ongoing at the club.

  • Benefits for Partners: Through the app, Never Offside and Stavanger Oilers will be able to offer partners unique visibility and marketing opportunities while providing them with exclusive events and offers.

  • Communication The app will be one of the main sources of communication for the club. Here, they can send push messages, emails, and SMS to target audiences in the app.

“Finally, we can welcome one of Norway's and Norwegian hockey's strongest brands into the Never Offside family. A relatively young club, but with a track record like few others. Norwegian champions eight times and the current reigning champion. The club is known for doing everything properly and with attention to detail. Therefore, it is all the more honourable that we have now reached an agreement to develop the club's mobile platform”, says Christer Haglund, CEO at Never Offside.

“After a good process and good discussions together with Never Offside, we can finally announce that we have landed a partnership. For us, this partnership is an important piece in our digital strategy and development. The new Oilers app will contribute to getting even closer to our supporters and partners.

We constantly want to be at the forefront of everything we do, and with the help of our new Oilers app we see great value in being even more accessible and relevant.

It's about making the Oilers brand available 24/7, creating a platform where you can communicate even more closely with our supporters and also create even more added value for our partners.

Now our partners will be able to do business with each other and be associated with our club 24/7, 365 days a year. There has been a demand from them to get even closer to our loyal supporters, and we are now creating the opportunity for that.

This is just the beginning of our new digital journey, where together we will further develop the possibilities of the digital arena”, says Eirik Hogstad, Commercial Manager at Stavanger Oilers.

We would like to thank Oilers’ for joining the family and believing in the project. We are well underway with the production of the app, and we look forward to working closely with Stavanger Oilers going forward.

For more information about the partnership and Never Offside, please contact us at info@neveroffside.com

Never Offside 🤝 The Swedish Ice Hockey Association

We are writing Never Offside history today as we are, for the first time ever, partnering with a Sports Association. To be exact we are partnering with the Swedish Ice Hockey Association - a massive deal for us simply due to how big and important the sport is in Sweden. The national team is very successful with some of the country’s honours including eight world championship gold medals and two Olympic gold medals.

“Our first, but not last, agreement with a sports association. The commercial team in the Swedish Ice Hockey Association is both innovative and ambitious under the strong leadership of Christer Plars, and we had a lengthy dialogue about the design and timing of launching the platform. Now there will be a lot of exciting events and news that the association wants to communicate, and there is, as always, a huge interest among the Swedish people in following our perhaps most popular national team. A feather in the cap and further proof that we are in the zone”, says Christer Haglund, CEO of Never Offside.

“This is an important investment that we are making towards our target groups and we will tell you a little more in detail when we launch in November”, says Christer Plars, Commercial Manager at the Swedish Ice Hockey Association.

The platform is currently under production, and we, as well as the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, look forward to sharing more details when it is due to be released.

Quickfire Q&A with Per Viberg from SSK

We caught up with Per Viberg from SSK, one of our recent additions to the Never Offside family, to see how he was doing and how he has found his new role at SSK so far. Below you can read our dialogue as we went through a quickfire Q&A round.

NO: Hi Per Viberg, the new Commercial Manager in the long-standing Södertälje SK and former Club Manager in FBC Kalmarsund.

How did you end up here?

PER: After 6.5 years as club manager in FBC Kalmarsund, I felt finished with floorball. FBC made a fantastic journey but no other association caught on, organizationally or commercially.

I resigned without having anything ready and in connection with that SSK was looking for a commercial manager and right away I felt like this would be my next assignment.

NO: What about the interest in hockey - did you often watch league colleagues Kalmar HC and Nybro Vikings?

PER: No, but the interest in hockey is great. SSK is my first sports memory as a ten-year-old boy with the SC finals in 1985 and 1986. I am also a big New York Rangers supporter, having seen at least fifty games in MSG since 2005.

NO: You've been in for a few weeks now – what are the big differences between your current and previous roles?

PER: Hockey is a bigger sport in every way and SSK is a rich and fine association. Commercially, however, there is much to do! This is where the work we did in FBC is unique.

NO: What do you want to be your biggest impact?

PER: We must be a leading association and role model in Swedish hockey. Be at the forefront of digital development and that's why I want to continue working with you and want to take our collaboration to a new level.

NO: Finally - what do you want from the season when it's over?



