PFA and N3XT Sports launch digitalisation project

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the dedicated football players union in England and Wales, has appointed N3XT Sports to undertake a wide-ranging digitalisation project as part of work to modernise the organisation’s internal operations and its communications with PFA members.

N3XT Sports, a leading consulting firm specialising in the transformation and modernisation of the sports industry, has spent the past eight months working with the PFA to implement the union’s long-term digital strategy ahead of its rollout.

Plans include developing and implementing a member services platform, so that PFA members will be able to quickly and easily access services they receive from the union. The work will also simplify and improve the way member data is collected and managed.

The creation of a bespoke digital system to collate and process members data will allow the PFA to tailor and adapt the services it provides based on members’ needs. The union will also be able to use data analysis to offer targeted advice specific to members’ career journeys and milestones and ensure they receive timely, relevant and valuable information from the PFA.

The PFA’s CEO Maheta Molango said: “We want PFA members to see what the union is doing and how we can help them throughout their careers, both on and off the pitch. We also want to better understand the diverse needs of our former members and ensure they receive a more personalised experience every time they interact with the PFA. This project with N3XT is a critical part of that work.”

The organisation-wide project started in December 2021, when N3XT Sports completed a thorough and holistic assessment of existing PFA data to identify areas where the introduction of digital tools and solutions could help improve the organisation’s administrative processes. This included plans to transform the PFA into a paperless organisation and to create data dashboards to make the process of accessing PFA member services more efficient.

Mounir Zok, CEO of N3XT Sports, said: “We recognise the importance of this project, both for the digital transformation of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), and the wider sporting ecosystem, including tens of thousands of former and current professional football players. Our team at N3XT Sports is working diligently to ensure that, by taking this step, the PFA keeps pace with change and is able to provide its members with a modern, data-driven service.”

As well as improving how the PFA utilises member data, the digitalisation project will also include personal development for all PFA staff, with the creation of an ‘educational pathway’ focused on the implementation of new tools, concepts, and technologies.

The upskilling process aims to develop a data-driven culture at the PFA that will be at the heart of all
reporting, analysis and service provision. Everyone at the PFA will contribute to the project, including the internal team, the Operational and Players’ Boards and most importantly, the PFA’s members.

“When I joined the PFA, I set out my intention to take a player-centric approach to leadership,” Molango added. “After six months of work meeting and engaging with the membership, I prioritised this digital transformation project to ensure that we operate as a modern, data-driven and efficient organisation.

“However, this project is about outcomes, not technology. My commitment is to ensure that members can rely on the PFA to set the benchmark for leading member-based organisations in the sports world as a campaigning and representative union that is proactively at the heart of conversations about the future of our game.”