Exeter Chiefs
Unified the shop and site into one seamless high velocity experience
Deployed lightning fast edge caching for near instant load times
Built a custom Fan Zone to put supporters at the heart of the action
AREA OF EXPERTISE:
Professional rugby club
AGE OF BUSINESS:
Exeter Chiefs Rugby club has roots dating back to 1871
AREA OF OPERATION:
Exeter, Devon
The Challenge
When a professional rugby club with roots dating back to 1871 approached us, they weren't just looking for a digital coat of paint. They needed a complete rebuild of their online experience at Sandy Park.
The mission was clear. We had to move away from a limiting CMS and create a premium destination for fans. The user experience for fixtures needed a massive tactical upgrade. We needed to make match reports, live commentary, real-time score updates, and key moments easy to find. Imagine a fan trying to check a score on a rainy Saturday with a weak signal. If the site takes five seconds to load, you've lost them. The digital experience must match the intensity of a home game.
The Response
We tackled this project with a full stack offensive, holding weekly meetings to ensure every new feature was perfectly onside. To fix the frustrating history of their previous setup, we moved the team onto a much smoother CMS. We created customised Sanity components, making it a breeze for their staff to find and categorise data.
Here is how we turned the technical dial up to eleven:
- The Ultimate Match Report: We didn't just build a summary; we built a hub. These reports now house related news, key moments, scores, line-ups, and the Fan Zone all in one place.
- Fan Engagement: We launched a custom Fan Zone for every game. It features interactive elements like Guess the Score and Player of the Match voting.
- Speed and Search: Using database indexing, we built a unique search function that offers near instant retrieval for hundreds of documents. Combined with edge caching and optimal ISR usage, the site is now officially lightning fast.
- Seamless Shopping: We developed a custom headless Shopify theme using Next.js. This allows your website and the shop to work together as one cohesive unit rather than two separate worlds.
The Result
The final whistle blew on a high performing website that brings the best of the shop and the club’s news into a single, unified experience.
The CMS is no longer a headache to edit, the navigation is intuitive, and the fans finally have a digital home they can really support. By blending clever techy bits like headless commerce with a creative focus on fan interaction, we have ensured this historic club is ready for the future of the game.
