Football Association of Ireland

Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the governing body of association football in Ireland, formed in 1921. The FAI organises schools competitions, and international teams, including the senior team, youth teams, and the Irish Olympic team. Looking to inspire the next generation of football, never has it been more exciting to be a part of Irish football.

In 2023, led by Katie McCabe and a group of Women’s Super League stars, Ireland competed in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals in Australia and New Zealand.  

Limegreentangerine were appointed to design and develop a new FAI website.

The brief was to combine the domestic and international sites into a single stand-alone sites. Imperatively, user-friendly and easy to navigate, keeping new and existing fans, players, coaches and officials engaged in a simple yet meaningful ways, navigating content, recources and updates quickly and easily. 

Travelling to Dublin we led immersive UX discovery workshop sessions with internal stakeholders to understand the who and why of the project. From sessions with each of the stakeholder departments we gained an understanding of key audiences demographics and how each area of the FAI plays a significant part in a concerted drive to increase participation of football in Ireland.

Throughout the discovery phase we unearthed the key users tasks and aspirations, and what challenges they faced when using the old site. By understanding these user needs and challenges we could define an alternative product and service hierarchy, ensuring the content was better organised and easier to find.

To boost visits to the website, we adopted a user-centric approach that focused on enhancing the overall user experience. We implemented a streamlined navigation system, simplifying the user journey to ensure visitors could quickly find what they needed. Recognising the diverse audience in Ireland — including coaches, players, and volunteers — we created three dedicated home landing pages, each tailored to provide relevant information and resources for these different user groups. This personalised experience provided a fairer way of delivering relevant content to visitors.

The new website houses stat-driven content to enhance user engagement and retention. Utilising Stats Perform’s Opta API we developed a bespoke match centre that showcases match fixtures, results, and tables. This area provides real-time updates and comprehensive player information, keeping fans invested no matter where they were. Users  can view live line-ups, match day news, and in-depth statistics, fostering a deeper connection with the game. In addition, the platform provides the Football Association of Ireland a dedicated space to advertise, creating new opportunities for engagement with both partners and fans.

Leveraging Opta data, we created dynamic player pages that feature career-defining statistics, enabling fans to follow their favourite players or discover new ones. These pages provide comprehensive stats, news, and background information, giving fans a deeper understanding of each player's journey and achievements. Admin can easily update squad information based on ongoing competitions, ensuring that the content remains current and relevant. This approach not only engages fans more effectively but also enhances the overall experience by providing detailed insights into their favourite players.

A seamless ticket-buying experience was created utilising Ticketmaster integration. Previously, users had found it difficult to find and purchase tickets online, but the new integration makes it easy to buy tickets from any point on the site – from fixtures to match day. This improvement has seen an increase in ticket sales for the Football Association of Ireland and has received positive feedback from fans. The new ticket area also provides clear visibility of package deals, ticket types, and availability, offering a comprehensive and user-friendly ticketing solution.

“Play Football” was designed as a comprehensive pathway for anyone looking to begin their football journey, whether inspired by an international player or interested in playing casually. This tool was built to help individuals discover football opportunities in their local area by showcasing nearby clubs and activities. By providing a personalised journey that highlights the closest options available, Play Football makes it easier for people of all ages and skill levels to get involved in the sport, fostering a stronger community connection and supporting the growth of grassroots football.