Bulgaria's leading sports media platform has significantly enhanced user engagement through a sophisticated loyalty system. Their leaderboards are a core component of this ecosystem, working alongside badges, points, and tiers. The platform's leaderboard implementation demonstrates how competitive rankings function within a broader loyalty framework to drive user participation, create healthy competition, and establish long-term engagement pathways.
Fans United Implementation Background
With over 16 years of building a strong digital presence in Bulgarian sports media, this platform has established remarkable user loyalty, with 60% of their users visiting more than 100 times monthly. Despite this strong foundation, the platform sought to transform passive content consumption into active participation.
Their journey with Fans United features began in January 2023, starting with prediction-based gamification elements like Top X, Match Quiz, and Predictions. The platform expanded this approach by adding comprehensive loyalty features including leaderboards, tiers, points, and badges to create a full engagement ecosystem with special emphasis on competitive rankings.
Platform Integration
The platform has a dedicated section for all Fans United functionality, where users can access various gamification features. Once users click on "Games," they're redirected to a page containing all types of games and a navigation menu providing access to Top X, Match Quiz, Either/Or games, classic quizzes, previous games and the comprehensive rankings system.
Leaderboards are seamlessly integrated into the user experience, with rankings prominently displayed and easily accessible from the main navigation. The system ensures users can always view their standing relative to others, creating a sense of healthy competition and achievement.
The Games landing page featuring prominent navigation menu and a dedicated Rankings page
The two-tier leaderboard navigation system in action: users first select a category, then choose a specific leaderboard and can instantly see their own ranking (#1156) alongside others' rankings
Leaderboard Categories
The platform has implemented a structured leaderboard system across three main categories, each serving different user interests and engagement goals:
League/Competition Leaderboards
The platform offers dedicated leaderboards for eight major football leagues and competitions: Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga & Efbet Liga. These leaderboards track user performance in predictions related to specific competitions, allowing fans to demonstrate their expertise in particular leagues.
Team-Based Leaderboards
For fans devoted to specific clubs, the platform provides team-focused leaderboards covering:
- Popular Bulgarian teams (including Levski, CSKA-Sofia, Ludogorets, and Lokomotiv Plovdiv)
- Top teams from Europe's five major leagues (Bundesliga, Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga, Ligue 1)
These rankings enable supporters to compete against fellow fans of the same team, fostering community and friendly rivalry among the most dedicated followers.
Prize-Based Leaderboards
Perhaps the most engaging category, these leaderboards offer tangible rewards:
- Monthly leaderboards featuring selected matches from Ligue 1, Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Premier League, and the Bulgarian Efbet league
- Annual leaderboards with special year-long competitions
- Clearly specified rewards for top-performing users (for both monthly & annual leaderboards), typically sponsored by Carlsberg
The prize structure is always transparently communicated in the rules section for each reward-offering leaderboard, creating clear incentives for participation.
Annual rewards showcase the platform's substantial prize structure: a PlayStation 5 console, game of choice, and even a dedicated column/section on Sportal.bg for the champion, plus attractive products for other top performers.
Monthly incentives maintain user engagement with regular rewards including media exposure on Sportal.bg plus attractive additional branded merchandise and collectibles for other top positions.
📌 Note: A comprehensive leaderboard system transforms passive browsing into active participation! By offering both monthly and yearly competitions with tangible rewards, platforms create multiple engagement cycles that cater to diverse fan interests. Leaderboards naturally foster community while motivating increased user activity, making them one of the most effective tools for driving long-term platform engagement.
Related Articles
Learn more about our Leaderboards by referring to our articles
- Learn How to Configure Competition, Teams, Matches and Custom Leaderboards
- Explore our Leaderboards FAQ for answers to common questions