Sports clubs
Engaging membership and lowering administrative burden with Vocdoni
Sports clubs can face nearly as much public scrutiny as governments, with elections of club
officials requiring high levels of security and public confidence. Technical difficulties can lead to
allegations of fraud, so sports clubs need voting systems that can be guaranteed to handle a
large number of votes seamlessly. At the same time, however, sports clubs are not
governments; rather than facing the scrutiny of election regulations, they are responsible to a
base of voluntary members. In order to maintain an active and committed membership,[1] they
need to ensure members feel heard by engaging regularly with the community and holding polls
for approval of major expenditures, changes to club policies, and other important decisions.
Sports clubs need secure and scalable voting technology that can accommodate a range of
decision-making types while reducing the administrative burden for club leaders.
Vocdoni can be a game-changing solution for sports clubs. Our voting system fulfills the
requirements of both large-scale official elections and higher-frequency member engagement
processes like opinion polling and voting on policy decisions. Members can trust the
transparency and security of our system while participating from their own devices, using an
interface that feels more like a social media platform than an impersonal governmental ballot.
Vocdoni gives organizations access to an award-winning voting system that is relied on by many
government entities.
The future of digital democracy in sports clubs
Research shows that the most successful organizations are those with an active and committed
member base. Recruiting new members is at least five times more costly than retaining the
current membership, and in a business context, "increasing customer retention rates by 5%
increases profits by 25% to 95%."[2] Membership engagement is key to retaining an active
community, with experts recommending frequent, low-effort polls and meaningful interactions
where members feel some ownership of the organization.[3] In the case of more traditional club
elections, distrust in election security or lack of transparency can significantly undermine
members’ likelihood of participating in elections,[4] reducing their sense of belonging within the
club.
Sports clubs already produce high levels of trust among community members, an effect that
spills over and increases the strength and trust of surrounding communities.[5] Club officials can
further become leaders in building community trust with universally verifiable elections and
various types of direct member democracy.
These include:
Election of club officials
Traditional large-scale election including all active members of the association. Members vote
from a list of candidates.
Vocdoni lowers the cost of administering large-scale elections while maintaining high levels of
security. Our flexible system allows for different voting types, such as ranked-choice voting, and
can easily handle elections containing millions of voters. Members can vote from their phones or
computers. Vocdoni’s real-time result tracking and universal verifiability ensure that all votes are
counted accurately and transparently.
Approval of major expenditures
Elections to approve or reject a proposed expenditure, such as a stadium renovation. Detailed
budget proposals are presented to members, who can then vote to approve or reject them.
Vocdoni provides a clear and straightforward voting process, enabling members to make
informed decisions on expenditure approvals with ease and confidence. The adaptable interface
could include a summary of a proposal, embed a video explaining the implications of the
proposal, include graphic representations of the budget or planned improvement, or all of the
above.
Changes to club policies
While many policies are determined by governing bodies, members feel more ownership of the
association if they are allowed to have a say on policy changes.
Vocdoni drastically lowers the cost of having a secure, transparent voting process. It also lowers
the cost to voters, implementing a seamless registration and voting flow on members’ own
devices. This enables higher-frequency, more interactive democratic processes, meaning more
decisions can be put to community approval. Elections could be simple yes/no decisions on a
single proposal or could include a more iterative community-driven process to choose between
and approve various amendments to a policy.
Member polling
Surveys to gauge community opinion on various issues or proposals. Members participate in
non-binding polls that gather opinions on specific topics or future initiatives.
Vocdoni provides an efficient platform for conducting opinion polls, offering insights into
community preferences and guiding association decisions. Non-binding member polling
increases member satisfaction and makes a membership body more likely to remain active in
the future.[6]
Case study:
FC Barcelona goes digital: A secure and transparent blockchain voting system with Vocdoni
Revolutionizing fan engagement with digital elections
FC Barcelona, one of the world's most renowned football clubs, faced a significant challenge:
how to engage its global fanbase in governance decisions while ensuring security, transparency,
and accessibility. The Consell Consultiu de Penyes (Fan Club Advisory Council) elections had
traditionally been held in person, limiting participation to those physically present in Barcelona.
To overcome this barrier, FC Barcelona turned to Vocdoni, leveraging its cutting-edge
blockchain-based voting system to conduct its first fully digital election.
How it worked: A seamless, secure, and transparent voting process
The election was designed to enable fan club members (penyes) from around the world to vote
remotely while ensuring the integrity of the process. Vocdoni’s technology provided a
tamper-proof, universally verifiable, and privacy-preserving election platform. Key components
of the voting system included:
- Secure and anonymous voting with 2FA
To guarantee voter eligibility and prevent fraud, participants had to authenticate their identity
using a two-factor authentication (2FA) process. This involved verifying their membership
credentials and receiving a unique code via SMS, ensuring that only eligible voters could
participate. - End-to-end encryption & universal verifiability
Vocdoni’s blockchain voting system implemented advanced cryptographic techniques,
including blind signatures, to separate voter identities from their votes. This approach ensured
that while votes were counted accurately, voter anonymity was maintained. Additionally, every
vote was recorded immutably on the blockchain, allowing independent verification without
compromising voter privacy. - Public and transparent ballot box
One of the revolutionary aspects of this digital election was the use of blockchain as a
decentralized and publicly auditable voting ledger. Unlike traditional elections that rely on
central authorities to announce results, Vocdoni’s system allowed any observer to verify and
replicate all transactions, check the integrity of voter lists, and perform an independent vote
tally. - Censorship-resistant and resilient by design
The decentralized nature of the voting infrastructure ensured that no single entity could
manipulate or block the process. If any node in the system was compromised, voters could
seamlessly connect through other gateways, ensuring uninterrupted access.
Results & impact
- Increased participation: Thousands of international members could cast their votes remotely, ensuring broader representation.
- Enhanced security & fraud prevention: The blockchain recorded every vote immutably, preventing tampering.
- Lower costs & operational efficiency: Digital voting significantly reduced logistical and administrative expenses.
- Improved transparency & trust: The system’s open-source nature allowed anyone to audit the process.
Why this matters for other sports organizations
This successful implementation by FC Barcelona serves as a model for other sports clubs looking to enhance democratic engagement.
References
[1][3][6] Jacobs, Sheri. The Art of Membership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2014.
[2] Gallo, Amy. The Value of Keeping the Right Customers. HBR, 2014.
[4] Mærøe, Anders et al. E-participatory Budgeting, 2020.
[5] Burrmann, Ulrike et al. Social Trust Among Sport Club Members.