Blacktown City Football Club, a powerhouse in Australian football with a 72-year history and a reputation for developing over 35 Socceroos, has always been respected for its culture of excellence. However, as most sporting organisations understand, their future depends on ensuring costs stay at a minimum but at the same time ensuring revenue grows. Thats what 360player is supporting Blacktown City FC to achieve.
Challenges Before 360Player
When Executive Chairman Bob Turner took the reins four years ago, he recognised a major gap: communication. Effective communication within a sports organisation is the cornerstone to success. Whether it’s ensuring all club representee's get the information they need easily or ensuring fans and members have access to the things they need to know. At the end of the day, effective communication can mean the difference between success or failure.
Like many sports organisations, Blacktown City relied on fragmented tools like WhatsApp, emails, and texts. These methods were inefficient and made it difficult to unify players, coaches, parents, and the wider community under one system.
"Our operations manager had umpteen things to do, and communication needed to be easier," Turner explained. "We needed a tool that could reach everyone, from under-9 players to corporate sponsors."
Despite having strong local support and high respect across New South Wales, Blacktown City FC lacked a modern and scalable way to engage its growing audience, both internally and externally.
Why 360Player?
The turning point came when David Fazio, Business Developement Manager at 360Player, introduced Turner and the club to the platform. After just one meeting, it was clear that 360Player was the solution they had been searching for. "This is it. This will take us to the next level," Turner recalled thinking. What stood out most was 360Player’s ability to combine internal communication, external marketing, merchandise sales, ticketing, and sponsorship engagement all in one app. Instead of relying on outdated methods, the club could now deliver instant updates to hundreds of members with the click of a button.
360Player has unified our club from the under 9 player to his parents or her parents to the coaches to the managers to the office, whereas now we are all on the same page and that has not been the case ever for this club. - Bob Turner, Executive Chairman
Implementation and Experience
Transitioning to new technology can be daunting, especially in a club rich with tradition. Yet, Blacktown City's onboarding experience proved to be smooth and supportive. The club organised multiple parent education sessions, gathering hundreds at a time to explain the benefits and functionality of 360Player. With hands-on guidance from David Fazio, Mark Crittenden, Matt Heterick, and Steven Fazio, the club successfully shifted everyone onto the new platform. Even Turner, who describes himself as "old school," was quickly won over. “I have not grown up with a phone in my hand, but I understood immediately how 360Player could accelerate Blacktown City's development.” A particularly powerful moment came when Head Coach Mark Crittenden, initially skeptical, embraced the platform wholeheartedly. Now, he not only uses it for internal communications but also shares coaching techniques across all age groups, ensuring a consistent playing style from under-9s to seniors.
Results
Since adopting 360Player, Blacktown City has transformed to a more effective organisation limiting the burden on key personal:
- Unified communication across coaches, players, parents, and administrators
- Instant updates to hundreds of members at once
- Streamlined operations that freed up time for staff and volunteers
- Enhanced player development through better coaching communication
Able to communicate better and display more value to sponsors - 360Player has made it easier to manage everything from merchandise sales to ticketing and sponsorship communications. These improvements have strengthened the club's foundation for future growth.
"If I had 360Player back when I coached the Sydney Kings, we would have completely owned the city," Turner said. "It is that powerful."
Conclusion
360Player has not only streamlined Blacktown City FC’s internal operations but also strengthened its culture and positioned the club for greater community engagement and commercial success. From the under-9 players to sponsors, everyone is now on the same page, and the club’s future looks brighter than ever. Ready to see how
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