Following on from our article yesterday about the partnership between the Football League and ScribbleLive, here is another example of how content aggregation is a growing trend within football.

In probably their most high profile match in three decades, AFC Bournemouth face off against Liverpool in the 4th round of the FA Cup this weekend.  To capitalise on FA Cup fever down on the English south coast, a sold out stadium and a global TV audience of 120 million in 57 countries, AFC Bournemouth have teamed up with social media company Stackla to launch ‘Gameface’.

Fans simply send their GameFace photos to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #AFCBvLFC for a chance to win a prize and get their face on the big screen at the game. There is an iPad Mini up for grabs for the best Bournemouth fan and the best Liverpool fan.

Check it out here: www.gameface.afcb.co.uk

AFC Bournemouth are using the Stackla competition platform to aggregate, moderate and publish all the posts onto the social story board as well as sending the best ones to the big screen at the ground.  Head of Brand at AFC Bournemouth, Luke Bonner, told us;

“Creativity, activation and supporter engagement is high on our priority list at AFC Bournemouth. As an emerging Championship club it’s essential that we align our off the field activity with our successful performances on the pitch. Together, our club will go from strength to strength.

This is why for the Fourth Round FA Cup clash against Liverpool we wanted to create an experience for our supporters that helped create pre, during and post match buzz and activate our growing audiences through our own social channels. At AFC Bournemouth we believe the matchday experience isn’t something that happens in and around the stadium alone. For us, it’s also about engaging and activating our supporters through the channels that they use to follow the game and enhancing their experience.

Stackla have allowed us to seamlessly pull this campaign off and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in football and social aggregation.”

It’s an interesting and engaging way for the south coast club to hit two objectives; firstly getting closer to their fans, getting them involved whether they’re at the match or at home.  Secondly, it brings (and keeps) fans onto an ‘owned’ site where they have been able to monetise it through sponsorship by Bournemouth University.

It’s a nice touch that they’re not just restricting it to Bournemouth fans but encouraging Liverpool fans to get involved.  This is a cute move as the club only have a small fan base, thus could expect only a small amount of interaction.  This way they open up to many more visits and more content being shown on the site.

There are plans for the page to be used for a number of games this year, so keep your eye out on the clubs website.  Great work by the Cherries and a nice link up with a growing tech company.  There’s no doubt that with ScribbleLive and now this that content aggregation in football is only going one way. Up.