Slipper1 wrote:Here is another one...
LR is perceived as being an elitist "D4" club - what is the club doing to dispel these misconceptions, attract non traditional supporters and make rugby more inclusive to those outside the pale.?
Outside the pale true, good question, but it can be expanded to what are Leinster Rugby doing to expand the brand inside the pale, but outside the traditional rugby heartland. The Tallaght and Blanchardstown conurbations are bigger than every other city on the Island, Cork excepted, yet I've never seen promotional material from the branch in Blanchardstown for example.
My second question ties into this. With the exception of the excellent Donnybrook store, Leinster merchandise is very hard to get, apart from the first team and alternate jerseys. Shops like Elverys aren't currently interested in stocking a wider range from what I can see. Three of the biggest shopping outlets in Ireland are in just the areas that Leinster should be targetting, The Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Tallaght Shopping Centre and the Liffey Valley shopping centre. What is to stop Leinster Rugby considering going into partnership with one of the Sports retail chains, like Elverys, JJB, Lifestyle or Champion Sports whereby we lease a proportion of floor space, brand it a "Leinster Rugby Store" and stock it with a more comprehensive range of merchandise. Then we use these stores, with promotional appearances by some of the World Class stars in the Leinster team as beachheads in our expansion into the areas they are based in. The partners win as the presence of the stores on their floor space will drive business to them, and the presense of the likes of BOD or D'Arcy or Felipe on promotional duties will do similar. Leinster Rugby wins, both through expanded merchandising revenue and the increase of the level of interest in the team in hitherto unbroached areas.
here here!