PER: To feel that SSK has advanced its position commercially and sportingly. The question is not if, but when SSK plays the SHL again. The SHL needs SSK!

NO: Thanks for taking the time, Per. Best of luck for the season.

Christer’s Corner - October 2023

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that could not be more true than at Never Offside as of late. Overall, it has been an exciting start to the Fall as the ice hockey leagues across Europe have started and the Football season in Scandinavia is approaching its final stages. All over the world people are looking forward to seeing how their teams perform.

My team, Never Offside, has had an excellent transfer window with new additions coming in at a quick rate. During the Spring, Kristian Persson joined our Stockholm office as our new CTO, and shortly after, Johan Falk joined as Head of Sales. Towards the end of Summer, we added yet another person in Sweden, William Quist, who joined as a sales executive. William has experience as an ice hockey player and has a direct link to many of our existing clubs and partners. We have also got important pieces in place in the platform and today our Club App is a revenue and communication tool you should not be without.

Unfortunately, the world situation and the macro economy also affect the sports industry. We see that it is more difficult than ever to run an elite sports organisation today, which not least applies to the smaller sports where transfer fees, TV and betting company sponsorships are not a factor. When companies and consumers have less to spend, the clubs have to find other ways. A classic motto is that winners are created during recessions. So dear clubs, club management, and boards - now is the time to build the digital arena. Significant new revenue, more efficient administration with accurate and relevant communication. Substantial new income from the start.

If you have come this far, you also need to make the right choice and choose the right platform. Apps are as different as car brands and models. Our platform contains lots of functionality for big and small clubs and an administration tool anyone can handle. When you choose an App, you get the performance you pay for. One of the big advantages of our product is that you get your investment back in the first year.

Finally, recently a successful leader of a large Swedish football club told me something that gave me lots of motivation:

“Christer, you have succeeded in something similar to other great brands. Everyone I hear talking about apps in the sports industry is now saying they have a Score app or that other providers are going to implement Score-like functionality.”

I thought this was cool, but it is important to remember that Score was the old platform we launched in 2019. Now, we create club-specific apps that allow the clubs themselves to administer everything and own their data. That means the apps are now called, “Färjestad”, “Vålerenga”, “Djurgården”, “Hammarby” and so on instead of having one app called “Score”.

Many new clubs are joining the Never Offside family soon, and I look forward to sharing details with you soon.

See you out there!

Christer Haglund, CEO, Never Offside

Product News - October 2023

We would like to take this opportunity to talk about some recent changes we have made to the platform as well as the changes we have planned for the near future. To us, the feedback we get from our customers is extremely important and it is what we base most of our changes on. Every day we try to accommodate the things that are most important for our customers and we are proud of how much we strive to meet their demands and wishes.

This article will act as an overview of some key changes we have made or are planning to make. Without further ado, here is an overview of the past months. 

Events for private persons

Previously, events have only been accessible to partners of the clubs who use our B2B functionality, but now it is available for members and normal non-paying users of the app. As a club looking to host an event, selecting who has access to it has never been easier. In the events tab, you can select the target audience as well as whether or not it should be visible to those who do not have access. 

The key benefit to adding private events is that event functionality is no longer only available for the clubs who subscribe to our B2B package. Events to the people, we say!

A rework of the news module

One of the areas of our platform that was starting to feel the most dated was the options you had when uploading news to the app. As a result, we have now completely reworked the whole module to better fit the clubs’ needs. Now, it is much more aligned with how the biggest and most commonly used content sites work.

Here are some of the things we have added and changed to better meet the needs of our customers and partners:

  • Content blocks allow you to build up the article how you want

  • Seamless integration with YouTube videos

  • Segmentation based on memberships and partner levels

  • Thumbnails for articles

  • Sharing of news on other platforms

  • Option to enable likes for articles so users can interact more with your content

Spotlight rework

Similar to the news module, our spotlight module is something that is holding us back a little bit in terms of flexibility and customisation in the app. Reworking this will allow each app to be more unique and allow for more of the content to be suited for each individual club. Our plans for doing this include:

  • Different formats

    • Square

    • Rectangle

    • Banner

    • Whole screen

  • Choose to include text or not

  • More options for landing pages 

  • Segmentation allows it to be accessible by certain partners and members

Spotlight is something that is planned for the future and not something that is available right now. We are however very keen on the possibilities it will create for our partnered clubs, therefore, we thought it would be worth including in this list regardless.

