1/3 Ethnographic Research

a) 1-on-1 interview with parents

For the interviews, I selected a diverse group of 10 parents with varying experiences, including

• New members (who recently joined the club)

• Experienced members (who have been with the club for a long time)

• Parents of different age groups (kids 5-7, 8-12, 13-16)

Some of the questions for interviews were:

• "How did you first learn about the club, and what made you sign up your child?"

• "What do you like most about the club? What could be improved?"

• "Have you faced any challenges with scheduling, attendance, or reminders?"

• "How do you receive updates from the club? (WhatsApp, email, website, etc.)"

• "What information do you wish was more easily accessible?"

• "How often do you communicate with coaches? What do you usually discuss?"

• "Does your child feel motivated to improve their skills? What motivates them?"

• "Would you be interested in features, like training videos, AI-based feedback, or gamified challenges?"

Although discussions with coaches were a lower priority, they remain an important user group. Coaches play a key role in communicating with players and parents, and their feedback helps ensure the website effectively supports training, scheduling, and team coordination.

Questions for coaches

• “How long have you been coaching kids/teens?”

• “What motivates your players the most during training or matches?”

• “Do you currently use any digital tools or websites for your coaching tasks (schedules, communication, tracking progress)?”

• “How do you usually communicate match times, training changes, or events to players and parents?”

• “Would it be helpful to have a coach-only section on the website? What would you want to see there?”

• “How do you track your players’ progress or attendance?”

• “Would you like to upload team photos, match results, or shout-outs for players?”

• “How could the website help make your job easier or more fun?”

This type of interview was the most challenging, as it involved children of different age groups—including some as young as 5–6 years old. To ensure age-appropriate communication, I divided them into three focus groups and conducted the sessions separately for:

• Young children (5-8 years)

• Pre-teens (9-12)

• Teens (13-16)

Each group contained 6-7 participants to keep discussions interactive, but manageable.

Before conducting the interviews I defined the main Goals & Objectives, namely:

1. Understand what excites children about the football.

2. Identify pain points in training, matches, and communication.

3. Explore their technology habits and expectations from a football club website.

I have also prepared a Discussion Guide, which I adapted to each age group.

For young children I created fun and interactive questions and tasks. Some questions for young children:

• "What’s your name and how old are you?”

• “Who is your favourite football player?"

• "What do you love most about playing football?"

And some tasks for them:

1. Show some of the colors and ask participants to select the most favourite color. What do they associate this color with?

2. Distribute emoji cards between the children (Happy, Frustrated, Excited, Bored) and read out different football-related scenarios to them (i.e. When I miss training, When I lose a match, etc.), ask them hold up the emoji that matches how they feel.

3. Give children stickers or cutout images of different football attributes (e.g., Speed, Passing, Dribbling, Defending, etc) and let them build their “ultimate” player by choosing the skills they think are most important.

For pre-teens and teens groups the questions were more complicated and engaging:

• “If your favorite football club’s website were a person, what kind of person would it be? (Cool? Funny? Serious?)”

• “If the site had a secret area just for fans your age, what should be in it?”

• “What’s the coolest website or app you’ve ever used? What made it cool?”

• “Do you prefer big pictures and videos, or do you like to read stories and news?”

• “How do you usually hear about football news—friends, YouTube, social media, or websites?”

• “Would you use a football site more if it had games, quizzes, or prizes?”

• “Do you follow any football players or clubs on social media? What kind of posts do you like?”

• “What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen online lately?”

Click the image to enlarge it

1/2 Competitive Analysis

Before conducting a Competitive Analysis, I identified the following key factors that require my attention during the process, namely:

1. Analyze the website design of other football clubs - how easy is it for parents and children to navigate?

2. Look for mobile responsiveness (since many users will access the site from smartphones).

3. Check if the design is child-friendly (e.g., colorful, engaging for kids, simple interfaces).

4. How well is information categorized? Is it easy to find essential details, such as schedules, registration forms, or information about ?

5. Review how easy it is for parents to register their children. Is the process streamlined and user-friendly?

6. Check how clubs provide match schedules, changes, and results. Do they offer email or SMS notifications to parents?

7. See how clubs showcase players—do they share team photos or match videos? Is this content accessible to parents and kids?

8. Does the club offer resources like training tips, fitness advice, or skills development videos? Is this content tailored to children and teenagers?

9. Does the club have a blog or articles offering advice on youth sports, parenting in sports, or children’s mental health in football?

10. Does the club showcase testimonials from parents or players? Are there success stories or positive experiences highlighted on their website or social media?

11. Identify what makes each football club stand out. Does it offer something unique for children, such as specialized coaching, flexible schedules, or a focus on mental well-being?

12. Are the football clubs catering to younger children, teens, or both? How do they tailor their offerings (training, website design, communications) to different age groups?

I have selected five companies for my competitive analysis.

To better understand the real-world interactions between children and coaches in a football club environment, ethnographic research was conducted through multiple direct observations of training sessions, matches, and informal moments at the club over several weeks. The research focused on children aged 5 to 12 and the coaching staff, capturing authentic behaviors and communication patterns.