Street Soccer Scotland (SSS) understands that team support is crucial to reaching your goals – both on and off the pitch. At the heart of the non-profit organization is their Change Centre, a publicly funded sport and community center in Dundee, Scotland. The center works with socially disadvantaged people from all backgrounds: homelessness, mental health, addiction recovery, long-term unemployment, and criminal justice. They treat everyone the same which aligns to the #SameTeam messaging across the Change Centre, so anyone accessing support within the center are referred to as “players”.

While security was critical, so was accessibility: SSS didn’t want a lengthy registration process that would cause long lines and deter participants. They also needed a system that could differentiate between groups of people checking in. “We need certain information from some people, and others not so much. So we had to make sure each sign-in process was customized for the person checking in,” says Hollinshead.

“I was adamant about having Envoy from minute one of opening day,” said Hollinshead. And that’s exactly what he did.

Promoting safety and community through visitor registration

At the front desk of the Change Centre sit two iPads, both running Envoy. “We’ve signed in every single person since the opening of the building,” says Hollinshead. This has made periods of high growth more manageable because “all admin and reception work is totally absolved.”

Initially, SSS set up distinct sign-in flows for staff members and each kind of visitor: players, volunteers, and charity partners. Upon arrival, each visitor provides basic contact information and takes a photo for security. New players also sign a code of conduct and media disclaimer. And to comply with Scottish government guidelines, the Change Centre includes Covid screening questions in all sign-in flows.

“Here at the Change Centre, we measure success in player journeys,” says Hollinshead. “However, our charity sponsors look at how many programs we deliver and how many people we reach. This was an opportunity for our charity to show what we can do with the power of sport—how we can engage the community and support our players every step of the way.”

Street Soccer Scotland needed to show Dundee City Council the impact the center was making. Envoy’s analytics showed the Change Centre’s visitor volume had tripled month over month since opening day. The visitor type breakdown revealed the vast majority of visitors were players.

“With the ability to segment all the different sign-ins across players, volunteers, partners, customers, we’ve been able to showcase our impact to the council,” said Hollinshead.

Thanks to this visitor data, the council approved SSS to assume ownership of the entire Dundee facility, which included the downstairs pitch and upstairs service center.

 Envoy’s analytics give quantifiable rationale to Street Soccer Scotland’s mission. The center has welcomed over 15,000 visitors in less than a year, and can directly link that foot traffic to key programs.

Harnessing the power of in-person interactions

After securing their space, SSS opened up to the public, offering evening booking lets for a small fee, providing an opportunity to use the facility and give back to the local community. All the funds raised in the evening is reinvested back into the charity to further our social mission.

It’s no surprise that the center has become increasingly popular in the evenings too . To uphold security standards, SSS created a new sign-in flow specifically for evening bookings.

With vulnerable adults throughout the building, SSS needed to make sure they always knew who was on-site. Envoy helps them by alerting admins via text, Slack, and email whenever a visitor checks in, complete with the visitor’s photo and basic visit details.

“What we wanted, especially after social distancing during the pandemic, is that human to human connection,” says Hollinshead. By handling the front desk’s routine admin tasks, “Envoy gives us the opportunity to speak to people as they arrive, to say ‘How’re you doing?’. That can make someone’s day. Especially someone from a chaotic background.”

Making support accessible with desk neighborhoods

Upstairs in the community zone, service providers use Envoy Desks to ensure players can easily locate the support they need. All partners and charity organizations are assigned desks in different neighborhoods based on their department: mental health, addiction, criminal justice, emergency medical assistance, and more.

These service partners make the center a comprehensive hub of support: “You can play sport downstairs, get your clothes cleaned at the laundry site, then come upstairs for the specific support you need,” said Hollinshead.

Driving exponential community growth throughout Europe

“Our objective is first and foremost to help our players. It’s also to reach different cities and uplift more communities through sport.” Envoy’s analytics give quantifiable rationale to their mission. The center has welcomed over 15,000 visitors in less than a year, and can directly link that foot traffic to key programs. As the center’s programs and activities scale, visitor analytics help drive staffing decisions and understand volunteer needs.

“At the end of the day, the success of the building comes down to the community within it,” said Hollinshead. “Envoy is a great example of the power of technology to bring communities together.”