The rapid evolution of technology has meant that the methods with which brands including football clubs have altered vastly. And while every entity is searching for that new tech that just may revolutionise the way consumers or fans (many stipulate that there’s not that much of a difference between the two) engage with each other, start-ups and the like have really had to think outside the box.

Enter David Berney who has crafted a platform based on his knowledge and experience in the charity industry which brings wider communities with a single interest together. His product – Premier Browser – a football club-branded browser downloadable as an extension offers club fans and users of that browser points in which they can redeem for merchandise back from that club.

We got a chance to sit down with David via Skype and discuss with him the technology set to take the football world by storm.

Formerly a CEO of a Charity Foundation, how did David end up developing a potentially revolutionary product for the football industry?

Football clubs became interesting because of their community element and there’s not such a vast difference (between them). You’ve got people that are passionate about charities or foundations and with a club you’ve got people that are passionate about their own football community which people want to support.

A browser that lets fans win rewards while also contributing to the community – it seems a rather straight-forward idea. However, it can often be hard developing something which forces users to have to change their daily activities.

We wanted to create something that didn’t require users to change their behaviours so we worked on downloadable extensions to their pc and their browser. The extension would then enable that zero change in behaviour or their shopping to earn them points to then be redeemed for merchandise. The reward program gives money back to the fans and lets them endorse their club as well as branding up their phone or their PC but at the same time, lets them support the foundation financially without it costing them anything.

While David suggested the tool was more suitable for community engagement than it was direct engagement between the fan and the club, he said that it was about trying to bring them both together.

It’s about sustainable engagement. Where the club is able to gain commercial revenue from digital engagements, that revenue is shared back to the fan and at the same time, it makes it possible to boost the community.

With the first clubs jumping on board the technology including Everton and Manchester City as well as a number of clubs looking at implementing the tech in the near future, it’s definitely not far away from becoming the new “thing”. And David said that in addition to signing up more clubs and using collected data more efficiently, reporting and building a lot more gamification into the platform were the next steps.

Our goals would be to sign up another 20 clubs in the coming 12 clubs in UK and Europe as well as beefing up our platform by building a lot more gamification into it and finding out exactly what sponsors want and giving them their dream product in terms of reporting in which we have all the key elements now. This means we can give the tools to clubs where they can manage it to be able to go out and actually increase their digital sponsorship.

A product as well as a way to increase engagement. Sounds like it’s all figured out. However David said that there are further barriers to getting the tech well and truly the norm in fan engagement.

What we’re looking to do is go beyond the hardcore fans and get to the greater reach of fans because everyone likes a reward and if the reward can be targeted around the club that you love and the community that you care about than that’s a win win scenario.