Commercial performance and sponsorship of SL

[Gooleboy]

4 hours ago, Dave T said:

World Club Challenge sponsor announced by SLE.

 

BetFred.

There's no stopping this Elstone guy!

[Manx RL]

44 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

There's no stopping this Elstone guy!

I wouldn’t bet on it 

[Scubby]

5 hours ago, Dave T said:

World Club Challenge sponsor announced by SLE.

 

BetFred.

Do you really think that is a sponsorship Dave? Sounds like a perk.

[Damien]

On 2/11/2019 at 2:44 PM, Dave T said:

I love it. I really enjoy the 'will they won't they' dynamic of the game, and then we just play it again like we have for the last couple of decades without fail.

At least Elstone realises this needs to improve and the potential of the WCC. Once again he says all the right stuff but the proof will be in if any change occurs:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/14/world-club-challenge-major-revamp-rugby-league

[RP London]

18 minutes ago, Damien said:

At least Elstone realises this needs to improve and the potential of the WCC. Once again he says all the right stuff but the proof will be in if any change occurs:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/14/world-club-challenge-major-revamp-rugby-league

its a tough one.. common sense is its the last game of the season but then you are leaving 1-2 weeks notice for clubs and supporters to organise travel to either of the main countries or a neutral venue.. if you have it at he start of the season its a glorified Charity Shield (to use a footballs analogy) where 2 teams that could be markedly different from those that win the title are playing.. 

It will be interesting to see how they do it.

[Rupert Prince]

Exodus of brand sponsors from NRL.  Scandal plagued off season for NRL. Perhaps they need to add more matches in the competition to give these block headed players something to do!??

NRL... "I put them in my to 5 worst sports administrators..." "The NRL are hopeless"  So says Ben Parsons of Ministry of Sport  in The Guardian.

Lock up your daughters when the NRL are in town.

[ghost crayfish]

Yeah and the worst of the NRL players go to super league and all of a sudden we never hear anything about misdeeds! So either something about England miraculously makes them behave themselves, or players in England actually get away with a lot more due to the relative lack of scrutiny...

[PREPOSTEROUS]

17 hours ago, ghost crayfish said:

Yeah and the worst of the NRL players go to super league and all of a sudden we never hear anything about misdeeds! So either something about England miraculously makes them behave themselves, or players in England actually get away with a lot more due to the relative lack of scrutiny...

... or players get away from bad influences. 

[Damien]

On 2/15/2019 at 1:47 AM, ghost crayfish said:

Yeah and the worst of the NRL players go to super league and all of a sudden we never hear anything about misdeeds! So either something about England miraculously makes them behave themselves, or players in England actually get away with a lot more due to the relative lack of scrutiny...

Maybe a different culture and not the same outside influences helps.

[Whippet13]

Noticed that the officials in tonights Toronto game were sponsored by Ronseal. This brand is owned by the American Fortune 500 company Sherwin-Williams, they are worth billions.

[Chamey]

41 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

Noticed that the officials in tonights Toronto game were sponsored by Ronseal. This brand is owned by the American Fortune 500 company Sherwin-Williams, they are worth billions.

Ronseal currently have a 4 year deal with the RFL for England sponsorship, and are still Sheffield based. I suspect that the match official sponsorship may be an expansion of that, similar to the WCC sponsor seems to be an extension of the SL one.

So Rimmer's/Elstone's (edit: added Elstone) currently strategy seems to be ringing round the people already sponsoring, and try to sell them more.

[M j M]

10 minutes ago, Chamey said:

So Rimmer's currently strategy seems to be ringing round the people already sponsoring, and try to sell them more. 

Upselling? What a crazy thing to do....

[Chamey]

2 minutes ago, M j M said:

Upselling? What a crazy thing to do....

It's not a bad idea, but traditionally you want diversified sources of income. As far as I can see the RFL's sponsorship income comes from Dacia (when England play), GVC, and Ronseal, plus CCF/SF revenue.

