4B041E - Digital Communication and Fan Engagement (Online) 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 4B041E
Module Title: Digital Communication and Fan Engagement (Online)
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Sport
Faculty Sub Group: Sports Coaching
Module Leader: Adam Sherratt
Module Team: Tina Thomas
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100075 - marketing
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

  • Introduce key ideas and practices in digital communication, fan engagement, and the online sport environment. 

  • Develop practical digital skills in creating, managing, and evaluating fan engagement strategies. 

  • Encourage ethical, inclusive, and purposeful communication that reflects professional standards in sport. 

Content Summary

This Level 4 module introduces you to how digital communication shapes relationships between sport organisations and their audiences. You’ll explore how clubs use content, storytelling, and online communities to build loyalty and identity. You will learn to plan and evaluate digital strategies that engage fans, encourage inclusivity, and reflect ethical practice. 

Working within your own club context, you’ll create and test digital campaigns using challenge-based learning. Each activity helps you think critically about the communication choices you make, measure impact through analytics, and understand what meaningful engagement looks like in sport. By linking theory with real-world experiences, this module builds your professional confidence and prepares you to communicate effectively in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.  

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Problem/Challenge Based Learning 56
Guided Study 104
Placement 50
Formative assessment 30
Summative assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Apply principles of digital communication and fan engagement to sport-based contexts, demonstrating creativity, inclusivity, and ethical awareness.
LO2 Design and evaluate a digital communication plan using analytics, audience insights, and reflective practice.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Student Choice Applied Digital student choice, where you can choose the format that best suits your skills and interests. Whether you prefer video, audio, graphics, or short-form writing, this task allows you to apply communication principles in a practical, creative way 12 N/A 30 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio Digital Communication Campaign Portfolio, which brings together everything you have learned in the module. You will develop and justify a small-scale campaign for a sport organisation, showing how you use analytics, ethical considerations, and fan engagement principles to inform your work 0 3000 70 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Student Choice
Portfolio

Reading List

Are Brands Wasting Money On Sport Sponsorships?: A New Look at Brand Personality, Brand Equity, and Official Sponsorship Effects - in Journal of advertising research, by Wakefield, Lane; Wakefield, Kirk; Keller, Kevin Lane; Rivers, Anne, 2021-06-01 

 | Recommended 

Digital social engagements and knowledge sharing among sports fans: Role of interaction, identification, and interface - in Technological forecasting & social change, by Yadav, Jitendra; Yadav, Rambalak; Sahore, Nidhi; Mendiratta, Aparna, 2023-10 

 | Essential 

Understanding the factors that drive AI adoption among sports consumers – an extended TAM perspective - in International journal of sports marketing & sponsorship, by Schlimm, Joern; Breuer, Christoph, 2025-09-11 

 | Recommended 

Th e Impact of Sponsorship on Social Media Engagement: A Longitudinal Examination of Professional Sport Teams - in Sport marketing quarterly, by Naraine, Michael L; Bakhsh, Jordan T; Wanless, Liz, 2022-09-01 

 | Essential 

Beyond brand exposure: measuring the sponsorship halo effect - in Measuring business excellence, by Vance, Lenny; Raciti, Maria M; Lawley, Meredith, 2016-08-15 

 | Essential 

(Dis)Innovative digital strategy in professional sport: examining sponsor leveraging through social media - in International journal of sports marketing & sponsorship, by Mastromartino, Brandon; Naraine, Michael L., 2022-09-21 

 | Essential 

Real-time video content for virtual production and live entertainment : a learning roadmap for an evolving practice, by Frank, Laura, 2023 

 | Recommended 

The Paralympics on YouTube: Alternative content creation and the digital consumption of the Paralympics - in International review for the sociology of sport, by Petersen-Wagner, Renan; Lee Ludvigsen, Jan Andre, 2023-11 

 | Recommended 

Aligning governance, brand governance and social media strategies for improved organizational performance: a qualitative comparative analysis of national sport organizations - in Sport, business and management, by Lefebvre, Arthur; Parent, Milena M.; Taks, Marijke; Naraine, Michael L.; Séguin, Benoit; Hoye, Russell, 2024-01-02 

 | Recommended 

Managing sport business : an introduction, by Hassan, David., 2018 

 | Recommended 

Artificial Intelligence and Transforming Digital Marketing, by Hamdan, Allam; Aldhaen, Esra Saleh, 2024 

 | Recommended 

Making it real on social media: exploring authenticity strategies for sport and fitness influencers - in Journal of strategic marketing, by Massi, Marta; Piancatelli, Chiara; Vocino, Andrea; Rojas-Méndez, José I., 2024-11-16 

 | Recommended 

The Routledge handbook of gender politics in sport and physical activity, edited by Gyozo Molnar; Rachael Bullingham, 2022 

 | Recommended 

Digital marketing., by Hanlon, Anne Marie., 2025 

 | Recommended 

Sport communication digital ecosystem development: Lega Basket Italia case study - in Sport in society, by Russo, Francesco; Baroncelli, Alessandro; Munnia, Alessia; Romano, Marco, 2025-07-03 

 | Recommended 

Quantifying fan engagement in sports using text analytics - in Journal of data, information and management (Online), by H. Zadeh, Amir, 2021-09 

 | Recommended 

Digital social engagements and knowledge sharing among sports fans: Role of interaction, identification, and interface - in Technological forecasting & social change, by Yadav, Jitendra; Yadav, Rambalak; Sahore, Nidhi; Mendiratta, Aparna, 2023-10 

 | Recommended 

Routledge handbook of football marketing, edited by Nicolas Chanava; Michel Desbordes; Nicolas Lorgnier, 2017 

 | Recommended 

Corporate social responsibility interactivity and fan loyalty: exploring value-in-use in digital sports communities - in International journal of sports marketing & sponsorship, by Wang, Fong-Jia; Chiu, Weisheng; Cho, Heetae, 2025-09-12 

 | Recommended 

Digital Sport Marketing : Concepts, Cases and Conversations., by Seymour, Alan.; Blakey, Paul., 2020 

 | Essential 

Digital Sport Marketing: Concepts, Cases and Conversations, by Alan Seymour; Paul Blakey, 2020 

 | Essential