Powerful Ways of Using a Football QR Code for Football Teams

QR Codes and American football: complementary match, or incompatible disaster?  To the untrained eye, these may sound like two disparate entities, but as experts in the field of QR Code technology, we happen to know that these small square geniuses can benefit any industry. You may be surprised to learn just how creative QR Codes can be!

From using a stadium QR Code for marketing to boost sporting event attendance, we can already see its limitless potential in the sports industry. As the most beloved sport in America, we thought football deserved some undivided attention. In this blog, you’ll discover three innovative ways of using a football QR Code and how football clubs, organizations, and teams can start implementing one.

What is a football QR Code?

A football QR Code is a multipurpose software that can assist football players, teams, and organizations during in-season and post-season games. This solution can be used as wearable technology during football matches, or a marketing tool for campaigns. From assisting football players during medical emergencies to boosting the brand visibility of football players, this tool can be invaluable to any football organization or club.

Best practices of using a football QR Code

Select the right size

Once you’ve selected the marketing material you want your QR Code to be printed on, be mindful of the size requirements. As a general rule of thumb, the recommended minimum size to print is 2 x 2 cm (more or less 0.8 x 0.8 in). Anything smaller is considered unreadable, so use this as a starting point and adjust accordingly. Need some more printing tips? Browse through our QR Code printing guidelines for some pointers.

Customize

Black and white squares are so 90s! Don’t be afraid to rock some colors that match your style. Got a logo that represents your football brand? On our dashboard, insert your logo in the middle of your square, so any football fan of yours can instantly recognize your QR Code. And while you’re at it, frame your little square and insert a snappy call-to-action to attract more scans!

Always test

Prepare for any mishaps during the editing process of printing your QR Code. Is your dotted square readable? Did you link the correct content? Do you need to change the solution? Try out different digital devices to see if your QR Code is ready to go live. Treat it like an editing process before your code goes to print.

Technological developments in American football

Technology is no stranger to American football: Tech has been working behind the scenes, from safeguarding professional football players from severe injuries on the field to preparing players for upcoming games with digital playbooks created by coaches.

Tracking performance data

Football teams have been inserting radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags into the shoulder pads of football jerseys to track performance on the field. RFID tags transmit signals to electronic receivers around the football field, which then pick up real-time data about the players within seconds. With this technology, players can understand with more precision their needed areas of improvement, begin to work on strategies for their next game, and track their health.

Preventing severe injuries

With such a competitive, fast-paced, and physical sport, injuries are commonplace. To mitigate the risk of severe injuries, in particular the ongoing concern of head injuries, football teams have started using various wearable patches which can provide feedback about potential head injury impacts. Other technologies have also emerged to protect players, such as collars and headbands that work as sensors to monitor the brain health of players in the case of a brain injury.

Preparing for games

Virtual Reality (VR) headsets have been used to re-watch prerecorded games from 360-degree angles. The VR headsets allow players to enter a sports simulator which allows them to analyze their previous games, giving them a sense of being in the match again. With this experience, players can study their performance and come up with solutions on how to improve, helping them be more strategic in upcoming games.

What’s next on the technological ascent?

We believe a certain sophisticated technology has been overlooked in American football. Let’s cut to the chase — we’re talking about QR Codes. Although we’re starting to see some traction as it enters the public consciousness in relation to football, so far we’ve only witnessed a few innovations. Still, there are an infinite number of uses that have yet to be discovered.

How you can use a football QR Code

Given that we’ve only seen a handful of uses, we thought we’d throw out a few new ideas so you can begin experimenting! Whether you want to use our square symbols to start a marketing campaign for your football team, or on a QR Code football jersey, below you’ll find some cool examples.

#1 Connecting fans to football players

One can’t forget about the sacred bond between football fans and players. Social media has played a massive role in keeping the connection alive between fans, generating buzz around games, and updating fans about the most up-to-date football news. 

