FK Žalgiris Vilnius: turning a fan app into the club’s most direct marketing channel
Client
FK ŽalgirisThe background:
FK Žalgiris is one of the biggest football clubs in Lithuania, based in Vilnius. When a new group of owners took over the club, they arrived with one clear goal: build a closer, more loyal relationship with supporters, and make the mobile app the main channel for it.
The club built it as two separate native products: Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS. The idea was right, but every new feature had to be built twice. Releases were slow, and the product was getting more expensive to maintain with each update.
Civitta was first brought in to add features and support the existing apps. After about two months of working with the setup, it was clear that the two separate codebases were what held the club back. The owners’ plans for the app depended on shipping new ideas quickly, and the old setup could not do that.
We proposed a full rebuild on a single cross-platform codebase, and then used that foundation to build the features that make the app work as a marketing channel.
What we delivered:
- One app for both platforms
We rewrote the app from scratch in React Native, so a single codebase now powers both iOS and Android.
– Full feature migration: everything from the original apps carried over, so fans kept the app they knew while the product underneath was replaced.
– One release cycle: a new feature now reaches iPhone and Android users at the same time, built and tested once.
– Room to experiment: when the club has a new idea for engaging fans, it can go from brief to the app store in weeks rather than being built twice. - A direct line to the club’s biggest fans
A post on social media reaches whoever the algorithm chooses, and paid reach costs money every time. A push notification lands on the lock screen of a person who chose to install the club’s app, which makes them the most engaged audience the club has. The app gives Žalgiris that channel, with no ad budget and no platform in between.
– Matchday notifications: fans get the starting lineup before kick-off, along with fixture changes and match reminders.
– Club news: player signings and announcements reach fans first in the app, before they appear anywhere else.
– Commercial messages: the same channel can announce ticket sales, new merchandise and partner offers to the people most likely to act on them.
– Community threads: the club’s owners comment on events and fans reply directly, which gives supporters a personal connection with the people running their club. - Attendance streaks that reward showing up
The fan’s season ticket now lives in the app, and the app counts every match they attend. Consecutive matches build a streak, and achievements unlock prizes and merchandise discounts.
– A reason to come to the next match: a streak at risk is a reason to attend a rainy midweek game as well as the derby.
– Loyalty the club can see: attendance data shows which supporters are regulars and which ones are drifting away, so the club knows who to reach and when.
– A habit, built match by match: a fan who comes for the reward on match three is a regular by match ten. - Merchandise discounts and partner offers
Rewards in the app are tied to loyalty, so the fans who show up most get the best prices in the club shop.
– Discounts that are earned: because discounts go to loyal fans rather than to everyone, they drive merchandise sales without cutting the price for all buyers.
– Partner discounts: sponsors get a direct way to put their offers in front of the club’s most engaged supporters, which adds value to the club’s partnership packages.
Around these features, the app brings together everything a fan checks during the season: fixtures and results, league tables, club news and the fan chants.
Project result:
Žalgiris moved from two native apps to one cross-platform product that is easier to maintain and faster to extend. More importantly for the owners, the club now owns a marketing channel to its most loyal supporters.
The features work as a loop. A push notification reminds fans about the next match. Attending it extends their streak. The streak unlocks a discount, the discount brings them to the club shop, and the next notification starts the cycle again. Each step gives the club another reason to be part of a fan’s week, between matches as well as on matchday.
Development continues, and new features are being added on the new platform.
What other clubs can take from this:
- Own the channel to your most loyal fans. Social media rents you an audience. An app with push notifications gives you a direct line to the supporters who matter most, at no cost per message.
- Loyalty needs a mechanic. Fans do not become regulars because an app exists. Streaks, achievements and earned discounts give them a concrete reason to come back.
- Build once, then build fast. Two native apps doubled the work on every feature. A single codebase let the club spend its budget on engagement ideas instead of duplicate development.
