Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :30 Page 1. Marketing Toolkit for Tennis

Transcription

1 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :30 Page 1 Marketing Toolkit for Tennis

2 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :43 Page 2 Tennis Ireland values the support of all our sponsors in the production of this Marketing Toolkit

3 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :43 Page 3 Introduction It is true to say that almost everything we do at Tennis Ireland is dedicated to the growth of our sport at national level. At Club level we believe that the retention of existing members and the active recruitment of new members must be one of the key objectives for every Club Executive Committee. We want to help and support our affiliated Clubs in this endeavour. On a day-to-day basis we seek to provide realistic and practical advice and support in the promotion of the sport at a local and grassroots level. With this in mind, we produced this Marketing Toolkit a number of years ago and we are pleased to now present this edition with slight revisions and updates. The first section sets out the advantages of tennis as a sport from fitness to fun to affordability, and is for use by Club administrators to promote the sport locally. The second section provides guidance and advice on how to identify and target potential members, and the various marketing channels available to reach them. We know that one of the most successful ways to present the sport of tennis and your Club in particular to potential new members is to host Open Days at the Club. Our research shows that approximately 60 Clubs hosted Open Days across the Country during 2014 and the indications are that the average recruitment figure per Open Day is approximately 30 new members. Tennis is a hugely popular global sport and for the most part Irish Clubs can offer great facilities and an unrivalled social scene. Make sure this is known in your community and remember the marketing mantra Fish where the fish are. We wish you well in all your promotional efforts. Des Allen Chief Executive Front cover shot: Irish Number 1 James McGee 3

4 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :43 Page 4 What is the product and what is the message? Tennis is a very marketable sport as it has so many strengths and so few weaknesses. It is a unique sport in that it can be played between the sexes, it is a sport for life, and it is easy for families to play and compete together. Over the following pages are set out the great benefits that tennis has to offer as a sport including fitness, fun, affordability and suitability for players of all ages. These messages and examples are yours to use to tell existing and prospective members that tennis is a sport for life, for everyone. Tennis is healthy Playing tennis regularly improves aerobic fitness, speed, leg strength, gross and fine motor control, agility, dynamic balance, coordination and flexibility. The average female playing an hour of singles tennis burns 420 calories while the average male burns 600. It is a non-contact, low impact sport with little risk of injury. Playing tennis regularly significantly reduces the risk of Ireland s three most common killer diseases heart disease, cancer and lung disease. Playing tennis twice a week can reduce the risk of cognitive decline that can come with ageing. Joining a tennis club is often a cheaper alternative to joining a gym. Cardio-tennis is now available at many clubs in Ireland. It is a fun group activity featuring drills for players of all abilities that gives a high-energy workout while improving tennis technique. See our useful links on page 15 for further information. Tennis is for life Tennis is a sport for life. It can be played and enjoyed by every age group and at all levels of ability. It is popular with men and women, boys and girls alike. Tennis gives thousands of small children their first taste of sporting life while keeping many older adults fit and socially active into their 80s and even 90s. Most tennis clubs have members with a wide range of ability. There will always be a tennis partner to fit age, fitness, health and schedule. 4

5 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :43 Page 5 Tennis is great for kids Learning to play tennis can begin as soon as a child can hold a racquet. Tennis is a family sport. Parents can play children and siblings can play each other. Tennis offers all the same great health benefits to children as to adults - aerobic fitness, speed, leg strength, gross and fine motor control, agility, dynamic balance, coordination and flexibility. Tennis clubs offer a safe environment for children to spend time. Stringent child protection measures are in place at all clubs for those with any access to children. It is also a physically safe sport, with very low risk of injury compared with other popular sports. Tennis camps and competitions help children to develop their game, stay fit, make new friends and learn about healthy competition and fair play. As tennis is played equally by and between the sexes, it gives children and young people a chance to mix with boys and girls of their own age and teaches them that sport is not male dominated. The ITF Play and Stay coaching technique is now widely used in Ireland to make learning tennis easy and enjoyable for children using shorter racquets, low compression balls and smaller courts. The system s emphasis is on playing and enjoying the game rather than perfecting technique, from day one. See our useful links on page 15 for further information. Maxol Parks Tennis is an affordable, accessible nationwide tennis summer camp for children aged Equipment is provided and all levels of ability are catered for. Last year, over 26,000 children took part in 160 venues across the country. See our useful links on page 15 for further information. Since 2005, Tennis Ireland has its own state of the art, world-class training academy for the best young Irish players with potential to play the professional circuits. 5

6 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :43 Page 6 6

7 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 7 Tennis is fun Tennis is a hugely sociable sport. It can be played against the same sex, the opposite sex, one on one or as a doubles team, with children, with family, and between adults of different ages. Tennis clubs are important social venues in local communities. Countless people met their future partners at a tennis club dance over the years in Ireland. Today the local tennis club is often a social hub, with summer camps and round robin tournaments providing a great way for children to make friends and plenty of social events for big kids too! Tennis is a global sport With Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Federer - perhaps the greatest players of all time - currently dominating mens tennis, this is the golden era of tennis and it has a huge international following. Tennis is one of very few sports that you can take on holiday! Most resorts and many hotels have decent courts and equipment to rent. You can also take your ITN number with you on holiday or whenever you travel and this will allow you find players of a similar standard at your new destination The rules are the same the world over tennis travels well. Tennis is cheap and accessible The cost of entry to tennis (membership fees and equipment costs) stayed very low over the last decade this is a major marketing advantage. The costs of basic equipment are modest. A good tennis racquet costs as little as 100. Joining a tennis club is a more sociable, enjoyable and cheaper alternative to many gym memberships. There are about 200 tennis clubs around Ireland, mostly based in accessible suburban and town centres. Tennis has great infrastructure Irish tennis clubs have enjoyed a decade of capital investment in playing and clubhouse facilities. Up to half of Irish tennis clubs have benefited from capital funding from Government s Sports Capital Fund and the infrastructure of the sport courts, lighting,club-house facilities and fitness equipment - has never been better. Tennis club members in Ireland are adept at accessing available funding for club development. 7

