The USL and FanThreeSixty are proud to announce a collaborative partnership that will see FanThreeSixty, an enterprise fanbase solution provider, join the league’s growing Preferred Supplier Program. Founded by the leaders of Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City, FanThreeSixty understands the importance of establishing deeper ties between club and supporter and has developed a unique solution offering for USL clubs looking to create stronger bonds with fans.
“We are always searching for innovative ideas and proven platforms to help our clubs be successful not only on the field but off it as well,” said USL President Jake Edwards. “Clubs eager and interested in developing better relationships with their fans can work with FanThreeSixty, as the platform has an extensive background in soccer and provides the unique expertise and technologies that will help our clubs identify and maximize the full potential of their fanbase.”
FanThreeSixty is a sports technology company that guides organizations through their technical fan development and engagement plans. Its fan data platform aggregates multiple forms of fan data and then offers an array of analytic and business functions to understand preferences and behaviors and in turn, help teams, leagues and venue operators generate more revenue, develop more relevant content and deepen fan connections. FanThreeSixty was born out of Sporting Kansas City and currently works with world-class clients including the U.S. Tennis Association, Speedway Motorsports, Inc., Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust, and Etihad Stadium, among others.
“This partnership opens a lot of doors for FanThreeSixty to work with more clubs within a league that is seeing significant growth,” said FanThreeSixty CEO Robb Heineman. “The leadership and innovation at the league level is really outstanding, and we’re looking forward to working with the USL to bring the individual clubs top-league capabilities to create passionate and valuable fanbases.”
FanThreeSixty is part of a successful and increasingly popular culture shift of technology that is transforming the fan engagement industry. With the first-to-market technology, FanThreeSixty provides a variety of highly sought out capabilities for club reps and their ticketing/sponsorship teams. USL teams will now have the opportunity to gain further insight into who actually sits, stands and shouts in their stadiums.
Over the next five years, the USL will oversee the expansion of an estimated 30–40 new franchises at the second and third divisions of professional soccer, creating opportunities for potential suppliers and vendors to support this growth.
The USL will connect suppliers with new franchise owners and existing USL clubs in order to deliver the best possible experience for fans across North America through its Preferred Supplier Program. Preferred suppliers are “Best in Class” companies that provide services and products to professional franchises and stadium developers and must meet the USL’s strict quality standards. Currently, the USL is conducting discussions with suppliers that support the buildout of team front offices and operations, as well as stadium development.
For more information on the USL Preferred Supplier Program, contact Josh Keller at Josh.Keller@uslsoccer.com.