Innovating For The Future: The EFL’s Innovation Lab
Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, explains how the organisation is reinventing the way its 72 clubs operate, engage and grow – powered by a pioneering innovation programme that is setting a new standard for the future of EFL clubs.
Innovation has always been part of the English Football League’s DNA. As the world’s first professional football league, the EFL has never shied away from rethinking what the game can be.
That ambition is now finding renewed momentum through a bold, forward-looking approach that is reshaping how technology, data and fresh thinking can drive the future of football at every level.
EFL Chair Rick Parry frames the challenge succinctly, stating: “Innovation is vital not just to ensure that we can keep pace with the global sport and entertainment sectors, but also to our mission to make clubs sustainable.”
That mindset underpinned the creation of the EFL Innovation Lab, launched in October 2024 and concluded in the autumn of 2025, designed to embed cutting edge solutions directly into club operations.
A League Moving Forward Together
With 72 clubs operating independently across the Championship, League One and League Two, aligning innovation is no small task. The Innovation Lab created an environment where clubs, start-ups and scale-ups collaborated to test real solutions in real football settings.
Nearly 200 applicants were narrowed to five endorsed companies following a rigorous process shaped firmly around club needs.
Parry credits the clubs themselves for the programme’s credibility. He says: “The process was collaborative by design with clubs at the very heart of decision-making.
“The support of the clubs which participated in the pilots was invaluable because it provided us with clear and reliable evidence on whether the solution provided value in a real-life club context.”
Thirty-eight clubs from across the EFL’s three leagues ultimately engaged in the project, providing broad insight into the operational realities of the modern football business.
Engaging the Next Generation
One of the EFL’s most prominent priorities is securing the fans of tomorrow. Young audiences are more diverse, digitally native and expect year-round engagement beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.
Parry acknowledged the complexity when he said: “It isn’t one or the other – we can still hold on to that sense of heritage and tradition while accepting that new generations of fans see the world in an entirely different light.”
Clubs across the EFL are already innovating in their matchday and non-matchday offerings, and the Lab is accelerating this shift.
Solutions such as Campaignware and Ivy Pass are enabling new interactive experiences for families and young supporters, while Field of Vision’s handheld device for visually impaired fans demonstrates the league’s commitment to genuine inclusivity.
“It’s a great example of where innovation can help clubs to be truly inclusive and representative… it’s the right thing to do,” Parry says.
Driving Operational Excellence
Today’s football clubs face rising administrative burdens across regulatory, commercial and operational outputs. Many simply don’t have the resources to keep pace. The Innovation Lab’s focus on process excellence has highlighted how technology can relieve some of this pressure while raising standards.
One endorsed company, Club DNA, offers tools that streamline contract and asset management, reducing errors and improving reporting.
Another, Aposto, enhances matchday staffing through skills tracking and payroll integration. These are not abstract efficiencies; they directly support clubs that are often stretched thin.
As Parry puts it: “Club DNA demonstrated immediate value for the two clubs they piloted the product with through the project.
“This isn’t just about freeing up resources or saving time, it’s about how we keep driving up the standards of our processes and operations.”
Preparing for a Rapidly Changing Game Football is evolving at unprecedented speed with data, AI, broadcasting models and global fan expectations shifting simultaneously. For the EFL, the question is not where to innovate, but how to innovate everywhere.
Initially launched in partnership with corporate innovation specialist L Marks, its success sees it now move into a new phase of development.
The establishment of the EFL’s first Innovation Club Working Group signals a long-term commitment to maintaining this momentum and is giving clubs greater ownership of the league’s innovation agenda.
And with many clubs already forging long-term relationships with the companies involved, the Innovation Lab has proved it’s not just about pilots, but progress.
“The challenge for all ambitious sports leagues now is how you keep innovating across everything you do,” Parry concludes.
Images: EFL
