In 2025, we anticipate – much like 2024 – revenue generation for many will be difficult. Organisations should therefore consider how they might be able to create cost savings and ongoing operational efficiencies through a more strategic approach to technology design and procurement. In the first edition of the PTI Sports Leadership Benchmark (published in October 2024) we found that:
📉 More than 60% said they did not have a company wide technology procurement process
💰 At the same time more than 70% say they intend to spend at least £100k this year on technology
👨💻 Only 8% said they could foresee technology creating operational efficiencies in the next 12 months
👥 Meanwhile almost half could see themselves increasing non-playing headcount during the same period
These stats point to both the difficult relationship sport still has with technology and also the potential upside of taking a more strategic approach. At the same time we published the report we were also finalising a project with a client who had asked us to audit their technology stack to try to identify cost savings and operational efficiencies. The results were comprehensive:
- Our brief spanned the stadium’s operating systems, ERP platforms, customer facing and commercial platforms and the various systems employed at the training ground
- Through this process we were able to identify £300-£400k of cost savings through slimming down the number of platforms by a third
- This will enable improved ongoing operational efficiencies by reducing the number of manual processes that were backfilling a lack of automated integrations
- In so doing, we were also able to reduce our client’s compliance risk through the reduction in potential for human error, data protection challenges and cyber breach
- We have implemented a new technology procurement process to streamline the process in the future
- This process will allow a number of staff to be redeployed to more value-adding activities rather than low-value administrative work
The client has also recognised the potential for technology to help achieve its growth targets and has earmarked the savings from this process to be reinvested in a proactive programme to review its customer-facing, revenue-generating ecosystem, realising it does not now need “new” money to do so.
