A team of six pupils from Northfield Academy developed and pitched their new Aberdeen FC app to the Club chairman, Dave Cormack, and fellow director, Zoe Ogilvie who runs PR & digital marketing agency ‘BIG Partnership’.

In January 2020, schools closed for another lockdown resulting in pupils being forced to learn from home or in their school hubs. Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT) coaches Laura Whitfield and Kieran Henderson supported Northfield Academy pupils to engage in online learning. By taking part in AFCCT’S ‘DONline’ learning programme, football quizzes and fun homework tasks, pupils learnt new skills.

In partnership with Aberdeen University Business School, pupils participated in virtual workshops delivered by Pamela Cumming, the School Engagement Officer at the University. The workshops supported pupils from S1 to S3, teaching them to design an app whilst also working on improving listening, problem solving and leadership skills.

After learning about the process of creating an app, one team of pupils decided to create and pitch their idea to Aberdeen Football Club.

Using family, friends, and school staff to conduct market research, the pupils generated ideas for their app. The group then produced a presentation on their findings which explained their target audience, app design features and why there was a need for it.

Throughout the process the pupils worked together to increase their understanding of research processes and target audiences, whilst also improving their confidence when presenting.

In a virtual call, the team successfully pitched their AFC app to an impressed Dave and Zoe.

Zoe said “We were very impressed with their pitch. It included good use of research and data, and they presented with confidence. It’s exactly the type of digital technology the Club is exploring to continually improve our fan engagement. If we do go down the route of an app- we’ll know where to go for ideas!”

The success of the pitch was also reflected on by AFCCT coach Laura:

“I’m so proud of the six boys. They all came out of their comfort zones in all aspects of this project and have learned valuable skills throughout, which was the aim in the first place. Having the partnership with Pam Cummings and the Business School has been a highlight for the pupils at the school and is something I look forward to continuing as the new programme starts in August.”