One of the guys who is attending the meeting on behalf of fans has collated all the feedback we have received from here and Facebook as well as our own ideas and this is the list we will be presenting to the club this coming Friday. Long read but some awesome points.
Its not too late to add your own 5 cents people. They will all be put forward and the clubs response will be recorded and reported back to you...
NZ Warriors Engagement Ideas February 2018
Memberships • Signed birthday cards from players to members; perhaps even an email with a video shout out
o Could be generic just saying something like have a great day and thanks for your support)
o Adults might not be too fussed but the kids would love it
• Celebrate/recognise milestone memberships
o Show names on the big screen of members at 5/10/15/20 years
o 20-year members get to lead the team on the field
• Discount per year for long standing season members
o Ie. 1% discount per year for a 17 year member would be 17% discount off membership
o Rooster and Rabbitohs reportedly do something like this for long-term members
• Additional tickets with a family membership
o Ie. Throw in a couple of free kids passes for selected rounds so kids can bring friends along
• Structured memberships; start with a basic package with the ability to personalise and dial up or dial down a membership by customising a combination of seating and merchandising options
• Is the Tribe area still ‘special’ and if so, what makes it special? It has lost its uniqueness
• An ‘Active’ Bay where you can sit/stand where you like and be as loud and proud as you want; people who want to be a part of that atmosphere can buy into that bay and others know where to avoid
• Other members-only aspects
o Expansion/development of the member’s tent; already a good initiative
o 2 players available in the members tent for much longer on game day
o Members only gate so that members can get into the ground easier
o Exclusive parking for members or free transport to the game?
o Discounts on food at the grounds and merchandise at the stores
o Have members forums in cities other than Auckland; Sydney for example
• Warriors Club Rooms
o With future re-development of Sylvia Park/Dress Smart, can we look into building a Warriors Club Rooms close to Mt Smart Stadium
o We are still the only club out of all 16 teams currently active in NRL not to have club room which is a real indictment on us (TBC)
o Temporary or pop-up club rooms; for example rent some car park space out front of Sylvia Park and put in a couple of marquee tents on game day with potential to run buses to/from stadium
Gameday Experience • Love the drummers but use seems to be scattergun
o To use as a ‘thing’ they could pick specific times when the drummers start and finish; ie. when the Warriors are attacking inside 20m line so crowd knows when it is coming and gets excited
• Halftime entertainment feels too complicated and lacking excitement
o Keep it simple with things like kick for cash, catching high balls or the best try celebrations
o Live music either before the game or at halftime usually goes down well
o MC is the best person to get the chants going and drive atmosphere
o Perhaps a season-long storyline (longest field goal or place kick) and this competition should be for the big prize at the end of the season, rather than picking the right key for the Suzuki
• Players to be assigned, or to choose, a song that plays after they score so each player has their own song
o Ideally they are happy, upbeat songs that the crowd wants to sign along to
o Ie. When Blake Ayshford scored last season and the crowd all sung Sweet Caroline
o Anything that gets the crowd volume up will help atmosphere
• Cheerleading; the move worldwide seems to be trending away from cheerleaders, so how about making a more visual/dancing element to the cheerleaders rather than just girls in skimpy clothes?
• Professionalism; it’s really important to get the facts right and run everything on time where possible
o Statistics on the big screen need to compare apples with apples; for example per game rather per than season if one player has played more games than the other
o Sometimes it is really confusing and the disparity would make no sense at all
o This flows on to any announcements of player names, including those of the opposition; announcing the wrong player’s name is inexcusable
o Ensure players who have left the club are not used in ads that they put on the big screen
o Cheerleaders having to quit mid-routine because players are about to run out
• Use the big screen more with additional footage; vote on favourite tries (current or old) or a player of the day with text voting which can update in real time
• Throw a tailgate party outside of the grounds where fans can meet up before the gates open
• Plenty of ideas to engage the kids
o Former players mingling with the crowd to get everyone into the right mood before the game
o Face painting set up in plenty of time so ready when the gates open, especially for multiple games
o Players not playing get out and mingle with the fans and take photos especially with the kids
• Improve the WIFI access at grounds for fans; fans would have a better ability to broadcast their experience at the games which in turn can drive up walk-in crowds.
Comments received about changing the security company for various reasons
Merchandise (Members) • Members only merchandise
o Voucher for store with member's pack; voucher size grows the longer you are a member
o Merchandise with name and membership number on it; embroidered and sent to you
o Merchandise to celebrate different milestones of membership (Panthers do it for 5 years)
• Choice of membership merchandise
o Members used to get bucket hats or caps; pin badges or fridge magnets
o Give members the option; they can pick up at first home game where they can choose Merchandise (General)
• Issue with sizing
o No longer make big sizes such as 6XL and Canterbury clothing tends to come up small anyway
o Do Warriors management have the leverage to change this?
