Behind every sporting success story, winning teams and athletes are lauded for their competitiveness and talent on the field of play, while the ability for unlocking their potential is won through game-management and a strategy that gives the team a clear direction. As team owners balance on-field success with sustainable business growth, they are likewise challenged with building a competitive off-field strategy that drives commercial success and operational fluidity.

Whereas clubs and sports bodies have traditionally invested greater sums in their athlete development, nowadays there is also a focus on growing meaningful audience engagement through digital transformation. As rights holders expand their direct-to-consumer (D2C) portfolios, this is no guarantee for business growth, whereby organizations taking ownership of the fan experience should be tailoring their efforts to a combined, long-term business strategy for optimizing their in-house operations and maximizing the return on their digital investments. 

Writing for Forbes.com, N3XT Sports Chief Information Officer (CIO) Motasem El Bawab (pictured) recently highlighted the importance of strategy development inside sports organizations which are augmenting their digital portfolios and technology stacks. He explains that “while data is the fuel delivering new digital experiences for fans, technology integration is only as strong as the strategy an organization adopts” – an area where Mota says many organizations “are still cruising in second gear”. 

“As CIO of N3XT Sports and a partner in several technology businesses, I have had a front-row seat to how digitalization is reshaping organizations up and down the sporting pyramid,” Mota continues. “During the past year, I’ve seen a shift in how organizations approach technology investments – turning their digital products from a mishmash of the latest industry ‘must-haves’ into a well-oiled operational necessity designed for customizing fan experiences, increasing customer value and maximizing their in-house productivity.”

Supporting this strategic development, N3XT Sports’ recently appointed Strategy and Consulting Lead Eloi Pomé provides an additional focus on the design of operational roadmaps across our global client base. The former Senior Manager of Sports & Mega Events at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Eloi brings a wealth of experience as a business strategy and transformation advisor for multiple sports organizations and major sporting events, adding: “As the industry navigates untested – and often unpredictable – economic times, now more than ever it is essential for sports properties to strategize based on changing market dynamics.”

The success of implementing a clearly defined data and digital transformation strategy requires a collective effort inside sports organizations and equipping personnel with the tools and know-how for operating the latest customer relationship management (CRM) and software solutions. N3XT Sports’ dedicated Digital Transformation department provides regular employee workshops and committee meetings as part of every project, so as to ensure its workforce is up to speed at every milestone of their transformation. 

For example: 

• N3XT Sports has supported United World Wrestling (UWW) at every stage of its multi-phase digital transformation, including the integration of the Olympic wrestling governing body’s mobile app, CRM solution, and UWW+ over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform into its D2C portfolio, which is connected using a single sign-on (SSO). Furthermore, this included the development of a commercial strategy designed to optimize audience acquisition and fan value via its UWW+ streaming product during its major championships, while also servicing its bespoke social media strategy.
  Throughout the process, our dedicated Digital Transformation team led more than 150 workshops and interviews with UWW’s internal departments, covering more than 90 attendees and 18 stakeholders during the assessment phase of UWW’s digital transformation. The assessment phase provided a solid grounding for formulating a clear strategic roadmap for digitalization.

• In 2022, N3XT Sports was also appointed by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to design and implement the union’s data and digital transformation strategic plan for building a multi-functional, member-centric digital ecosystem. This included the deployment of the digital-only PFA Member Portal, connected with the fully integrated and scalable PFA Employee Portal and a custom-built Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution.
  As part of its role, N3XT Sports’ Digital Transformation department has provided workshops and committee meetings with the PFA to enhance the employee-user experience and tailor the PFA Employee Portal to specific staff workflows and preferences.

“Effective business strategies must address the interplay between operational efficiency, cost management, and sustainable growth,” explains N3XT Sports CEO Mounir Zok. “At our firm, we work collaboratively with our clients to tackle these critical topics, helping them align long-term objectives with actionable plans that drive revenue while optimizing resources. Whether it’s reducing operational complexity, improving profitability, or embedding sustainability into their core business model, we partner with organizations to make deliberate choices and trade-offs that position them for enduring success in an increasingly competitive and dynamic landscape.”

“As the industry navigates untested – and often unpredictable – economic times, now more than ever it is essential for sports properties to strategize based on changing market dynamics.”
Eloi Pomé, Strategy & Consulting Lead at N3XT Sports

Digital transformation is providing the foundations for hyper-personalized fan and employee experiences – while artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning solutions are helping our clients optimize their data management, how data informs the D2C customer relationship, and to drive efficiencies in employee processes. According to N3XT Sports research, organizations that integrate AI into their operations reduce operational inefficiency by at least 50 percent while also developing new value for their stakeholders. Meanwhile, sports properties are centralizing their data and digital infrastructure to improve efficiencies across their employee and stakeholder ecosystems.

As AI and machine learning continue to redefine digital transformation in the sports industry, their integration must be guided by a clear business strategy, robust governance frameworks, and structured workforce enablement. Simply adopting AI is no guarantee of ROI. Instead, organizations must first establish a foundation of data integrity, interoperability, and AI readiness before layering intelligence into their digital and technological ecosystems.

AI is not a magic bullet – it is an enablement technology that enhances decision-making by analyzing vast data sets, identifying behavioral patterns, and unlocking operational efficiencies. When deployed effectively, AI-driven insights can enhance D2C fan experiences, optimize event logistics, and drive efficiency in resource-heavy operations. However, its success depends on the ability to process high-quality, well-governed data at scale.

“Digital transformation is the foundation for subscriber growth and retention, while AI holds the potential to revolutionize audience engagement by surfacing untapped consumer insights,” explains Mota. “In 2025, CIOs and technology leaders must prioritize AI readiness, enterprise-wide data governance, and workforce upskilling – rather than chasing moonshot AI projects without clear business cases.”

Our team at N3XT Sports works tirelessly to develop and implement data and digital transformation strategies across a multitude of sports properties at federation level, competition level, and club level. To find out more about how N3XT Sports can serve your organization, fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch. Our goal is to drive the digitalization of the sports industry and our clients.