Club games carry on with no defined plan for marketing

THE LACK of a marketing plan by Wexford G.A.A. has had a huge impact on attendances at club championship games over recent months. Over the last number of weekends one saw the G.A.A. marketing machine at national level in action for the All-Ireland series. It’s a great opportunity for Croke Park to showcase their games, the tremendous skills and excitment it brings at this time of year.

They push their product into the minds of people, since this is where the real marketing begins. Many companies today use a philosophy called content marketing.

It’s basically when you give something of value on a regular basis to your potential customers, to build a relationship with them so that some time in the future, when they need the product they sell or produce, they will choose you. It’s a soft sell.

So what does the G.A.A. actually sell when you get into the nuts and bolts? Community, a sense of belonging. An opportunity to gain the respect of others.

The last number of months represented a golden opportunity for Wexford G.A.A. to market their county championships once they resumed following the inter-county break. But for Wexford G.A.A. it was a lost opportunity with simply no effort made to market the resumption of the county championships.

Wexford G.A.A. could do well to follow the marketing strategy of Irish rugby and Leinster rugby who have made the game matter to people who did not know it really existed. This is one of the marketing stories of the modern era, since the oval ball has now spread rapidly through every town and county throughout the country.

Each and every sport is now busy marketing their games or whatever sport they have adopted. But this is simply not the case with Wexford G.A.A. who have failed miserably when it comes to marketing the county championships.

For each championship weekend they produce a programme with a cover charge that is largely irrevelant, with many teams repeated from earlier round games, while some clubs choose not to provide teams with others not even playing to the numbers on the programme.

But once the championship resumed it was an opportunity to bring sponsors together on a weekly basis for hurling and football, and provide player representatives from each club for media interviews.

The aim should have been to bulk up content in the promotion of games each weekend, giving both the games and players a real status, and a semblance of importance, while also bringing the importance of club to each parish.

For Wexford G.A.A., public relations has been put very much on the back bruner. The year started with the banning of local media from County Board meetings, while some members of the county management committee fail to communicate, even verbally, with local media.

This is a structure that is now coming back to haunt Wexford G.A.A. while also impacting on their attendances. Just on 2,700 people attended two Senior hurling quarter-finals on Sunday with only a meagre attendance at the previous day’s quarter-finals, while less than 200 attended two Intermediate hurling championship games in Hollymount.

The clubs are putting in a huge effort but they are being neglected at county level, and handed a championship time frame that is simply unsustainable, with the dual clubs being asked to play successive weekends.

Three clubs figured in last weekend’s Senior hurling quarter-finals, and they are being asked to play Senior football semi-finals this Sunday. Much similiar applies to the other grades.

So it will be interesting to watch attendances this weekend, particularly with County Board contemplating an increase in admission from €10 to €15 for adults, and €5 to €10 for old age pensioners and students. This is the most up-to-date marketing strategy for Wexford G.A.A.

Last weekend’s quarter-finals may have failed to produce the festival of hurling one had anticipated. Despite this it was marvellous to see Naomh Eanna qualify for their first Senior semi-final since 1984 (when they lost to Faythe Harriers), while Enniscorthy Rapparees have also bounced back into the big time and will now face Oulart The-Ballagh, with Gorey meeting St. Martin’s.