A great channel to connect fans from the field offline to social platforms online is through a Social Media QR Code. With just one football QR Code, fans can connect to the football players’ socials, boosting their online presence and following. This also gives fans an opportunity to see how their favorite football player engages with their followers via direct messages (DMs), comments, and other social media posts.

One way to step up your social media strategy game is by printing QR Codes on football jerseys for the team to wear during their matches. But to create hype pre-season, display a gallery of your players wearing their QR Code jerseys on your football webpage, giving your fans a chance to get to know your team on before the season commences. Learn how to promote your football players with style by adding a QR Code on clothing items.

A football player wears a white football jersey which has a black and yellow QR Code and number 18 in the middle.
A scannable QR Code on a football player’s jersey connects fans to their favorite players.  Photo by Eric Deeran on Unsplash.

#2 Raising awareness on important issues

Professional athletes, particularly ones with social clout, have a good opportunity to make a positive impact on their fanbase. Those players who use their privilege for the benefit of others have the potential to create a ripple of change in society, no matter how seemingly small that impact may be. 

Take Morten Thorsby, a Norwegian soccer player who used his platform to raise awareness about the current global crisis. Deeply concerned about climate change, he gathered all of his resources to start a foundation, a nonprofit soccer movement. His foundation is a digital platform aimed at empowering other soccer players to use their voices and work together to combat climate change. 

Any athlete with a big influence can use their platform to spread awareness, raise funds, and mobilize movements. If you have a nonprofit, charity, or campaign in the pipeline, our software can help you spread your message. 

Need some marketing tech to get you started? Read through our QR Codes for nonprofits page and collect some ideas right away. With an inspiring QR Code campaign and a powerful football figure, you’ll find the people who will support your foundation or cause.

Adding a Video QR Code to your ad is an accessible medium to introduce potential supporters or donors to your worthy cause. Use our image below as inspiration to introduce your cause to as many passersby as possible with a billboard and an introductory video. Get your target audience to notice your campaign by making your ad as bold as possible so your campaign message stands out.

A stadium’s billboard promotes a campaign with a QR Code, a snapshot of a video camera recording a man about to speak into a microphone.
Using a Video QR Code on a billboard is a powerful way to reach supporters for your cause. Photo by Gianandrea Villa on Unsplash.

#3 Using a football QR Code as wearable technology

Every time professional football players step on the field, they knowingly take a risk. And while there are many health professionals, medical specialists, and other experts on the field in case a player needs medical assistance during football matches, there are times when the severity of an injury may require immediate hospitalization. 

In the event of a medical emergency, injured players who have chronic health conditions, allergies, or other ailments can benefit from having updated medical records on hand. One way to speed up that process is with a medical bracelet.

With the patient’s medical history at their fingertips, the medical bracelet can provide medical professionals with vital info that can save lives. An even faster way of retrieving a patient’s medical history is by scanning a QR Code. Pairing a medical bracelet with a football QR Code could help medical professionals easily access the players’ patient history within seconds, meaning not a wick of time is wasted during a medical emergency.

As a preventative measure, football players who have these kinds of health ailments can wear a QR Code bracelet during matches so that their health is protected at all times.

A person with blue gloves touches another person’s medical bracelet.
Wearing a QR Code medical bracelet could help save an injured football player’s life. Photo by MedicAlert UK on Unsplash.

Final thoughts

Tech continues to make leaps and bounds in industries far and wide. And you know what? QR Codes are moving on the same upward trajectory. They may look square and plain on the surface, but that’s no reason to put them in a box! QR Codes are more than a wearable technology, these squares are storage units, marketing wizards, digital connectors, and a lot more! As we look to the future, we can see a football QR Code playing a supporting role in the booming American football industry.

Author
Robyn Albertyn

Robyn Albertyn is a content writer for Bitly from Cape Town, South Africa. She’s previously written about preventative health and wellness, and specializes in creative writing and copywriting. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her hiking up majestic mountains, or discovering the best coffee hotspots in her city. Feel free to say hi to her on LinkedIn.

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