Sports apps copy the wrong competitors

Here’s the funny thing about how football clubs design digital products: everyone looks at what other clubs are doing.

But Chelsea’s app and Arsenal’s app? They’re the same.

You don’t need to analyze other clubs — you need to analyze what your fans are doing when they’re not with you.

We often see agencies working with multiple football teams copy features that another club has already abandoned — features that failed to convert or engage. It’s a loop of repeating mistakes.

The truth is, if you’re responsible for a digital experience — not just in sport, but anywhere — you shouldn’t only look at your competitors. Look at similar behaviors instead.

If you’re designing for the NBA, you can learn more from Netflix than from another league.

Because for your fan, the real decision might be: “Do I open NBA or Netflix tonight?”

Same with ticketing. When we design ticket purchase flows for sports clubs, half of our references come from airlines.

Why? Because it’s the same logic — you’re buying an expensive ticket for an event that happens months later. Emirates or KLM have been solving that UX for years.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop watching your competitors — and start watching your users.