AFL Clubs partner with Tradable Bits to drive enhanced fan engagement

Fan marketing technology company Tradable Bits has been selected by 17 Australian Football League clubs to drive fan engagement, data collection and activation strategies for the upcoming season.

With over six years of collaboration with the AFL, Tradable Bits continues to expand its role in the league, enhancing data intelligence across in-venue, broadcast, email, and mobile SMS platforms.

Tradable Bits provides comprehensive solutions tailored to the unique needs of sports organizations, including seamless fan engagement tools, a purpose-built CRM for teams, and integrations with ticketing, merchandise, and marketing automation systems.

Since its initial partnership with the AFL in 2019, Tradable Bits has seen exponential growth, now powering fan engagement initiatives for 17 of the league’s 18 clubs, including Adelaide Crows, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, Hawthorn, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond, St Kilda, Sydney Swans, West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs.

Highlighting the impact of the long-term partnership, North Melbourne Football Club’s Digital Marketing and Analytics Manager, Jackson Zilco stated “partnering with Tradable Bits has been instrumental in helping our club better understand and engage with our fans. They’ve grown with us as we’ve evolved our Fan Engagement and Data strategies and are always proactive when it comes to ideas and strategy.

"We’re aiming for record membership numbers in 2025, and Tradable Bits is key to our lead generation efforts. It remains an integral part of our technology stack and plays a big role in helping us reach membership targets.”

Tim Mullaly, General Manager, APAC at Tradable Bits, emphasised the company’s fan-centric philosophy, noting “at Tradable Bits, we’re fans first and foremost. We understand that the core of fandom is connection, and our clubs are always looking to get closer to their fans by delivering unique and authentic experiences. With the vast majority of the AFL industry now using our data intelligence and activation tools, Tradable Bits is powering more fan engagements than ever before."

In 2024 alone, Tradable Bits campaigns were responsible for more than 100,000 hours of engagement time by AFL fans.

Danielle Wooley, Head of Customer Experience & Insights at the Western Bulldogs, explained how Tradable Bits’ automation capabilities have streamlined their fan communications.

Wooley added “by integrating directly with Ticketmaster Archtics, we’ve cut our fan welcome email turnaround time from up to three weeks to under 24 hours. Timeliness and relevance matter. Prioritizing this shows our fans that we understand them; it goes a long way in fostering genuine connection."

Wooley also highlighted the revenue-driving potential of fan engagement initiatives, going on to say “we ran a Tradable Bits Personality Quiz during the season, garnering over 3,000 participants. The campaign fed a tailored experience journey, resulting in a 500% attendance increase in one season."

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