A simple physical link to a deeper club story
A Heritage Tile is a practical way for a grassroots club to make one part of its history easier to discover. It is a slim horizontal tile that can sit alongside a photograph, trophy, shirt, plaque, room or other item with a story worth sharing. The tile provides a clear physical reference and QR access to a digital story, so visitors can move from seeing something in the clubhouse to understanding why it matters.
The idea is deliberately focused. A tile does not need to explain an entire club’s history in one panel. Instead, it can give one person, object, place or moment its own point of entry. That makes the display easier to read and gives the club room to include useful context digitally rather than trying to fit every detail onto a wall.
What can a tile explain?
The subject could be an old team photograph, a long-serving volunteer, an early club ground, a piece of kit, a clubhouse feature or a tradition that members still recognise. The most valuable subject is not necessarily the most famous one. It may be the item that visitors see every week but rarely understand.
A good tile story answers practical questions. What are we looking at? When does it belong? Who was involved? Why has the club kept it? What does it tell us about the people and values that shaped the club? Where the evidence is incomplete, the story can say so and invite further information rather than presenting speculation as fact.
Because the QR code provides access to digital content, a club can include more than a short caption. The story might contain additional images, a longer account, a recorded recollection supplied by the club, or links to related entries in the Timeline. The physical tile remains concise; the digital story can be expanded as the archive develops.
Where might a Heritage Tile be used?
Tiles can be considered wherever a club already has a visible heritage item or wants to give a meaningful location more context. A trophy cabinet might benefit from a story about the people who organised the competition or preserved the cup. A photograph might become an introduction to a generation of players. A clubhouse entrance might explain the building’s connection with the club.
The purpose is not to cover every available surface. A small number of carefully researched tiles can be more useful than a crowded display with little explanation. Clubs can choose locations that are accessible during normal use and think about how visitors will encounter them during training, fixtures, presentations and community events.
How the research works
Local knowledge is essential. Club committees, former players, volunteers and families often hold the information needed to interpret an object properly. Kohd coordinates tile research by email, giving the club a straightforward way to share notes, photographs and relevant details. The club remains responsible for confirming the local story and deciding what it is comfortable publishing.
This process can also uncover connected material. One photograph may lead to a programme. A programme may identify a volunteer. That volunteer may be linked to a ground improvement or a long-running tradition. Kohd’s Timeline concept supports this kind of growth by treating the archive as living and connected, rather than as a single fixed page.
What a tile is—and what it is not
A Heritage Tile is a storytelling and access point. It is not a promise that every visitor will scan a QR code, and it does not guarantee participation, or a particular result. Its usefulness depends on the quality of the story, where the club places it and how the club chooses to introduce it locally.
Kohd provides Heritage. The the Heritage framework is the agreed product terms. Clubs control their own local local decisions and promotion, so a club may decide how it wishes to present the tile, whether it forms part of a local heritage offer or how it is mentioned in matchday and community communications. These choices belong to the club and should reflect its own aims.
Plan one tile well
Begin with an item that has clear local value and a realistic source of information. Gather the names, dates and images you can verify. Consider what a first-time visitor would need to know and what a former member might correct or add. A well-researched first tile can establish a useful standard for future stories.
Practical next step: Email Kohd a photograph or description of the item you want to explore, together with any notes held by the club. Kohd can coordinate the research by email and help shape the route from physical Heritage Tile to digital story and Timeline entry.
Why this matters for your club
Protect heritage: The Tile creates a durable physical point of recognition while its connected digital story can preserve further context, photographs and memories.
Fundraising revenue stream: Tiles can form part of a club-controlled fundraising revenue stream, provided the club presents the opportunity accurately and does not promise an outcome.
Enhance membership experience: A visitor can see a concise recognition panel and choose to scan for the fuller story.
Reduce volunteer burden: The physical panel stays concise and Kohd coordinates the research and content preparation, reducing the need for volunteers to create every story from scratch.