In recent years, the professional baseball business has been undergoing digital transformation (DX) with the aim of updating fan services and improving the satisfaction of spectators.

This time, we spoke with Ryosuke Iwane, Manager of the Business Planning Group in the Business Division of Saitama Seibu Lions Co., Ltd. Mr. Iwane, who has been involved in system development since his first year at the company, spoke to us about the company's efforts to promote DX (Digital Transformation), the appeal of working in the sports industry, and the roles required for the positions currently being recruited.

[June 20th (Sat) Held in Nihonbashi, Tokyo! "Pacific League Job Fair" Entry Here]

To quickly reflect fan feedback: Bringing data utilization expertise to the entire organization.

Ms. Iwane previously worked for a life insurance company, where she was in charge of planning and developing internal administrative systems and customer services in the systems department. Ten years after graduating from university, she wanted to see what other companies were like, and that's when she saw an advertisement for "PLM Career." Through this service, she joined Saitama Seibu Lions Co., Ltd. in 2019.

Since joining the company, I have been assigned to the Business Planning Group within the Business Division. Currently, I am focused on "DX promotion" within the company and am involved in a wide range of tasks, including the use of digital channels such as the official team app and LINE, and the use of data in consumer businesses. As part of this, I oversaw the complete redesign of the official team app before the start of this season.

"We released this new app six years after its initial launch. The reason for this change was that we felt there were issues with the speed of development. Due to the nature of the previous product, even minor feature improvements required a full development plan, so this time we wanted to make it easier to make minor corrections. One of the reasons behind this was that we wanted to be able to quickly incorporate customer feedback and opinions into the features."

Iwane emphasizes that "systems shouldn't be used for the sake of using them." When introducing or developing systems, he maintains close communication with departments that are close to the field, and implements them while carefully considering whether the initiatives will contribute to solving the problems that need to be solved. Ultimately, the systems are a "means" to attract more fans and make them enjoy themselves more.

He then shared his vision for the future, stating that he wants to spread knowledge of data utilization not only within the business planning group of the business division, but throughout the entire company.

"Currently, when it comes to data analysis, we often receive requests from various groups regarding sales performance, visitor surveys, etc., and my group ends up handling them. However, I believe that if members of organizations handling tasks closer to the field, such as the fan club or ticketing departments, could each look at the data in their respective areas and use that information to consider future projects, we could provide services that better match the needs of our fans. I want to create such an environment."

Autonomy that can be exercised immediately after joining the company

Currently, the Business Planning Group in the Business Division where Ms. Iwane works is recruiting key personnel. The opportunity to become central to projects and work with autonomy from the moment you join the company is certainly appealing. In her first year at the company, Ms. Iwane herself was primarily responsible for the development of the old official app and the ticket authentication system.

"This was the first time the team had offered an app, so we didn't really know what was right, and we found the adjustments quite difficult. When creating the ticket authentication system, we didn't fully understand the connections between our internal systems, so it was a bit of a trial-and-error process at first. However, I think that was the first step in understanding the integration and mechanisms of our internal systems. In that sense, it was a very memorable project."

Despite the challenges inherent in this first-of-its-kind endeavor, Ms. Iwane has been leading the group since shortly after joining the company, leveraging her experience in system development and project management from her previous job. So, what role does Ms. Iwane believe is required of new talent?

"If you have a strong background in digital technology, we would like you to take on the role of providing digital-centric services and developing data analysis environments. However, we do not have our own development team. System development itself is outsourced to partner companies, so it will be necessary to communicate closely with these partners to plan, design, and develop better services."

In terms of data utilization, and from the perspective of spreading that culture throughout the entire organization, it's important to involve the surrounding members and promote various initiatives. Rather than special skills, I believe that communication skills and a proactive attitude towards taking on new things are extremely important."

The business planning group rarely undertakes projects independently; most of their work involves collaboration with various other groups. They emphasized the importance of strong communication skills and proactiveness in order to understand the intentions of others and create better strategies.

Direct feedback is received. The rewards of working in the sports industry.

Finally, we asked about the appeal of working in the sports industry and the professional baseball industry.

"Being able to do what you love for a living is a huge attraction in itself. And since most of my colleagues are also baseball or sports enthusiasts, we can work together towards the same goal. I've also been impressed by how cooperative everyone is when we collaborate on projects that span different departments."

Another thing is that we get direct feedback from our fans. Not only can we see the fans' reactions at the stadium, but we also get a lot of responses through surveys. When we hear comments like, "It's gotten better," it makes us happy. Lately, we've also been getting feedback on social media. There are a lot of harsh comments, but when we receive compliments, it's very rewarding.

And, together with many fans, you get to support the team and celebrate together when they win. I think that kind of experience is unique to the sports industry, and as someone who works in the sports industry, I can confidently recommend it. I would love to work with people who have a strong desire to play a central role in this kind of environment and help make the team even better."

information

The "Pacific League Sports Job Fair 2026 Summer by doda" will be held in Nihonbashi, Tokyo on Saturday, June 20th! This is a mid-career recruitment event specializing in the professional baseball industry, organized by the six Pacific League teams and Pacific League Marketing Co., Ltd. Applications are open until Sunday, June 14th. Check the special page for details.

PLM Career, a recruitment agency specializing in the sports industry.
https://career.pacificleague.jp/

Interview and text by Yuna Takahashi