THESE days, it seems it is not enough to be entertained purely by top-class sports people displaying amazing athletic feats as they pit their well-honed skills against rivals.
THESE days, it seems it is not enough to be entertained purely by top-class sports people displaying amazing athletic feats as they pit their well-honed skills against rivals.
In modern times, casual fans, club members, sponsors and corporate partners alike are demanding more from professional sporting clubs as the line between sporting event and entertainment is continually blurred.
It’s a phenomenon sporting executives refer to as the ‘game day experience’.
“A night at the basketball is an entertainment night that includes sport, not the other way around,” Perth Wildcats chief executive Nick Marvin said.
“We believe it has to be a sensory overload for two hours.”
Breaks in the action are quickly blared out by a cacophony of loud music, acrobatic dancers, flashing lights and dazzling pyrotechnics and, inevitably, an oversized stuffed animal will do its best to rev up the crowd.
And the Wildcats take the extracurricular antics even further.
“Outside the arena, we usually have a petting zoo, a bouncy castle, free temporary tattoos, and before the game the dancers come out, sign posters and hand out balloons,” Mr Marvin said.
It is all done purely to benefit the fans, and more importantly, turn fans into members.
Western Force chief executive Vern Reid said the use of fireworks, music, mascots and even choreographed cheers at nib Stadium was designed to make a lasting impression on spectators who were experiencing Super Rugby for the first time.
“These people come along, and pretty much everyone goes away saying ‘what a great night’,” Mr Reid said.
“That group of people is the group of people we want to try and continue to attract back to the game.”
Members are the lifeblood of any sporting organisation and should be looked after accordingly, Perth Glory chief executive Paul Kelly asserts.
But this is not as easy as it seems for an organisation like Glory that is struggling to get back into the black.
Mr Kelly said the Glory enjoyed hardcore support from about 7,000 long-term members, but as the club has struggled financially over the past four years, it has had to cut back on member benefits such as exclusive access to supporters’ club bars and free merchandise.
“Even membership packs we had to cut back on, we just couldn’t financially support it,” he said.
“But as we grow the club and build it back up again, we’ll bring that back. As sponsorship is sold, and corporate membership grows, we’ve got to put that back into our membership and increase the experience.”
Fremantle Dockers chief executive Steve Rosich said members were the most important aspect of the club, financially and non-financially.
According to Mr Rosich, strong membership numbers drive the Dockers on and off the field, and ultimately underpin interest from corporates and sponsors.
He said as the Dockers’ membership had grown over the past five years, peaking at 43,000 in 2007 and seeming set to break that record this year, sponsorship opportunities had opened up.
“In terms of the number of sponsors that we have, that hasn’t changed materially,” Mr Rosich said.
“What has changed, however, is both the revenue we’ve been able to generate from that group, and also the value we’ve been able to provide.”
Mr Rosich said the Dockers currently had in place sponsorship support from just fewer than 30 organisations, but also partnership arrangements with more than 550 companies.
To attract interest from these organisations, there has to be a demonstrated tangible benefit.
It may seem difficult to believe for some, but signing up as a corporate partner with an elite sporting organisation is not just a ruse by sports-mad executive types to ensure they get prime position for top sporting events.
The benefits of sponsoring a top-league team, according to West Coast Eagles chief operating officer, Richard Godfrey, are many, not the least of which is association with a well-established and respected brand.
“When you’ve been a successful brand that really helps, and hopefully they see we provide good value to them and we service them well, through good and bad times,” Mr Godfrey said.
Perth Precast chief executive Rob Spadanuda said he jumped at the opportunity to become a premier partner with West Coast in 2009.
He said the exposure of having Perth Precast’s logo on the Eagles’ shorts and seeing it splashed in the sports section could not be matched by any advertising campaign.
“The beautiful thing about it is it does a few things for us,” Mr Spadanuda said.
“It says to a lot of our clients that we’re pretty serious about what we’re doing. We’re involved from a marketing perspective with one of Australia’s elite sporting organisations, so success comes to mind.
“We felt by aligning ourselves with that it would help carry us forward and we would also be recognised as a successful organisation.”
Direct Office Furniture marketing manager Tiffany Cosby said her company signing on with the Wildcats last year had been an effective exercise in public relations.
