Someone books a taster session. A new member joins their first training session. A coach renews their qualification. Each moment gives a sports organisation a chance to help someone take their next step.

But do the messages they receive reflect where they are in their relationship with the sport?

At the Sports Technology Alliance Summit in Dublin, Spotler’s Customer Experience Director, Jack Clay, explored how National Governing Bodies (NGBs) can build more connected member journeys.

The starting point was a question every sports organisation can ask before sending a message: “where is this person in their journey, and what do they need right now?“

Connecting your communications to the member journey

Sports organisations have plenty to communicate. Event invitations, membership updates and qualification reminders all compete for attention.

The challenge is making those messages relevant. Someone who joined yesterday needs different support from a coach who has been involved for 20 years.

Lifecycle marketing gives those communications a structure. Jack outlined five parts of the relationship:

  • Prospect: someone shows interest, makes an enquiry or books a taster.
  • Onboarding: a new member finds their feet.
  • Participation: they attend sessions, competitions and events.
  • Roles and development: they become a coach, official or volunteer.
  • Renewal: they renew, lapse or return after time away.

These journeys can overlap. One person might be a participant, coach and parent at the same time. Your communications need to recognise those roles and work together.

Help interested people take the next step

An enquiry or taster booking is a useful starting point for a short communication journey.

Begin by acknowledging their interest and explaining what happens next. Follow up with information about what membership enables, then offer one clear action, such as finding a local club or booking a session.

Jack suggested a same-day acknowledgement, a message explaining membership value a few days later, and a next-step prompt around the two-week mark. These timings are starting points to test against your sport’s season and audience.

Once someone joins, stop the prospect reminders and move them into the welcome journey.

Make the first few weeks easier

A welcome email should help a new member feel confident about getting involved.

Start with confirmation of their membership and a clear explanation of what happens next. Then help them find a relevant session and someone they can contact with questions.

Introduce benefits and development opportunities over the following weeks, when they become useful.

The journey should also respond to what the member does. Once they have attended their first session, the next message can recognise that milestone and help them return.

Follow the rhythm of participation

Sport happens in cycles. Training blocks, competitions and seasons give communications a natural rhythm.

Before an event, share practical information: where to go, when to arrive and what to bring. Record attendance so you know who took part.

Afterwards, a thank-you, results update or photo can recognise their involvement. That also creates an opportunity to suggest a relevant next session or event.

This makes follow-up part of the participation experience, helping people see how they can stay involved.

Support the people who keep sport running

Coaches, officials and volunteers need clear information about qualifications and renewal dates. They also deserve recognition for their contribution.

A helpful qualification journey could begin with congratulations after completing a course. As renewal approaches, explain what is due and why it matters, then provide dates and a direct booking link.

Jack outlined reminders at around 60, 30 and seven days before expiry as a possible structure to test.

When someone renews, thank them and stop the expiry reminders. Keeping these messages accurate helps maintain trust.

The same approach applies to membership renewal. Where reliable data is available, recognise someone’s participation and contribution before asking them to renew. Give them a straightforward next step, then respond to their decision.

Give every journey reliable data

These journeys depend on knowing what someone has already done.

A completed membership should start the welcome journey. Recorded attendance should stop first-session prompts. A renewed qualification should stop expiry reminders.

To make this work, connect the information each journey needs and agree how you identify each person. A shared family email address, for example, may represent several members.

Give someone responsibility for data quality and appoint an owner for each communication journey. Agree contact limits across overlapping roles, and build contact preferences into your planning. Junior journeys also need appropriate consideration of parents and guardians.

Measure progress through the sport

Email engagement can help you understand message performance. Lifecycle measures show whether people are taking the next step.

Choose one main measure for each stage, such as:

  • Interested people who become members within 60 days.
  • New members who take a first action within 30 days.
  • Event entrants who enter again during the same season.
  • Qualifications renewed before expiry.
  • Memberships renewed on time.

Compare results with your starting position and allow enough time for each group to complete its journey.

Start with one journey

You can begin with one point where people need more support.

Jack suggested a 90-day approach: use the first month to map current messages and choose a journey. In the second, connect the necessary data, assign an owner and test the rules. Use the third to review early results and make improvements.

Some outcomes will take longer to measure, particularly where journeys follow a sporting season.

For your next team discussion, choose one stage and define the trigger, the message and the measure of success. New member onboarding is often a useful place to begin.

Before sending the next message, ask: “who is it for, where does it sit in their journey, and why does it matter now?“