Online showcase, cricket training resource & e-commerce platform

Root Academy Case Study

Take the first step

Piece of cake

“My website is unbelievably easy to use. The it’seeze team has done all the hard work by getting the website set up exactly as I wanted it, making changes is a piece of cake.

The monthly subscription is worth every penny. Just to know that you’re always safe, secure and up-to-date. It’s emails too - you forget how important your emails are and it’seeze supports you with those. Last year I seemed to be losing emails and the it’seeze team were able to identify and fix the problem for me in seconds when it probably would have taken me days to figure out.”

Ben Stephens - Executive Director, Root Academy

A cricket player diving to catch a ball one-handed

Cricket ball and cricket stumps with bails knocked off

The client

The work of Root Academy is focused around inspiring an enthusiasm for cricket. It’s a not-for-profit organisation that believes in a grass roots approach to ‘unlocking cricketing potential’ in players of ages and from all backgrounds.

Root Academy is the brain-child of Matt Root. Matt comes from a family with a long-standing passion for cricket. He is the father of England Test team captain and Yorkshire County cricketer Joe Root MBE, and younger brother Billy Root - a talented English cricketer who currently plays for Glamorgan.

Take the first step

Root Academy is a family project that provides the foundations for a supportive community of cricket enthusiasts and experts. Ben Stephens joined the Academy as Executive Director in 2018. The long-serving Colchester and East Essex Cricket Club bowler took on responsibility for all coaching camps at the Root Academy base in Almeria, Spain, as well as promoting the Root brand and merchandise. An effective and professional website was key to achieving this.

Through its website, the Root Academy provides aspiring cricketers with valuable training resources that draw on the specialist knowledge of experienced coaches. The website also provides access to the High Performance Programme, which involves camps, tours and residentials.

The website

When Ben from Root Academy was first put in touch with the it’seeze Colchester and Ipswich team, he already had a clear idea of what he wanted the look and feel of the Root Academy website to be. He was able to provide some beautiful black and white photography, along with examples of website designs he wanted Root Academy’s site to emulate. His local it’seeze expert and the team at our National Support Hub worked together to create a design that combined the elements he liked and functionality he needed.

Working with Ben at Root Academy was really straightforward. He had a clear idea of what he wanted and is quite ‘techy’, so he just wanted us to build a website that he could take away and manage. Saying that, we always stay in touch to make sure he’s still happy and to help with any minor issues he might encounter. The personal touch and high-quality support is what we pride ourselves on.”

Oliver Brock - it’seeze expert, Colchester and Ipswich

Explore the Root Academy website

The build

The Root Academy website took less than three weeks to create from when the design brief was first received. The images supplied by Ben provided a brilliant starting point for bringing the design to life.

The site was designed primarily as a showcase for the fantastic work done by the Root Academy and receives a high volume of traffic from the Academy’s social media platforms, which get great engagement. The website also includes secure contact forms to allow users to safely enter their details and book events on the Academy’s calendar, and a simple ‘shop front’ for Root Academy merchandise and training aids.

"The site was designed using a bold, monochrome look in keeping with the logo that really makes an impact. In combination with large, full width images, the site really has a 'wow' factor."

Ceri Woolway - it’seeze Designer

Security built in

Today, Root Academy members can use the website to watch training videos, download manuals and enter their details to sign up for events and tours. The data capture is completely secure and GDPR compliant, and simple back-end access to the information allows Ben and his team to make sure they know exactly who to contact, with what information, and when.

“The main thing I like is that you can log on to manage your website and do what you need to do from anywhere in the world. For example, I was in Spain half a dozen times last year- but I could just take the laptop along and crack on. The website manager platform is really simple to use. Sometimes I click in and there’s a new feature but it’s so easy to find your way around, most of the time I don’t even have to contact it’seeze. It’s self-explanatory.”

Ben Stephens - Executive Director, Root Academy

The results

The website launched in February 2018 and Root Academy is now one of the 400 it’seeze clients supported by the Colchester and Ipswich team. While Ben and his team are confident using the website editor, they know that they always have their regional team close by for back-up, and the National Support Hub on hand for any time they need a fast fix or friendly advice. It’s a level of support that can be adapted to suit every different client’s needs.

“Oliver and his team are really proactive. If I haven’t been in touch for a while, he’ll give me a quick call to check everything is okay and see if there’s anything I need. It’s always nice to hear from him. The team at the National Support Hub are brilliant too - it’s the personal touch all the way - 2 seconds and they’ve got my website up in front of them, ready to take a look at anything I need them to.”

Ben Stephens - Executive Director, Root Academy