VIKINGS IN THE COMMUNITY
WIDNES Vikings triumphed at the Super League Club awards after being shortlisted in four categories and winning one.
The inaugural ceremony was held at the ACC Arena in Liverpool.
The club was included in a shortlist of three in four of the six awards available on the night.
The Vikings were the winners of the Best PR Campaign Award for their Sir Bobby Robson Foundation shirt for Magic Weekend, in which the club managed to raise over £40,000 for the charity in 2016 bringing the total raised to £60,000 since it launched.
The Tackling Cancer #ImOnIt campaign also gained an immediate exposure to more than 22m people on social media.
The club was also shortlisted for Best Membership Campaign thanks to the Viking Stronghold platform and the Best Commercial Programme for the 2016 Grand Lottery which generated £40,000 of investment for the Vikings Sports Foundation while allowing several businesses networking opportunities
Widnes Vikings chief executive James Rule said: “The 2016 season was our most successful year as an organisation both on and off the field of play.
“Under our One Club philosophy, we continually reiterate that all of our achievements are only possible as a result of our collective efforts.
“The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation campaign in particular highlighted so many wonderful facets of our Club. Our members really bought into the concept and the profile of our entire organisation was taken to a whole new level via the medium of social media.
“This wasn’t just a PR campaign, it was a movement that epitomised the values behind our brand.
“Those values are created by our members and associated stakeholders.
“I thank you all for your continued support and I am sure you will share my pride in the latest piece of recognition of our evolving club.”
Vikings marketing director Brian O’Connor was also the runner up in the Most Valuable Player category.
He said: “It is a tremendous honour to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award and I was extremely humbled.
“For our commercial achievements to be recognised and our Stronghold Membership platform to be shortlisted re-emphasises the steady growth in our off-field organisation.
“We are extremely passionate about the club’s membership product and to be shortlisted as one of the best initiatives in the competition is fantastic. Membership across all levels offers tremendous value and is the lifeblood of our business model.
“If we continue to see growth in this area, I am confident that this will benefit our organisation both on and off the field.” ●