How to Fix Data Fragmentation in Sport: A Guide
Quick Summary
This article explores how to fix data fragmentation in sports, one of the biggest blockers to fan engagement and commercial success. It outlines five actionable steps to unify disconnected data and build a single customer view. Discover how to turn scattered systems into a streamlined strategy.
Making Sense of Fragmented Sports Data
Sports organisations are sitting on mountains of data, but when that data is spread across disconnected systems, it becomes a liability instead of an asset. Fragmented data leads to missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and a diluted fan experience.
In this InCrowd article, we explain what data fragmentation in sports really looks like, why it’s a serious barrier to commercial growth, and how to fix it. We also share proven best practices from our work with top clubs and competitions.
If you're interested in unlocking fan insight and driving smarter engagement, this guide is your starting point.
Why Listen to Us?
We have helped leading sports organisations like Crystal Palace FC, Premiership Rugby, and UEFA turn fragmented fan data into powerful, actionable insight. Our work spans data strategy, system integration, and platform delivery, always focused on measurable results.
With deep expertise in the sports industry, we understand the real challenges teams face when data lives in silos, and this article is focussed on fixing data fragmentation based on real-world experience, not theory.
What Is Data Fragmentation in Sports?
Data fragmentation in sports refers to the issue of fan and performance data being spread across multiple disconnected systems, platforms, or departments, making it difficult for sports organisations to get a unified, actionable view of their audiences, players, or operations.
It’s not just a tech issue, it’s a commercial barrier. Fragmented data weakens personalisation, makes reporting unreliable, and slows down campaigns. Without a single source of truth, marketing efforts become reactive, not strategic, and growth potential goes untapped.
How to Fix Data Fragmentation in Sports
1. Audit Your Existing Data Sources and Systems
Before you can fix fragmented data, you need a complete picture of where it lives and how it flows. Most sports organisations have dozens of data sources, ticketing, retail, CRM, apps, email platforms, that rarely sync in real time, if at all.
Start by mapping every system that captures fan interactions. Don’t just list platforms, understand what data each collects, who owns it, and how it's used. The goal is to reveal gaps, overlaps, and missed opportunities for integration.
We often begin digital transformation projects with discovery workshops to guide this process. To streamline your audit we:
- Identify all first- and third-party data sources, including historical silos.
- Catalogue key data fields and how they’re structured.
- Note duplication, inaccessible datasets, and delays in syncing.
- Assess who controls each data source and its strategic value.
This audit is not just technical, it’s strategic. It sets the foundation for every decision that follows. You can’t build a unified fan view until you know exactly what’s fragmented, where, and why.
2. Define Clear Objectives for Data Integration
Once you understand your fragmented data landscape, the next step is to define why you’re integrating it. Without clear objectives, integrations risk becoming expensive technical exercises with limited business value.
Your goals should tie directly to strategic outcomes, fan growth, commercial uplift, or campaign performance. InCrowd often supports clients in defining these objectives during early-stage workshops, ensuring data strategy aligns with measurable business needs.
Start by asking what success looks like for your organisation. For example, is the aim to increase season ticket renewals through better targeting, or to unlock new sponsor inventory using engagement metrics?
Strong objectives share key traits:
- Aligned with KPIs (e.g. retention, revenue, engagement)
- Tied to specific workflows or channels (e.g. email personalisation)
- Feasible based on current tech stack and resources
- Agreed across departments (marketing, commercial, tech)
Document each objective clearly and prioritise them. You are not just integrating systems, you’re enabling action. That distinction keeps your integration roadmap focused, measurable, and relevant across stakeholders. Ambiguity here leads to misaligned systems later.
3. Select the Right Technology Stack and Partners
With clear objectives in place, you can evaluate the technology and partners needed to achieve them. This is not about finding the most powerful platform, it’s about choosing tools that integrate seamlessly and support your strategic use cases.
Avoid vendor lock-in. Prioritise platforms that are open, interoperable, and API-driven. You’ll need systems that can scale, communicate easily with others, and allow for customisation over time. InCrowd’s approach is tech-agnostic, we have partnered with big providers like Cortex, Seatgeek, Ticketmaster and Endeavour to design stacks that match each client’s needs, not force-fit a one-size solution.