That just about covers all new major functionality that is now out or is in the works. In addition to the above, we always make small changes to the platform. These changes don’t make any headlines but rather make sure that everything is working as well as possible. These changes include things like reduced load times, bug fixes, and optimisation on both platforms. 

We look forward to keeping up the work and bringing you more product news soon.

William Quist joins Never Offside

Never Offside strengthens the team with yet another meritorious and highly ambitious person

William Quist was raised in the ice hockey metropolis Nybro and joins the Never Offside family as a Sales Executive. Our new addition has many years under his belt as an elite player in Sweden for clubs such as Björklöven, Linköping and Almtuna, but also abroad in Canada, England and Denmark. Initially, William will work towards our already strong and fast-growing ice hockey market, but we are sure he will also make a great impression on potential customers in other sports

After finishing his professional ice hockey career, William has worked in various sales roles for the past 3-4 years. Everyone here at Never Offside has absolutely no doubt that William will fit in and add great value to the team with his experience

“I've always felt that I wanted to get back into the sports business, but I needed a few years to gain perspective. When I first met with Never Offside earlier this year, there was immediately a lot of interest, then when I got to see the platform, I was sold. My first question was; Is there any similar product on the market, and if not, why wouldn’t all clubs immediately grab the chance to use our platform? The way I see it, we have a different and easy-to-use communication tool that simplifies the operations of our customers while also creating brand-new revenue streams.
This will be a lot of fun and I look forward to getting properly started”, says William himself.

Welcome, William! We look forward to sharing many success stories and memories with you going forward.

Brynäs 🤝 Never Offside

Today, Never Offside is proud to announce a partnership with Brynäs for the upcoming season. Together, we will work to increase the business opportunities for the club’s partners while actively increasing the engagement of their fanbase.

“We have been heading in this direction and have been in close discussions with Never Offside for a long time. We always strive to be at the forefront and to raise the level of service to our business partners, loyal supporters and members. We have a lot to tell, there is always a lot going on in our club, and today, a club with our ambitions must be mobile with our loyal target groups. A number of our partners have requested the opportunity to do business in a more concrete way both with each other and with our loyal supporters”, says Jakob Westerlund, Commercial Manager at Brynäs IF.

“Brynäs is one of the classic and long-standing clubs in Swedish sports and a real feather in the cap of our family of elite sports clubs. Even though the Brynäs men's team ended last season with relegation to Hockeyallsvenskan, Sweden's most entertaining league, Brynäs is always a club with a story to tell. This is a partnership we actively worked for a long time to land”, Christer Haglund, CEO at Never Offside.

Making it official with some lovely merch 🤩

From Never Offside’s side of things, we are happy to work with such a prestigious brand and club. Truly a long-standing behemoth of Swedish ice hockey, and one we are proud to add to our family of clubs.

The club has an unusually high level of ambition both on and off the ice and their fantastic community involvement extends far beyond the ERP Monitor Arena. The club never sleeps and even in this area the ambition is high and they want to deliver a world-class product to the target groups and their immediate area. This is precisely why I know that we will succeed together, continues Haglund.

The app will be introduced to supporters and partners during the month of August and then work will follow to ensure that all functions, company presentations and exclusive offers will be in place. In addition to a better way for partners to do business within the network, through the app, Brynäs IF will enable a new exclusive communication channel and a new administration tool for our supporters. An important function to increase ticket sales and over time also enable an increased frequency of "click and collect" consumption in the arena. A step that is also in line with increasing the experience and efficiency for visitors in the arena.

With Never Offside's platform, we have found a platform that covers very large parts of our needs and we know that many other clubs are satisfied and have made great commercial, administrative and communicative progress. We must do this well, as we always want to do when we invest, concludes Westerlund.

The application will be available to download before the start of the season.
We look forward to the future with Brynäs by our side 🖤💛



Johan Falk joins Never Offside as a Sales Executive

We are pleased to welcome Johan Falk as the most recent addition to our team here at Never Offside. Johan comes from a sporting background with his most recent position as club manager at HK Aranäs and as chairman of the board at Handbollsallsvenskan. 

Johan takes on the role of Sales Executive and will primarily work closely with sports organisations in western and southern Sweden. His creativity and great drive will also be very important when it comes to his influence on how we develop both our platform and business model going forward. With Johan, we are sure that we have recruited a great team player who will make an impact both internally and externally.

