How can mobile app design be utilized to elevate the matchday experience for soccer fans both home and away?
Introduction
Mobile apps have several unique use-cases for professional sports organizations. They're hubs for team news and content, online stores to buy team merch, mobile wallets for game tickets, and much more. All of these different use-cases serve the same purpose — elevate the fan experience. For fans of Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC, the 2025 season was the first that they would be able to engage with a mobile app tailored just for them.
As an intern for the Web and App team at Utah Soccer LLC, I was tasked with elevating the matchday experience for our fans by designing new home pages with features and content specific to match days, as well as providing unique in-stadium experiences.
Audience
The Utah Soccer App was built to accommodate the fan bases of two different teams: Real Salt Lake (RSL) and Utah Royals FC (URFC). RSL is the men's team competing in the MLS, and URFC is the women's team competing in the NWSL. Both teams play their home matches at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. The Utah Soccer App is split into two modes to cater towards the fans of either team. Modes can be switched at anytime for those who may be fans of both teams.
Initial Brainstorming
"What are our RSL and URFC fans doing on matchday as opposed to any other day?"
"What are the features and limitations of our app-building platform?"
"How does the app experience differ for fans at home vs fans at the stadium?"
These were some of the questions I had to ask as I prepared to build the first iteration of the matchday page layout.
First and foremost, I had to consider what fans were going to be looking for when they came to America First Field. On the "Tickets" page of the app, fans are able to access their tickets, view concession maps, find parking information, access their mobile wallet, and anything else they might need before or at the match.
While fans are able to access this at anytime, it was important to create an experience that allows fans to find and complete the most important actions as quickly as possible, straight from the home page. However, it was also important to ensure that any changes that catered to fans attending the match did not disrupt those who are watching from home.
Tickets page (RSL mode)
Designs
Matchday page (RSL mode)
Normal home page (RSL mode)
Matchday page (URFC mode)
Normal home page (URFC mode)
Considering the fans who will be attending the match, as well as the ones at home, I created a matchday design that incorporated additional features for quick access while retaining the content typically found on the home page. Normally, the home page serves as a way to view the upcoming match, news, videos, and team store items. The matchday page still provides all these things while additionally providing access to their tickets, wallet, and parking/gate info, all one tap away. For fans at home, a link to the game's stream is also provided with just a single tap. This keeps the experience familiar for all fans, and avoids making them re-learn how to interact with the home page. Additional information relevant to the matchday is also provided, such as the Starting XI, live commentary, highlights, recaps, and more.
While the layout remains mostly the same, with added matchday related functionality and content, the visual design of the app is changed to enhance the excitement of the match. Matchday isn't just any other day, it's something that your week leads up to as a fan. That moment needed to be reflected in the visual design as well. This means changing typefaces to match the primary look of the club, using more dynamic backgrounds that blend with the team's kit, and tailoring the content to focus on a particular storyline.
In-Stadium Events
One of the biggest advantages we have with our app-building platform is the ability to geofence content, unlocking ways to provide unique experiences to fans at America First Field. Throughout the 2025 season, several RSL and URFC matches had theme nights involving specific activities or content to enhance the fan experience. From merch giveaways on Easter to Star Wars themed scavenger hunts, I collaborated with Kelsie Schwager from the Web/App team, as well as Chase Hacking and Marck Mendoza from the graphic design team, to provide in-app matchday experiences that boosted fan engagement and created memorable experiences for those at America First Field.
Star Wars Matchday Page
Star Wars Scavenger Hunt Page
Celebration of Service
Digital Easter Egg Hunt
These activities not only provided a boost in downloads and new notification subscribers, but also created opportunities for sponsors to get involved. After the initial success of our in-app Easter giveaway, which led to the largest spike in downloads since the release of the app, subsequent giveaways were partnered with our sponsors who provided items for fans to win, leading to an elevated fan experience while simultaneously creating a new interactive avenue for our sponsors to participate in.
Key Takeaways and Future Considerations
Elevating the matchday experience in 2025 with the launch of the Utah Soccer App has been successful by providing a new streamlined way to present tickets at the gate, pay for concessions, participate in in-app activities, as well as by creating unique sponsorship opportunities. While a lot has been achieved since the launch of the app, there are many opportunities for growth and changes in the upcoming 2026 season. New revenue opportunities in the form of ticket purchases, sponsorships, and advertising can be further capitalized on by utilizing the analytics gathered throughout the 2025 season to create an even better user experience for RSL and URFC fans. Further exploration into segmentation can tailor content and features to specific fans, created a custom experience based on a fan's personal preferences. Overall UI design can be optimized to be more consistent across the board, and align closely with the RSL and URFC brands for the 2026 seasons.