Giveaways • Spot prizes/surprises; something to entice people to come every week
o T-shirt Cannons are expected nowadays; need to think about the unexpected
o Random draw for seat upgrades; perhaps a super-fan booth set up on the side-line that a fan gets to sit in for the game or even a ticket gets drawn, and that person sits on the bench for the game
o Random row receives a hotdog or chips
o Random seat gets a gift card for the store
• Gameday giveaways
o Flags, posters, etc.
o (Terrible) towels handed out to fans to wave at the game like the Pittsburgh Steelers; maybe get some sponsors to put their logo on to help offset the cost; smaller/local companies?
• Clever/witty banners tailored for the TV audience and held up next to the tunnel when the teams come out; they could be designated for the lower east bays and even stored at the ground for each home game
• Non-members to get a free ticket; such as a buy 3, get 1 free for games
• Raffles where people can scan their tickets somewhere to find out if they have won
• Prizes for future use; ie. food vouchers or 2 for 1s that expire in 4-6 weeks to encourage returning fans
Affordability • Prices on tickets and food are on the high side for most people
o Make the walk up tickets cheaper; anecdotal increase from $20 to $50 in past 10 years
o Gate sales (as well as season tickets) should be made a bit more affordable
• Issues with paying by bank transfer and/or cash and being charged to use a credit card
• Make sure all vendors at Mt Smart have EFTPOS with PayWave
• Free buses from Britomart, Albany and Manukau directly to Mt Smart and back
• Reward Loyalty
o Create a rewards platform to reward members and non-members alike
o Discounts on merchandise or food due to consecutive games appearance, money spent at the stadium, answering surveys etc. Ie. the more active you are, the better the rewards
Digital Engagement
• Fan Survey (opinions straight from the source)
• Embrace Social Media; more engagement from the club on FB, Twitter etc.
o Sports fans love to share content so support those fans that do share content about the club ; support and conversations with active fans could drive more fans to be vocal with their support
• Improve the Mobile App (It’s just skin and bones right now)
o Man of the Match voting and competitions for merchandise or ticket upgrades etc.
• More desktop and mobile phone wallpapers for people to use
• Free match replays; should have the whole season of games available to stream online
• Vodafone used to send periodic text messages to members with information on game day scores to player signings and re-signings, coaches, managers etc. Team/Player
• Big frustration for fans is the focus on effort and desire
o Reports suggest Alex Corvo will improve this but anything they can do either through social media or actually inviting fans to watch fitness/training will help
o Simply showing that the team is working hard, doing the extras and putting in the hours might help ease some of that criticism
• Player’s attitudes (to fans)
o We know it is hard after a loss but some players (
Shaun Johnson, Manu, Hoffman) set an example such as holding up the team bus at away games to make sure everyone got a photo and autograph
Community
• Involve the Island and Maori communities more
o Could have a Pasifika game where you have authentic food, culture and performances
o Celebrate these people who give us so many great players and provide so much support
• More open partnership with leagues club in the local Auckland area
o Don’t limit exposure to kids playing matches during game day
o Let them go around the stadium collecting donations from people
• Corporate sponsors do more work for the community including charity
• Pick a player or 3 to show up at your or nominated school and engage the children Domestic/Overseas
• (From CHC fan) Fan events prior to games
o Previously held meet and greets for games, albeit tied to fixtures in CHC
o Potential to send players down on a bye week for promotional work to make the difference
o Steve Price was always coming down and we would get to do photo opportunities etc.
• If viable with fixtures, have the team fly back from Australia and stop in Christchurch or Wellington for their recovery; have open training the following day and then fly back to Auckland the day after
• Potential promotion/auction to billet/house a Warrior with proceeds going to charity
o Players would be available to mingle with fans
o Imagine having
Shaun Johnson stay in your area for a few days and the buzz from the kids in the town
• More league clinics around the country
• ‘Away Fan of the Day’, for Australian members
o Announced the week before so you can decide if can make it or another member be chosen
o Personal meet and greet, a look in the sheds before or after the match, maybe some freebies
• Better away memberships; more than just the ‘Across the Ditch’ Single game option (From Sydney-based fan) I go to about 6 games a season including; 3 hour drive to Newcastle, 3 hour drive to Canberra, 1 hour drive to Wollongong, 2 hour drive to Penrith etc. yet as an away member (for 9 years) I get 1 ticket to a game a season. I know a Knights fan who got an away membership with 4 games away plus 2 at home. We feel we are the forgotten fans. Example; they organised a fan meet and greet after the Panthers game last season (which you had to pay to attend) but it was an hour drive from Panthers stadium in peak hour traffic which is logistically difficult. Perhaps there is the opportunity of having a bundle-type membership or something to be flexible for away fans.
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That's the lot so far. Plenty of good ideas. Happy to present any more so its not too late if you want to add a comment. Meeting is on Friday 1pm-3pm. If anyone wants to join and help present this list let me know. There is a place for one more so FIFS...