“I have worked with Never Offside for two years during my time as Club Manager for HK Aranäs, and the platform they now offer the market is revolutionary. It is an income machine for the clubs while streamlining processes and meeting the target groups' great need for communication in a completely new way. As a club, having a mobile meeting place is today significantly more important than a reactive website. In addition, I join an energetic and innovative group where I know I will enjoy myself”, says Johan Falk.

On behalf of everyone at Never Offside, welcome to the team, Johan!

Christer's Corner - March 2023

After once again qualifying for a higher division, we had a very intense pre-season where everyone worked hard both individually and together with the rest of the squad. This year, the training camp went to scenic Västerås where we stayed at the Steam Hotel. Our accommodation contained great food and some much-needed relaxation between our training sessions. Our practice matches have been mostly positive and we have got the results we were aiming for. At the same time, we have looked further afield and built our platform in parallel to ensure we can achieve our future goals.

During the last couple of months, we have also looked over our squad and become aware that we need a bit of expertise added to our fast-growing team. Therefore, we finalised the signing of the young and wise Kristian Persson, who will join Never Offside as a CTO in April. Despite his young age, Kristian brings a lot of experience with him, most recently from his previous position as a CTO at Kundkraft Sverige. With Kristian, we get both wisdom and creativity, a not-too-common combination at this level, and it will be interesting to follow how he can raise the level of, above all, our attacking game.

Unfortunately, this time around, I also have some unfortunate news to share. Many other companies have kept their eyes on what we are doing here at Never Offside, and after our strong season last year, interest from elsewhere has been expressed in one of our key players. Henrik "Henke" Stenmo, who has been with us for four years, and developed enormously during that time, has received an offer from a team on the rise in the real estate industry. Therefore, it is with a saddened heart that we have to say goodbye to Henke in April. We can, however, be both happy and proud that we brought up a lovely guy who has been deeply involved in our climb up the divisions. Henke has meant a lot to all of us and the customers he has worked with, and we would like to congratulate him on this new opportunity. We will follow Henke’s progress closely and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Our sporting director is, of course, already in the process of recruiting a replacement for Henke, and we hope to be able to present an exciting new signing shortly.

Product News - March 2023

The year so far has been a busy one, to say the least. It’s been filled with new partnerships, employees and continuous development of our platform. What we are doing here is working on something that will never truly be finished. We experience this more and more as we continue to grow and new partners with different needs and demands continue to join our family. Due to this being the case, we thought it would be fitting to summarise the most recent changes we have made to our platform right here, in this article.


When summarising what is new in our platform, we talk about the features of our app and our admin panel. The app is the most important aspect for the end-user as this is where they interact with everything their favourite club enables them to do. The admin panel is where the clubs manage their platform and distribute content to their fans and partners. Changes in functionality usually impact both areas as they go hand in hand. For example, if we add something to the app, there is likely to be a corresponding change done to the admin panel to ensure that admins can create content based on the app change. 

Without further ado, here is a summary of some of the larger changes we have made for the first part of 2023.

Scheduled communication

  • We have made it easier for admins to plan their communication with their users

  • Admins can now schedule push, sms and emails to be sent out at any time in the future

  • This has resulted in less time administering and not having to be on a computer whenever they wish to send out information to their fans and partners


Questions for participants of events

  • We have added an option for admins to add questions for the participants of events hosted by the club

  • The questions are fully customisable to ensure that the clubs can always get the most accurate answers 

  • Participants can answer on behalf of themselves and their guests


Swish payments 

  • We have added an option to use swish as the preferred payment method for users of the app

  • Swish was added to better meet the needs of our users from Sweden

  • Users can now choose between three payment methods: Vipps (Norway), Swish (Sweden), and payment card (worldwide).


Stats provider for floorball

  • We have integrated stats from floorball games by getting data from IBIS’ API

  • Our Swedish floorball clubs can now showcase their match results, stats and standings in the app

  • We now have stats for Norwegian ice hockey, Norwegian football, Swedish ice hockey

Färjestad BK 🤝Never Offside

Today, we are incredibly excited to announce a new partnership with one of Europe’s biggest ice hockey clubs, Färjestad BK. This is a partnership that has been in the works for a long time, and one we are proud to be able to announce to you all. FBK are the current reigning champion of Swedish ice hockey and is considered one of the absolute strongest brands in Swedish sport both on and off the ice.

