Crusaders Football Club

Crusaders Football Club is a club playing in the NIFL premiership which was founded in 1898 and has since won 28 senior trophies including seven league titles. Based in north Belfast, it plays its home matches at Seaview where it has been based since 1921 and which features a 4G artificial pitch, endorsed by UEFA.

Challenge

In the 2019-2020 UEFA Europa League qualifiers, Crusaders beat FC Torshavn 5-2 on aggregate to reach the second qualifier. The club then faced the English Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers, where after two legs it was sadly beaten. This period, however, led to an unprecedented demand for tickets and access to games that Crusaders could not manage within their existing infrastructure. The club needed a solution, and fast.

Solution

Future Ticketing began partnering with the team at Crusaders and set in place a new high-performance ticketing system that met the club’s needs including the capability to:

•  Manage high volumes of ticket demand
•  Offer a simple and efficient booking process flow for fans
•  Provide exclusive access for Season Ticket holders and club members
•  Expand ticketing to include hospitality, off-field events, concerts and thereby boosting revenues
• Staff were fully trained to self-manage the dashboard to set up events and deliver access control
• To process orders 

Added-value

In 2020, upon reviewing existing processes, Crusaders opted to operate a cashless stadium. With Future Ticketing, it installed a Clover Epos solution in the restaurant, with a RFID smart card solution. Using Future Ticketing’s Ticket Store app, Crusaders can sell food and beverages alongside tickets within its branded app. 

The club was particularly interested in expanding its offering beyond individual match days and growing its franchise in the area of hospitality, corporate events, club events, concerts and other events.