The Ronseal addition to the match official sponsors (if indeed it is confirmed) was a good move because it's made them pay regularly, rather than just whenever England play. But there needs to be new brands entering the sport, rather than the same few paying the same, or less, for more.

E.g. CC sponsorship was renewed below what it was before.

Before: Excess of £1m/year, new deal is 'Seven figures over two years', and happened at the last minute after the RFL could find no-one else.

The WCC sponsor is the same as SL's as well, possibly very cheaply

The England team plays *very* sporadically, could the Ronseal deal have perhaps included back of shirt sponsorship for a high profile GB tour? With the Officials sponsorship chucked in as a way to placate them if it doesn't happen?

It's just all a bit of a mess.

 

You can see what Lewis was on to when he tried to get rid of the betting affiliations so that blue chip firms would head in, but that path required long-term vision.

[M j M]

1 minute ago, Chamey said:



You can see what Lewis was on to when he tried to get rid of the betting affiliations so that blue chip firms would head in, but that path required long-term vision. 

This is the same Richard Lewis who championed the Stobart deal?

[Chamey]

Just now, M j M said:

This is the same Richard Lewis who championed the Stobart deal?

Yes. The same Richard Lewis who expertly navigated the Sport England system to replace the money lost by turning down the bookies and more, while simultaneously trying to start detoxifying the sport in the eyes of the sponsors.

[M j M]

1 minute ago, Chamey said:

Yes. The same Richard Lewis who expertly navigated the Sport England system to replace the money lost by turning down the bookies and more, while simultaneously trying to start detoxifying the sport in the eyes of the sponsors. 

Cool. Look, I'm a fan of Lewis and his tenure was broadly positive.

But picking apart everything the current lot do is unproductive. Like Lewis they make mistakes and like Lewis they do some good things. But they've been dealt a particularly sh1tty hand and I don't think getting more money out of existing sponsors is a failure - and it's certainly not something which has just happened. I'd try and reserve the criticism for where it's fully deserved.

[Chamey]

3 minutes ago, M j M said:

Cool. Look, I'm a fan of Lewis and his tenure was broadly positive.

But picking apart everything the current lot do is unproductive. Like Lewis they make mistakes and like Lewis they do some good things. But they've been dealt a particularly sh1tty hand and I don't think getting more money out of existing sponsors is a failure - and it's certainly not something which has just happened. I'd try and reserve the criticism for where it's fully deserved.

Granted, I may be being a bit harsh, I suspect that it's just a buildup of frustration leaking out. But it's the sheer lack of any long term (visible) vision (from the RFL/SLE/RLIF) that is driving me up the wall.

What was the point in growing an England brand if we were then going to chuck in a GB tour this year?

Why a one-off 9s tournament (even if there may be an Americas qualifying competition)? Surely a five stop annual series going between Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Tonga and a rotating leg between PNG/Perth/Fiji/Samoa would be a better prospect? Get Aus, NZ, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, PNG plus two guest sides each round (say Wal/Fra/Eng/Ire, plus heritage Italy/Lebanon etc). Build 9s as a code that could get admission to the Commonwealth games.

Why would the RFL sides block a 'fully funded' NYRL bid, given that a moderate tv contract from NA could help massively?

Why go to Bristol in 2013 and then never go back?

Why the hell are Wire and Cas still playing in stadiums not fit for the 90s?

Why plough SE money into development officers and the like and then just completely abandon areas, and not even require the SL clubs to 'adopt' areas and fund development officers for them (e.g. Leeds have to fund some DOs in London and Kent etc)

It's just frustrating that the one somewhat long term project someone's tried (getting rid of the association with low rent firms and bookies) seems to have been shot in the head, buried, and then dug up again just to be pumped even more full of lead every time a new sponsorship deal is made.

[Dave T]

7 hours ago, M j M said:

Upselling? What a crazy thing to do....

There is something in what Chaney is saying though, but you are right, if you can just get some cold hard cash from selling the advertising space, this is a positive too.

But having fewer sponsors covering more assets isn't the model we should be aiming for.