Use a capability-first lens when evaluating vendors:
- Does the platform support single sign-on, personalisation, and segmentation?
- Can it process real-time behavioural data, not just batch uploads?
- Will it integrate natively with your core systems (e.g. ticketing, CRM)?
- How flexible is the reporting layer? Can teams self-serve insight?
Bring in technical leads early and ensure each vendor can deliver against your data goals. You’re not just buying software, you’re building infrastructure that will power your marketing, sales, and fan engagement efforts.
Technology is a means to an end. The best stack is invisible to the fan but transformative for the team managing their journey.
4. Implement a Centralised Fan Data Platform
A centralised fan data platform creates the single source of truth needed to activate personalised, data-driven campaigns across your organisation. This step turns strategic planning into operational reality.
The platform should ingest data from all touchpoints, ticketing, retail, app, CRM, and third-party tools, and unify it under a single fan profile. InCrowd delivered this for Crystal Palace FC by integrating multiple systems into a data lake, enabling personalised content, accurate segmentation, and real-time behavioural insight.
Start with foundational use cases tied to commercial outcomes. Don’t aim for perfect data immediately, focus on actionable signals that unlock value fast.
To implement effectively:
- Standardise and map data fields across systems before ingestion
- Prioritise integrations that affect revenue-driving channels first (e.g. SSO, email, app)
- Design data models that allow for dynamic segmentation and campaign automation
- Include identity resolution logic to connect anonymous and known users over time
Ensure your data platform includes tools for governance, access control, and compliance. GDPR readiness, audit trails, and permissions are not optional, they’re baseline requirements.
This is the engine behind your digital strategy. Without it, you’ll remain reactive, relying on batch exports and siloed reporting. With it, you can build meaningful fan journeys that evolve over time and scale with your organisation.
5. Establish Ongoing Data Governance and Optimisation Practices
Centralising fan data is only the beginning. To maintain its value, you need solid governance and a culture of continuous optimisation. Without this, data quality degrades, trust erodes, and activation slows.
Assign ownership across teams. Marketing, IT, and commercial leads should all play a role in setting standards for data collection, access, and usage. InCrowd supports this structure by working long-term with clients to embed best practices around permissions, audits, and campaign performance reviews.
Focus governance on actionable quality, not just compliance. Clean, timely, structured data powers better segmentation and more accurate reporting.
Build ongoing routines around:
- Data hygiene checks (e.g. duplicates, format inconsistencies)
- Audience segmentation reviews based on campaign feedback
- Retention audits to ensure unused data is decommissioned
- Quarterly platform reviews to assess integration health
Establish KPIs for your data platform just like you would for a campaign. Track adoption, segment performance, and system responsiveness.
Data governance isn’t a one-off project. It’s the mechanism that protects your investment, ensures consistency across teams, and helps your data strategy adapt as fan expectations evolve.
Best Practices for Solving Data Fragmentation
- Define Strategic Objectives: Align integration efforts with specific commercial goals like retention, revenue, or fan growth.
- Audit and Prioritise Systems: Identify all data sources, then prioritise those with the greatest impact on performance.
- Choose Interoperable Tools: Select flexible, API-ready platforms that integrate smoothly with existing systems.
- Automate Key Processes: Reduce manual data handling by automating segmentation, syncing, and reporting.
- Maintain and Optimise Continuously: Set regular checkpoints to review data flows, fix issues, and align with evolving business needs.
Turn Fragmented Data into Fan-Centric Strategy
Fragmented data limits your ability to connect with fans, personalise experiences, and drive revenue. Fixing it takes more than tools, it takes strategy, structure, and long-term discipline. The steps above show how to move from disconnection to clarity.
We help sports organisations design and deliver data ecosystems that unlock real value. Whether it's building centralised fan profiles or optimising digital journeys, we understand what it takes to make data work for you, not against you.
Ready to unify your fan data? Let’s go!
