Bowdon breaking new ground to aid recovery
Paul Rees shines a light on Bowdon, an innovative grassroots club on the up
An ambitious sixth tier club in Manchester is pulling its finger out by pioneering a revolutionary scheme for buying drinks in its clubhouse that does not involve cash or plastic.
Members of Bowdon RUFC in Altrincham, a club that was founded in 1877, receive a 15 per cent discount at the bar if they sign up to FinGo, finger vein technology that cuts down waiting time and authenticates age, meaning that it can be used at machines that dispense alcohol without someone being on hand to check the purchaser is over 18.
“We tried a card based system a few years ago but people tended to forget to bring their cards,” said Paul McKibbin, a Bowdon director. “With FinGo, there is a unique identifier for each individual member and there is no chance of anyone forgetting to bring their finger. We are the first rugby club in the world to use this technology.
“It is a prepay system so members top up their wallet in advance and add money when they need to. The advantage to the club is that we get money in the bank through the scheme and boosting our cash flow is hugely important at a time when we are getting ready to play again nearly 18 months after the first lockdown.”
The unique pattern of a customer’s vein is scanned at tills, verifying biometric signatures and payments in seconds through its cloud-based matching system. A number of supporters at Bowdon still have to be convinced, but the club is hoping that the 15 per cent discount and relative ease of payment will boost the demand once the new season starts next month.
“It is like an Oyster card without the plastic,” said McKibbin. “We implemented the scheme during a quiet part of the year and it has been a fight to get members enrolled, but it is early days. We have 116 signed up and 600 to go. We hope to have half of them signed up before Christmas as they watch games and attend functions. Unlike a wallet or a phone, your finger will never be stolen, making it a safer way to pay.”
Simon Binns, FinGo’s chief marketing officer, has had conversations with the Rugby Football Union about bringing the technology to Twickenham and, as a referee and coach in north Wales, plans to speak to the Welsh Rugby Union.
“Twickenham lose 20 per cent on cash going missing,” he said. “That is a big sum and is a reason why the drive to go cashless makes economic sense. We were keen to become involved with a rugby club and I had connections with Bowdon which made it the ideal place to start.
“There has been interest shown by the RFU and we have looked at Harlequins. Trading Standards and Manchester City Council use FinGo for age verification and it means that not only are queues in bars cut at rugby clubs, but it removes the threat of prosecution for serving under age. It also means vending machines do not have to be attended and it suits any club which is looking to keep revenue flowing at
what is a difficult period for sport. It changes the experience for fans on match days and it adds value for clubs.”
Bowdon are looking to roll out the scheme to other areas, such as car parking and match programmes, and the fact they are the first club to use FinGo is a sign of their ambition. Their head coach is an All Black, the former Sale centre Sam Tuitupou, and they are ready for the new season having emerged intact from the lockdowns.
“We love our rugby here,” said McKibbin. “Sammy has some excellent ideas and we are looking to grow. We have spent a lot of money on our pitch which is superb and we have a good infrastructure. I think we have weathered the Covid storm better than most given that we have effectively
had an 18-month close season.
“We took advantage of grants and loans, but repayments are starting and we have had to make difficult decisions about staffing. It helps that we own our own ground and have no rent. Other clubs have not been so lucky and with some of them not taking advantage of grants which have been made available for infrastructure improvements or new equipment, you fear that they did not see any point because they were worried about the future.
“We have a male voice choir and our function room hosts a variety of activities from karate to mums and toddlers. It holds 250 and it was busy for the first two Lions Tests: unfortunately, it was prebooked for the Third. Coming out of Covid, it is hard to judge
where we will be on the field and we will know our playing strength in the coming weeks.”
One of Bowdon’s products is the England U20 wing Ali Crossdale, who this summer joined Wasps from Saracens and who was set to play for England against the Barbarians at Twickenham last October until the match was called off after a number of the invitations club’s players breached Covid protocols by leaving their bubble and visiting a bar and a restaurant. A few months later, he was selected in England’s shadow squad for the Six Nations.
“We have a few Colts who are about to break into the England squad,” said McKibbin. “It would be wrong to say that we do not have issues recruiting players but gone are the days when Friday night arrived and you wondered who you could rope in to play the next day.
“You have to be imaginative and we have outreach programmes in schools. We were
a bit late in getting going on the minis and juniors, but we have 400 boys and girls at the club every Sunday and they are starting to filter into the Colt and adult teams. Having Sam at the club helps in terms of recruitment. He has a number of contacts at Sale.”
While the Euros this summer gave football in England a considerable boost with the national team reaching the final and reaching a new audience, the Lions tour to South Africa was not the greatest advertisement for rugby with the three Tests largely bogged down by kicking and closequarter engagements.
“A difference between rugby and football is values,” said McKibbin. “During the Euros, players would swarm around a referee like bees to dispute a decision but on the Lions tour any backchat saw a team marched back ten metres. A lot of it comes down to learned behaviour and good examples are set in rugby.”
Bowdon run five senior teams, five at junior level from the Senior Colts to the U14s, and six in the Minis section from the U8s upwards. Their women’s team is called the Bowdon Bees who train together twice a week. “It has been a tough time, but we are now able to look ahead,” said McKibbin.
“Twickenham lose 20 per cent on cash going missing”
“Sam has some excellent ideas and we’re looking to grow”