Sunday, January 18, 2009
A Sports Fan Competitive Analysis: Grow the Base for Women's Sports
Last evening, I went to a NCAA Women's Division 1 basketball game. I noticed that I have more friends on Facebook than people were in the stands for the game.
Let me set the scene for you, there were fans only on one side of the gym, while there were about 12 people on the sidelines in seats that would make Jack Nicholson proud.
Sure it was a Saturday night on a chilly weekend where staying on the couch probably sounded really good to the 12,000 people who might have attended--making the game a sellout. And, sure it was women's basketball, a niche sport.
What do women's sports need to do to sell it out game after game?
We encourage teams to audit their fan experience from the street to the seat. Our evaluation includes a report-like analysis with benchmarks from competing programs in the market. Here are a few thoughts.
1) Winning, of course, cures all ills.
2) Create your sphere of influence and get to know them and what they want/need from your program. Develop your "Super 100" fan base: youth coaches, teachers, donors and corporate partners. Just think about these 100 people and if they brought or influenced 50 people to go to a game. That's a great start.
3) Grow the fan relationship--start with the kids at summer camps to youth clubs and schools. Create a schedule of community engagements with players, i.e. send each player to a youth basketball team practice once a month. This sounds like a no-brainer but it's not being done by most programs.
4) Make it fun and interactive. Use your video board as you do with the men's game, invite an honorary coach of the game, serve the same concesssion-stand food that you serve at the men's game. Make it so much fun that the kids are bugging their parents, coaches to bring them back.
5) Collect fan contact information at every opportunity: at the games, at community events and on-line. Set goals for the collection of names, emails and addresses.
It is also crucial to track your progress to see what is working and what needs improvement. Create your scorecard and engage your staff--all of your staff from coaches to operations, to help improve the fan experience.
Let me set the scene for you, there were fans only on one side of the gym, while there were about 12 people on the sidelines in seats that would make Jack Nicholson proud.
Sure it was a Saturday night on a chilly weekend where staying on the couch probably sounded really good to the 12,000 people who might have attended--making the game a sellout. And, sure it was women's basketball, a niche sport.
What do women's sports need to do to sell it out game after game?
We encourage teams to audit their fan experience from the street to the seat. Our evaluation includes a report-like analysis with benchmarks from competing programs in the market. Here are a few thoughts.
1) Winning, of course, cures all ills.
2) Create your sphere of influence and get to know them and what they want/need from your program. Develop your "Super 100" fan base: youth coaches, teachers, donors and corporate partners. Just think about these 100 people and if they brought or influenced 50 people to go to a game. That's a great start.
3) Grow the fan relationship--start with the kids at summer camps to youth clubs and schools. Create a schedule of community engagements with players, i.e. send each player to a youth basketball team practice once a month. This sounds like a no-brainer but it's not being done by most programs.
4) Make it fun and interactive. Use your video board as you do with the men's game, invite an honorary coach of the game, serve the same concesssion-stand food that you serve at the men's game. Make it so much fun that the kids are bugging their parents, coaches to bring them back.
5) Collect fan contact information at every opportunity: at the games, at community events and on-line. Set goals for the collection of names, emails and addresses.
It is also crucial to track your progress to see what is working and what needs improvement. Create your scorecard and engage your staff--all of your staff from coaches to operations, to help improve the fan experience.