We like to get a comment from our partners about the partnership and their reasoning for working with us. Today is, of course, no different, and this is what FBK’s Commercial Manager, Helen Högberg, had to say about it:
“We have had a dialogue for quite some time internally about the need to develop our digital presence and create new and added value for all our target groups. With the FBK app, we will be able to offer new revenue streams to our partners. We will get closer to our fans and members while providing them with a new way of engaging with the club. Ultimately, we will also be able to connect our partner network with our private market in a smooth manner - ensuring increased value for both sides. Together with Never Offside, we have many ideas in regards to new ways of engaging our target groups not only during matches but also during the rest of the year”. 

"Färjestad is one of a handful of clubs in Sweden that I have wanted to bring in as a partner since the start of the company. Because that is exactly what we will now be - partners. Building the digital arena and building new commercial revenues, becoming more accurate in your communication and getting an increased commitment from the entire community requires close cooperation and a partnership. Elite sports usually have their target groups simply defined. It is mostly men and among the sponsors and partners there are preferably sports-interested middle-aged and older men with a heart for the club. By utilizing the possibilities of digitization in general and with your own mobile communication channel specifically, you can easily and efficiently have different and tailored messages to different target groups – men and women, old and young. If you're not involved here, you're missing out on big, new revenue opportunities”, says Christer Haglund, CEO at Never Offside"

Naturally, everyone here at Never Offside is looking forward to getting started on what we are sure will be a successful partnership. Development of the FBK app will start right away, and we are looking forward to showing you the finished product.

Best of luck for the remainder of the season FBK!

A NEW CTO JOINS NEVER OFFSIDE✍️

On April 1st, we are welcoming a new face to the Never Offside Family as Kristian Persson officially joins us as our new CTO. Kristian has extensive experience working as a developer for multiple companies, most recently as a Tech Manager at Schibsted and as a CTO at Kundkraft Sverige.

We are excited to welcome Kristian to Never Offside’s fast-growing team. He will play a key role both in our development and technical planning going forward.

In light of the announcement, we asked Kristian a couple of questions to get to know him better:

What made you want to join us here at Never Offside?

"I am extremely happy to be joining an exciting company with a unique product that I look forward to being part of and developing. Never Offside has an interesting future and an aggressive growth plan and the number of clubs using the platform is steadily increasing. Today, around 60 clubs use the platform, which proves there is a real need for the product. As a big fan of football myself, it is extra fun and hopefully also a big advantage that I can identify with a large part of the platform's target group."

You call yourself a big football fan - what is your favourite team?

"When someone asks me what team I support, I usually won't tell them, but I'm from Skåne and my favourite colour is sky blue😉"


When looking at Kristian’s CV and combining his experience with development and his knowledge of the sports industry, there is no doubt he will be a great fit at Never Offside.

We look forward to officially welcoming him in April when he becomes an integral part of our Sweden office as we aim to take both the technical side of our business to the next level.

On behalf of everyone at Never Offside, welcome to the team 🥳🚀

Christer's Corner - December 2022

Soon, we can put an eventful 2022 behind us - a year when the world was not doing so well. A year where many have been impacted by war, recession, higher interest rates and electricity prices. However, 2022 has been a very exciting year for us at Never Offside. In May, we merged Swedish Never Offside with Norwegian The Fan Group and became a joint company under the name Never Offside Sports Tech. The merger has been very successful, and the reception from the market has been curious and very positive.

A few weeks ago we launched our new digital platform (app). The platform is developed using the very latest technology and is modular in order to be adapted to each club's individual needs and to be flexible and dynamic throughout the season. This is not just an app - this is "The App". There are different car brands, and there are different apps, even if they have the same purpose. As a buyer, you must understand what you want out of the app and be able to assess quality and potential.

What we experience as a big challenge is that resources and knowledge about the possibilities of digitization are quite low beforehand. How to be able to implement and work digitally at the same time as managing everything else that happens in a club, appears as a challenge. Our service "Proactive Management", has helped many large and small clubs to solve this challenge and quickly discover new revenue streams. We are now working hard to implement both existing and new clubs on our new platform. Gradually, we will also be able to present commercial and communicative enhancements that we create together with our clubs.

We enter 2023 with partnerships with 3 leagues in Sweden and Norway, nearly 70 clubs in 9 sports - now, also including clubs outside of Scandinavia.

