Company Overview

Kew Park Rangers Football Club (KPR) is a community-focused football club based in Kew, London. Established in 1999, the club has grown significantly and now boasts over 1,000 playing members, ranging from toddlers to adults, including both male and female teams. KPR operates as a Charter Standard Community Club, emphasizing inclusivity by welcoming children of all skill levels, fitness levels, and genders. KEWTW9.ORG The club's primary home is the North Sheen Recreation Ground, known locally as "The Rec," located in Dancer Road, Kew. This facility offers football pitches, playgrounds, and a sports pavilion clubhouse. Due to its expanding membership, KPR has also partnered with the Richmond Athletic Association to utilize the Richmond Athletic Ground for training sessions and matches. RICHMOND.NUB.NEWS KPR is managed by parent volunteers who dedicate their time to coaching, administration, and the overall running of the club. This volunteer-driven approach has made KPR an integral part of the local community. The club has received several accolades, including the FA National Standard Charter Community Club of the Year award in 2015.

Name: Kew Park Rangers

Website: kewparkrangers.co.uk

Industry: Sports, Recreation

Location: London, UK

Specialities: Youth Development Programs, Community Engagement, Adult Leagues & Teams, Coaching & Training Services, Football Camps & Clinics, Competitive Football Tournaments, Club Events & Socials, Facilities & Equipment, Player Pathways.

Client Request

Objective: Kew Park Rangers FC needed a new, modern, and functional website to improve the user experience for their club members and visitors. They wanted to create a better online presence that included club information, event management, a registration system for teams, and news/blog functionality. The goal was to have a platform that is easy to manage for their team, intuitive for users, and mobile-friendly.

Requirements:

• Develop a new WordPress website with a clean, sports-focused design
• Implement custom team registration forms and event management features
• Incorporate a blog/news section for club updates
• Improve club member interaction and communication features
• Ensure website is responsive and optimized for mobile users
• Include a dynamic gallery section to showcase club activities
• Integrate social media feeds and display upcoming events
• SEO optimization for better search visibility

Challenges:

• Creating a website that balances both a professional sports club look and an engaging user experience
• Ensuring ease of content management, as the site would need regular updates for upcoming events, news, and other club activities
• Customizing a registration and event management system for teams and players
• Addressing the varying needs of different user groups, such as club members, coaches, and parents
• Meeting the performance and security standards required for a public-facing website

My Role and Solution

Role: WordPress Developer

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a custom WordPress theme tailored to Kew Park Rangers FC’s requirements
• Build and integrate custom forms for team registration, event sign-ups, and communication
• Create a user-friendly content management system (CMS) for easy updates
• Optimize website for performance, including fast loading speeds and mobile responsiveness
• Collaborate with the project manager and the Kew Park Rangers team to ensure the website met all functional and aesthetic requirements
• Conduct training sessions for the client on how to manage content and team registrations
• Provide ongoing support post-launch for any adjustments or additions

Technologies Used: WordPress, Custom Theme Development, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Gravity Forms (for registrations and event management), HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (SASS for CSS), Yoast SEO, Google Analytics Integration, Social Media Integration, Responsive Design Principles.

Solution:

• Developed a modern, mobile-first WordPress theme with a clean sports theme layout
• Integrated Forminator for seamless team and event registrations
• Designed custom post types for team pages, events, and news articles to make content easy to manage
• Created an event management system where users can sign up for activities, register for teams, and receive notifications
• Set up an automatic social media feed to display updates from the club’s social accounts (Twitter, Facebook)
• Ensured fast page load speeds and mobile responsiveness
• Optimized content for SEO and integrated Google Analytics to track site performance
• Implemented a dynamic gallery to showcase images from past events and activities
• Conducted user testing to ensure the site is intuitive and accessible for various user groups

Outcome:

• Successfully launched the new Kew Park Rangers FC website within a 1-month timeframe
• The website is fully responsive, offering an excellent user experience across all devices
• Kew Park Rangers FC team now has a more streamlined process for managing registrations, events, and content updates
• Positive feedback from the club’s management and users for the improved functionality and design
• Increased website traffic and engagement through the blog and event sections
• Improved communication and interaction between team members, coaches, and parents

Lessons Learned:

• The importance of thorough testing for user functionality, particularly with custom registration and event features
• Collaborative approach with the client to ensure their specific needs were met in the design and functionality
• Balancing aesthetic design with functional features for a smooth and intuitive user experience
• The value of optimizing the website for both performance (speed) and SEO to drive long-term traffic and engagement