Stars head to country

[Super Cronk]

This is part of an article from foxsports.com.au:

RUGBY league will launch a comprehensive public relations push next month using leading players to promote the 2006 premiership in country areas.


The sweep will cover thousands of kilometres in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

further down:

The Melbourne Storm will head in the opposite direction and make appearances at Albury on the NSW-Victoria border as well as Lavington and Walla Walla.

Entire article can be viewed here:

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,86 ... 14,00.html

[lotti]

damn no Rocky stops.

[TC]

The Melbourne Storm will head in the opposite direction and make appearances at Albury on the NSW-Victoria border as well as Lavington and Walla Walla.

Read Albury (in NSW), Lavington (aka North Albury) and a whistle stop 60 miles north of Albury. So much for promoting the game in Victoria. 

I thought they were the ****ing Melbourne Storm. You know, like in Melbourne Victoria?
Not the bloody Southern NSW Storm.

Trials in Central NSW and Queensland. A promotional tour of Southern NSW.

What about Bendigo, Ballarat, Sale, Shepparton, Morwell, Geelong, Hamilton, Horsham and so on? Places in Victoria? Places from where people might come to Melbourne to watch a game?

IIRC, it's the third time in 9 years Storm has done pre season stuff in Albury.

****ing ridiculous.

[Dani_]

TC you read my mind.

They need to get into regional victoria. its just freaken stupid.

[Super Cronk]

The Melbourne Storm will head in the opposite direction and make appearances at Albury on the NSW-Victoria border as well as Lavington and Walla Walla.

Read Albury (in NSW), Lavington (aka North Albury) and a whistle stop 60 miles north of Albury. So much for promoting the game in Victoria. 

I thought they were the ****ing Melbourne Storm. You know, like in Melbourne Victoria?
Not the bloody Southern NSW Storm.

Trials in Central NSW and Queensland. A promotional tour of Southern NSW.

What about Bendigo, Ballarat, Sale, Shepparton, Morwell, Geelong, Hamilton, Horsham and so on? Places in Victoria? Places from where people might come to Melbourne to watch a game?

IIRC, it's the third time in 9 years Storm has done pre season stuff in Albury.

****ing ridiculous.

i agree.

What exactly is this $23 million from the NRL being used for?

[simo]

I for the life of am so freakin mad that they dont come to shepparton.
There is a new League team that started last season and a good country
league in the area with teams in cobram and so on.
There are heaps of samoans here also who are league fans.
Its pretty frustrating.

[TC]

Here's an idea.

What would people think if Storm did a regional promotion 3 Saturdays in the pre season.

• 3 Different towns. This year, Horsham, Geelong and Sale say. Next year Benalla, Shep and Hamilton, and so on.
• Advertise then play a practice game or touch footy match. In Horsham play the VRL. In Geelong play the Police Touch footy team. In Sale play oztag against the AirForce. Cheap beer and food on a Saturday arvo.
• Then offer a Storm Home Game package. Return Coach fare to Melbourne, meal at a Richmond pub - The Rising Sun perhaps, or The Vaucluse - general admission, access to the social club and a drinks card for 2 drinks. If Storm can't organise that for under a hundred bucks then they've completely lost the plot. You get people once, and some of them will come back. Maybe become members.

Or perhaps they're relying on all those people who are going to make the 8 hour trek from Griffith.

[Super Cronk]

is it the NRL or the clubs that decide where to go?

[pommy storm]

Being a new supporter of the Storm and also from a country area I find it amazing how little promotion or marketing of the club there is. Infact I'll ask the question 'do the storm have a marketing team and stratergy??'
I seems that they put a quarter page advert in the herald sun a few days before the game and expect people to be automatically drawn to it!!.

The suggestion about giving people in country areas a travel and game day package is excellent. What about membership discounts for non metro areas in order to subsidise transport. Myself and my wife will be making a three hour round trip for games this year and Im sure there is people who do much more.

Back in the UK clubs go outside of the traditional supporters area into schools spend a few days giving basic coaching to the young 'uns and then give out free tickets plus lots of merchandise (stickers, pencils etc).

It seems that the Storm marketing people are relying on the die hard rugby supporters. lets inspire the curious, uninitiated and ignorant (in rugby league terms) folk of melbourne to take a look at this great sport and (potentially) great team

[steaming stormer]

the vrl/storm do go into the schools, but it is organised by the teachers... my gf organised it for her school in werribee last year.  I think the club and the VRL need to be proactive and get the program into schools.  isn't that what the 23mil was for??

[Surandy]

Here's an idea.

What would people think if Storm did a regional promotion 3 Saturdays in the pre season.

• 3 Different towns. This year, Horsham, Geelong and Sale say. Next year Benalla, Shep and Hamilton, and so on.
• Advertise then play a practice game or touch footy match. In Horsham play the VRL. In Geelong play the Police Touch footy team. In Sale play oztag against the AirForce. Cheap beer and food on a Saturday arvo.
• Then offer a Storm Home Game package. Return Coach fare to Melbourne, meal at a Richmond pub - The Rising Sun perhaps, or The Vaucluse - general admission, access to the social club and a drinks card for 2 drinks. If Storm can't organise that for under a hundred bucks then they've completely lost the plot. You get people once, and some of them will come back. Maybe become members.

Or perhaps they're relying on all those people who are going to make the 8 hour trek from Griffith.

Spot on TC, some great suggestions. I remember early on the Storm, Geelong Cats and the Vic Police used to have a touch league charity event annually at Kardinia Park. Word was that it stopped due to injury concerns.

[yakstorm]

The original plan of these QANTAS Community Carnival trips was for the NRL team to play a local rep side, so it was going to be Storm vs a Goulburn Murray select team.  Due to facility requirements, the only near enough ground to suit the requirements of the sponsors and teams was in Lavington....

That idea was scrapped, so I don't know why they couldn't of started the Storm in Wodonga, gone to visit a few of the clubs in the GMRL region, perhaps Wangaratta, Benella, Shepparton? They could then go down to Bendigo, a nice town on the way, and has potential for getting league going.

Pop down to either Ballarat or Arart, both those towns play League, reward the locals there, and then they could come back in via Geelong.

[Thunderstruck]

Storm had the Ballarat promo drive sometime ago, they should follow it up.

[lotti]

is it the NRL or the clubs that decide where to go?

I'm not sure but the reason the NRL governing body decide to have Origin 3 is to promote the game more in Victoria.  I know that the Broncos and the Cowboys are coming to Rocky for a trial game(I'm not going to it, I only like the Cowboys because their the local club), Manly and the Sharks(I give the sharks up and they come here) are probably going to send their PL sides here as well.  I wish the Storm would send their PL side up here again.

[Mike_The_Undertaker]

You should be nominated for the Storms Marketing job TC.

Theres No "Official" discounting or give aways of membership or tickets to games "as that would devalue" the product the Storm are trying to sell.