6 Tips for Avoiding pitfalls in Football Field Operation

6 Tips for Avoiding pitfalls in Football Field Operation: Reducing Maintenance Costs and Improving Field Utilization Rate.

Under the wave of national fitness, football fields have become a popular investment project in sports. However, many operators often find themselves in a predicament of "high maintenance costs and excessive idle time of the venues". Either due to frequent turf damage and untimely equipment maintenance, a large amount of costs are invested, or due to rigid operation methods, the utilization rate of the venue is low, ultimately affecting profits. The following six practical tips can not only precisely reduce maintenance costs but also efficiently increase the utilization rate of the venue, helping football field operations avoid common pitfalls.

Maintain assets at different levels to avoid unnecessary waste of costs

Many football fields fall into the "one-size-fits-all" maintenance trap, devoting the same amount of effort to all facilities such as the turf and seats, which instead leads to cost waste. A reasonable approach is to establish a hierarchical asset maintenance system, focusing on core facilities and simplifying secondary maintenance. First, classify asset grades and maintain them in a targeted manner. Classify the turf, lighting system, goalposts and other assets that affect the core usage experience as Class A assets and conduct weekly inspections. Classify the rest seats, lockers and other supporting facilities as Class B and conduct monthly inspections. Maintain Class C assets such as cleaning tools as needed. Take turf as an example. Artificial turf only requires the removal of fallen leaves and loose stones once a week, the combing of grass fibers with special equipment once a month, and the replenishment of quartz sand once a year. Compared with natural turf, it can save more than 30% of maintenance costs each year. Secondly, establish a maintenance ledger to control expenditures. Keep detailed records of the purchase date, warranty period and maintenance records of each type of facility to avoid expensive repairs after the warranty period expires. At the same time, purchase common spare parts such as lighting bulbs and goal screws in bulk to reduce the premium expenditure of emergency purchases. Some community football fields in Wuhan have seen a sharp increase in maintenance costs after the facilities' warranty period expired due to the neglect of ledger management. This issue deserves vigilance.

Optimize the opening hours to meet the needs of different groups of people

The core reason for the idleness of the venue is often the mismatch between the opening hours and the user demand. For instance, most office workers have no time to play football during the day, but the venue is vacant at this time. In the evening, during the peak demand period, it may be affected in use due to the chaos of reservations. In this regard, a differentiated operation strategy based on time periods can be adopted. Referring to the charging and time slot combination model of community football fields in Shanghai, set up "public welfare free time slot + low-charge time slot + market price time slot". It is free for the elderly fitness group before 9 a.m. From 11 p.m. to 3 p.m., a low-cost half-court experience is offered to students. During the prime time from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., it is open to corporate teams and adult enthusiasts at market prices. At the same time, customized packages are launched for different groups. For instance, a "2-hour evening private package" is designed for office workers, and fixed training sessions on weekend mornings are reserved for youth training institutions. Through staggered arrangement, the utilization rate of the venues is increased by more than 40%.

Introduce intelligent management to reduce labor and communication costs

Traditional football fields often have low management efficiency and are prone to errors due to manual registration and reservation as well as manual inspection of facilities. The introduction of intelligent systems can not only reduce labor costs but also optimize the user reservation experience, indirectly increasing the utilization rate of the venue. On the one hand, manage venue reservations with an intelligent system. Launch a wechat mini-program or connect to a third-party reservation platform to support online time slot selection, payment and refund. At the same time, retain the phone reservation channel to meet the needs of elderly users. Some communities in Wuhan have increased the rate of venue reservations by 25% through the "One-Foot Ball Booking" mini-program. On the other hand, with the assistance of smart devices for maintenance, such as installing current sensors in the lighting system to monitor the equipment status in real time, and using drones to inspect large areas of grass to promptly identify damaged areas, the time and human input for manual inspection can be reduced. Some football fields have introduced unmanned access control systems to enable 24-hour self-service, further reducing labor costs.

Expand diverse scenarios and break through the single function of football

Most football fields are only used for football, which limits their scope of use. In fact, through flexible transformation, the site can be diversified in utilization and idle periods can be filled. During off-peak hours, the venue can be flexibly modified. For instance, the football field can be divided into multiple basketball courts and badminton courts with movable fences to meet the diverse sports needs of the public. The edge areas of idle venues can be set up as simple camping zones to host family camping and small team-building activities. In addition, it can also host non-sports activities, such as corporate team-building games and community cultural activities. It even collaborates with nearby catering businesses to offer "venue rental + dining" packages, transforming the venue from a simple sports space into a composite activity venue and significantly reducing idle time.

Integrate surrounding resources to create an event IP for traffic diversion

Relying solely on individual reservations is difficult to steadily increase the utilization rate of the venue. However, event activities can bring in a continuous flow of visitors and at the same time reduce the marginal cost of maintenance. Operators can proactively mobilize multiple resources to create regular events. On the one hand, it cooperates with local football clubs and enterprise trade unions to regularly hold amateur leagues and enterprise friendly matches. While collecting registration fees, it also provides venue support services such as referees and scoreboards for the events to attract a stable group of participants. On the other hand, offering football training classes for teenagers can not only fill the gaps in the field during the weekend but also boost family consumption through activities such as parent-child football matches. Some football stadiums have increased their weekend venue reservation rate from 50% to full capacity by creating exclusive event ips. At the same time, the concentrated usage periods brought by events also facilitate unified maintenance arrangements, reducing the costs of scattered maintenance.

Improve supporting services and increase the repurchase rate of users

The lagging maintenance of supporting facilities and the lack of services are important reasons for the loss of many football stadium users and the idleness of the venues. A complete set of supporting services can enhance user stickiness, indirectly promote the increase of venue utilization rate, and does not require a high investment. Give priority to solving core supporting issues, such as ensuring the cleanliness of restrooms and the supply of hot water for showers, and setting up drinking water stations and temporary medical kits around the site. For night users, upgrade the lighting system to ensure no blind spots and demarcate dedicated parking areas. These details have a low investment cost but can significantly enhance the experience. In addition, value-added small services can be provided, such as free short video shooting for teams booking the venue and Posting it on the venue's official account to attract teams to make multiple reservations. Some community football fields in Wuhan have seen a decline in user experience and a continuous drop in the utilization rate of the venues due to the neglect of supporting maintenance. This lesson should be taken as a warning.

The core of football field operation lies in balancing cost and experience through meticulous management. The above-mentioned techniques do not require a large investment but can precisely avoid the common traps of "emphasizing maintenance over operation" and "emphasizing hardware over service". Through scientific maintenance, flexible operation and high-quality service, not only can the venue be kept in good condition, but also users can be continuously attracted, ultimately achieving stable profit growth.