We would like to thank you for an eventful year, and we look forward to kicking off 2023 with you by our side. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christer Haglund,

CEO at Never Offside

Customer highlights 2022

As we put 2022 behind us, we would like to give some attention to some of the efforts and highlights of our partnered clubs. While many have made some great efforts and have drastically improved their amount of users, revenue and sponsor opportunities, the selected four have gone above and beyond to achieve the results they have. Without further ado, here are, in no particular order, some of our favourite highlights.


FAN RATING AND INNOVATIVE SPONSORSHIP

Club: Västerås IK ("VIK")

Sport: Ice Hockey

Country: Sweden

It's been a great year for VIK, having grown its user base and embraced the functionalities in its app to maximise its potential. In particular, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight their efforts surrounding the fan rating/player of the game functionality. Introduced earlier this year, the functionality has given VIK a new way to engage its fans and a new advertising area for its sponsors. VIK in particular sold the rights to the player of the game to one of their partners, Steam Hotel, in Västerås city. As a result, all fans who vote for their player of the game are automatically included in a raffle where they can win a night's stay at the hotel. After introducing the prize, the number of people voting for their player of the game increased massively. This has resulted in increased value both for the club and Steam Hotel.

Read more about VIK's efforts with Steam Hotel (Swedish article):

https://www.vik.se/artikel/j3ugalawg-4a8i1/nyhet-i-appen-vinn-overnattningar-pa-steam-hotel


CSR AND CHARITABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Club: Frisk Asker ("Frisk")

Sport: Ice Hockey

Country: Norway

Frisk's use of auctions in the APP this year has been both impressive and inspirational. First of all, the sums of money they have been able to get via their fans and partners bidding for their items has been nothing short of amazing. But what is perhaps even greater to see, is what the income is being used for. You see, while many clubs are able to get substantial amounts of money using our auction functionality, we find it extremely inspirational to see that Frisk decides to donate all winning bids to charity. "Bamsefondet", a charity founded by Frisk in an attempt to help less fortunate children participate in sports growing up gets all donations. This is well and truly an amazing CSR initiative and helps the club actively work towards The UN's list of Sustainable Development Goals.

We are proud to be a part of Frisk's initiative by providing them with additional ways to help towards a good cause. 

Read more about Bamsefondet here (Norwegian article):

https://www.friskaskerhockey.no/artikel/zrcpaksu6-254l1/om-bamsefondet


RECORD BREAKING ATTENDANCE

Club: Storhamar ("SIL")

Sport: Ice Hockey

Country: Norway

Storhamar was the first club ever to use the ticketing system developed by Never Offside (then The Fan Group) and has been a key part of developing it over time to ensure the quality we have today.

Covid restrictions have led to difficult periods for all sports organisations relying on fans in the arena in order to keep the club alive. Following these difficult times, it is quite remarkable to see that SIL was able to break the national record for average attendance during the playoffs. During the 2022 playoffs, SIL had an average attendance of 5728 for their home games. The previous club record of 5335 was set back in 2018, a season when SIL won their first cup in 10 years.

We take great pride in being part of SIL's journey and much-needed heights after a challenging time plagued by Covid regulations. Seeing the progress the club has made, and the attendance it has resulted in is inspirational. 

Read more about the record-breaking attendance here (Norwegian article):

https://www.sil.no/publikum-satte-rekord-igjen/


PARTNER SATISFACTION AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH

Club: BK Häcken

Sport: Football

Country: Sweden

BK Häcken started its partnership with Never Offside way back before the merger with The Fan Group and it's been great to see the evolution of how the club works with its partner network.

BK Häcken had a massive 2022 season on the pitch, ultimately, being crowned champions of Sweden at the end of the season. Off the pitch, they showed great progress working with their partners - and they have the figures to back it up. In a survey performed by the club at the end of the season, the overall interest and satisfaction related to our product were, among the partners, up by 30 per cent compared to the same time last year. This shows that working in a dedicated manner yields desired results. 


For us, it is amazing to see the impact our product is making for our partnered clubs and we are proud of how far we have come. Thank you all for your willingness, effort and overall dedication to working with us.

Let's aim for even more progress and new heights in 2023!

 

Contact us

Info@neveroffside.com

Hudiksvallsgatan 6

113 30 Stockholm

SWEDEN

Grønnegata 83

2317 Hamar

NORWAY