[Dave T]

6 hours ago, Chamey said:

Granted, I may be being a bit harsh, I suspect that it's just a buildup of frustration leaking out. But it's the sheer lack of any long term (visible) vision (from the RFL/SLE/RLIF) that is driving me up the wall.

What was the point in growing an England brand if we were then going to chuck in a GB tour this year?

Why a one-off 9s tournament (even if there may be an Americas qualifying competition)? Surely a five stop annual series going between Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Tonga and a rotating leg between PNG/Perth/Fiji/Samoa would be a better prospect? Get Aus, NZ, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, PNG plus two guest sides each round (say Wal/Fra/Eng/Ire, plus heritage Italy/Lebanon etc). Build 9s as a code that could get admission to the Commonwealth games.

Why would the RFL sides block a 'fully funded' NYRL bid, given that a moderate tv contract from NA could help massively?

Why go to Bristol in 2013 and then never go back?

Why the hell are Wire and Cas still playing in stadiums not fit for the 90s?

Why plough SE money into development officers and the like and then just completely abandon areas, and not even require the SL clubs to 'adopt' areas and fund development officers for them (e.g. Leeds have to fund some DOs in London and Kent etc)

It's just frustrating that the one somewhat long term project someone's tried (getting rid of the association with low rent firms and bookies) seems to have been shot in the head, buried, and then dug up again just to be pumped even more full of lead every time a new sponsorship deal is made.

Oy, Wire have a great little Rugby League ground!!!

[DoubleD]

It's a bit much expecting Elstone to have pulled through a whole load of sponsorship deals in the space of 6 months. Large organisations budget 12-18 months ahead so he's currently got to work with the cards he's been dealt.

Let's review in 2 years time and see where we're at

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

It's a bit much expecting Elstone to have pulled through a whole load of sponsorship deals in the space of 6 months. Large organisations budget 12-18 months ahead so he's currently got to work with the cards he's been dealt.

Let's review in 2 years time and see where we're at

He was however taking control of some established stuff. Deals have now ended and not renewed, having people working on deals should have been a day 1 priority as the income pays the bills. 

Where I think your time point comes more into play is around making a real positive shift on the quality and value of sponsors, but the minimum should have been protecting what we have.

[Gooleboy]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

It's a bit much expecting Elstone to have pulled through a whole load of sponsorship deals in the space of 6 months. Large organisations budget 12-18 months ahead so he's currently got to work with the cards he's been dealt.

Let's review in 2 years time and see where we're at

You are very tolerant to give him two years! He came in on a big fanfare from that band of SL Chairmen who wanted to shape their own future, and I would have thought a salary to match. So he should start producing results within a year at most I would have thought. Jobs like he has got usually have a six month probationary period, so maybe he should be showing results around now. All I have seen from the brave new Super League world under this new regime is copying ideas from Australia as usual.

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, Gooleboy said:

You are very tolerant to give him two years! He came in on a big fanfare from that band of SL Chairmen who wanted to shape their own future, and I would have thought a salary to match. So he should start producing results within a year at most I would have thought. Jobs like he has got usually have a six month probationary period, so maybe he should be showing results around now. All I have seen from the brave new Super League world under this new regime is copying ideas from Australia as usual.

Yes because short term views and thinking have really benefited the sport thus far haven’t they?

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

He was however taking control of some established stuff. Deals have now ended and not renewed, having people working on deals should have been a day 1 priority as the income pays the bills. 

Where I think your time point comes more into play is around making a real positive shift on the quality and value of sponsors, but the minimum should have been protecting what we have.

And those companies would have decided to end those deals before Elstone came in. If those companies haven’t budgeted for it then it’s a bit rich to expect Elstone and his team to perform miracles 

[Dave T]

4 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

And those companies would have decided to end those deals before Elstone came in. If those companies haven’t budgeted for it then it’s a bit rich to expect Elstone and his team to perform miracles 

That isn't necessarily true.

The size of deal that we talk about in RL aren't necessarily the huge 5 year multi-million pound strategic sponsorship decisions.

For somebody like Specsavers they are probably just spending their couple of hundred grand elsewhere.