HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS are a club very much on the up – both on and off the field.
Whilst head coach Ian Watson took the West Yorkshire side to a Challenge Cup Final and top-four finish in 2022, off the field, there was incredible growth across the board.
In early January, the Giants announced that one minute video views had risen to 376.2k minutes, whilst their Facebook and Twitter pages had their impressions boosted from 17.7 million from 10.5 million compared to 2021.
That digital growth is something which new stakeholders IMG will likely be aiming for when they hand out grading criteria to clubs but Huddersfield’s Managing Director, Richard Thewlis, isn’t resting on his laurels.
“We have been led to believe that IMG see digital as a key growth area for all clubs and subsequently have made some investment there to enable us to be able to proceed along those lines directed as and when we get the unveiling of the entire strategy,” Thewlis told League Express.
“Our focus to date has been to increase numbers and, in that respect, have had some joy but the key will be to have further increases and to marry into the wider strategy for the game.”
That growth has also translated into more fans with over 20% more fans purchasing a season ticket for the 2023 Super League season.
“We will kick off against Warrington with just under 4000 season card holders which is up over 20% from last year so clearly we’re pleased with that,” Thewlis continued.
“Our challenge though remains like every club to significantly increase that and the number of viewers that we attract on television.”
With the direction of the new game under IMG, there has been much speculation about what the grading criteria will be, but Thewlis has called for people to stop guessing and instead focus on the here and now.
“I am a little disappointed in the constant speculation and comment around the IMG partnership to date and can’t see how it is helpful for the game.
“The reality is no one yet knows what the grading criteria will be so let’s all wait, have patience and allow IMG to do their work without the comments (which are guesses of course) of what other people think taking the spotlight.
“The game as a whole decided to take this route so let’s see where it takes us and for now let’s concentrate on the huge positives we’ve already seen with the likes of St Helens’ sensational World Club Challenge result, Jack Welsby’s MOM, Tom Johnstone’s debut hat-trick and, at my own club, the impending career milestones for Leroy (Cudjoe) and Jermaine (McGillvary) being quick examples off the top of my head.
“These are the headlines I want to see and ones which I believe will excite the new generation of supporters and viewers we all need and not what some administrators or media columnists think regarding what may or may not happen regarding grades of clubs for example.”