Before the pandemic, most cities were having challenges putting butts in the seats on a consistent basis. After an eighteen month hiatus what will teams do to become relevant again to their fan bases?
With social media being king in this day and age, it would be beneficial for teams to spend money on content and good people to create it.
What kind of content is the question? Do they do retro game viewings? Do they do “Where are they now”? Do they aim it for kids? All very good ideas, but probably comes across as too scattered if not posted strategically.
At the moment time is on their side with games not set to start until at least the beginning of December.
What group do you go to first? Getting your season ticket holders excited would go a long way to getting things started, but that only scratches the surface. I have always liked the idea of aiming towards kids and youth. If you get an adult interested you sell one ticket, but if you get kids interested, you sell to the whole family.
When the San Diego Seals were coming into the league a few years back, they put an aggressive campaign in the local area of meet and greets, Lacrosse 101 live and online, events for kids and adults having them try the game (with guidance from the pros). They were rewarded with exceptional attendance in their inaugural year, mostly because of the ground work done beforehand.
Treating this like an expansion team trying to get noticed in a new market is probably a good way to start getting people excited, and getting new people intrigued and interested. There are obviously some challenges with Covid-19 still prevalent, but as things open up…Teams must be ready to move IMMEDIATELY.
Another idea is what the Halifax Thunderbirds have been doing out of the pandemic. Many days on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, they have put team and community interest stories online, keeping their name on people’s minds. This is also a way to connect players to their fans, and vice versa.
Even the most die hard fans find other things to do after a certain amount of time has passed (the big 4 sports have suffered this after strikes and lockouts). Getting things moving now is of the utmost importance, and teams need to realize what is done now will make or break the season ahead, as well as the future of the team.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) has kept itself in the news by announcing a new franchise’s logo, had a franchise move, as well as having a press conference for the renaming of that franchise. The league has also announced new advertising partners. The NLL have also had their team of media people get online round tables with players, coaches, and alumni, as well as individual interviews out to the fans of the league.
This particular leadership group has seen the value of the internet, and have spent many hours refining how they deliver their messages to the public.
There is still seven months to the season, and teams still have skeleton front office staffs working for them on a part time basis. Now is the time to take advantage of a bad situation, and make sure the masses know they are alive, well, and raring to go. People are salivating for good news, and what better news than something to look forward to like the NLL season!
Gary Groob has been involved with Lacrosse for the majority of his life, whether playing, coaching, or covering the sport for the media.
An avid fan, with a real drive about helping to “grow the game”, Gary became part of podcasts about the game in 2010. Through the podcasts, Mr. Groob was given an opportunity to write about lacrosse, and the rest as they say, is history.
Through many miles (flying and driving) Gary has made inroads with the National Lacrosse League, Major Series Lacrosse League, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, as well as the Arena Lacrosse League, covering the leagues, their teams, and players, working for, and in concert with all of them.
In the year 2020, Mr. Groob was made the media person for the Arena Lacrosse League, voted onto the board of directors of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club, as well as being made administrator of the Lacrosse page “Global Lacrosse” with a membership of 9000 members in over 90 Countries. Gary was also made an administrator of Lacrosse History Past Present and Future in 2022.
Mr. Groob co-hosts a weekly Lacrosse show on Spanglish Sports World, and ZingoTV channel 250, as well as writes a weekly lacrosse column for La Portada Canada News (both in print, and online).
Gary also hosts a Lacrosse talk show and podcast for The Edge of Philly Sports Network, seen live Sunday nights at 9pm (ET), and archived on the Edge of Philly YouTube page, as well as Spotify.
Mr. Groob’s other sports interests include Hockey, Football, Boxing, Wrestling, and Baseball, competing competitively in Boxing and Wrestling for many years.
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