8 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 8 Marketing methods and challenges Now that you have so many strong marketing messages about tennis at your disposal, you need to decide how best to share them. Open days Open days are one of the most effective ways to draw in new members by showing first hand how much fun tennis is. Timing is everything. The best time of year to host an open day is the middle weekend of Wimbledon, when tennis is so much to the fore. Offer free coaching trials for adults and children. Hold an exhibition match between the best players at the club. Promote a special discounted offer of summer membership at the open day and have someone from the club on hand to talk through membership options and sign up new members. You will find that the conversion rate from summer membership to full membership is very impressive. Make plenty of members available to show prospective members around and make them feel welcome. Provide hospitality and invite prospective members to watch Wimbledon in the bar. Open Day at Naas Lawn Tennis Club Conor Niland with a young player 8

9 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 9 Local Media Local media can be used as a channel for free advertising. Build friendly relationships with the sports/community events reporter at local/county newspapers, freesheets, and radio stations. When you have an event to publicise, you can contact the journalist directly rather than the main switchboard or news desk. Keep a list of key contacts at all local newsletters and radio stations so that you do not exclude any important outlets or waste time looking for numbers during busy periods. Brevity and clarity should be your guiding principles when writing a media release. Most journalists will read the first couple of lines at most and decide from there whether your story is worth following up. Try to include all relevant information in the first paragraph and give the a short and newsy subject line. If launching a new project or a major tournament, it may be appropriate to try and get a local celebrity (sportsperson, politician, musician) involved as media outlets are much more likely to cover a story with a celebrity angle. If there is a photo opportunity at the event make sure to flag this up and provide details of when and where photos can be taken. A lot of local news outlets are often understaffed due to budget constraints and journalists are increasingly unable to leave their office for long periods. You can help them out by providing clear, well written press releases that can be quickly converted into a news story, including an interesting quote and photos where appropriate. See our sample media release on page 13 for guidance. 9

10 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 10 Demographics To promote your club successfully, you need to be familiar with the demographics of your local area. The property boom saw large new suburban communities develop rapidly, so your locality may be a very different now to the place you knew even ten years ago. Targeted marketing Once you have established the demographics in yours and neighbouring areas, try targeting different groups. Families with children will be attracted to a club that offers summer camps and competitions. The tennis club can be marketed to young professionals as a more enjoyable and cheaper alternative to gym membership. The cardiovascular health and low injury benefits of tennis should be marketed to older adults, along with the benefit of regular social events. If there are a lot of teenagers and young adults in the area, it may be worthwhile offering a student discount. Attracting young people when they are about to enter the working world will equate to members for life. Fish where the fish are! 10

11 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 11 Paid advertising Use fliers to advertise open days and special offers targeting different demographic groups. See sample copy for a promotional flier on page 13. Professional photographs of Irish tennis players are available for use free of charge in promotional materials on the Tennis Ireland website. Shop around designers and printers for a good deal. Find out if any club members are designers or printers who can offer a discount or some help. Distribute fliers according to the different demographics of the area and promote the club outside its traditional catchment area. Do not disregard areas that are traditionally affiliated with other sports i.e. GAA. Similarly, if a sports club or facility shuts down in a particular area, target residents for tennis club membership as they will be looking for a new outlet. CONTACT US YOUR AD HERE Social Media Facebook and Twitter are free and easy ways to share information on events and promotions. Only open a Facebook account if someone is available to post updates and moderate the page for any inappropriate comments etc. Open a fan page rather than a Facebook group or regular page. Twitter is suitable for very short messages and current updates about the same as a standard text message. Remember, tweets become old news very quickly! 63% of Irish adults have a Facebook account, 70% of these use it daily. 11

12 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 12 Sam Barry James Cluskey & David O Hare Amy Bowtell Simon Carr 12

13 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :44 Page 13 Sample media release David Kelly opens fantastic facility at Ballytown LTC (1 July 2015 Ballytown LTC) Chart topping local musician, Dave Kelly, will today open a state of the art new clubhouse at Ballytown LTC, marking the Club s centenary. The EUR100,000 makeover has been ongoing for two years and includes improved accessibility, a new games room for children and a café/bar. The new building will be officially opened at 5pm, followed by a reception in the bar. Keen tennis player Kelly said: I spent all my summers at this club as a kid and in fact played my first ever gig at a dance here, so it s a pleasure to see it go from strength to strength. Ballytown is a great club for local people and will be all the more enjoyable with this fantastic new facility. The fundraising drive for the new clubhouse included a dinner dance, a silent auction and a teen disco. For further information, contact Mary on ENDS Notes to editors This is where you add any background information that you think the journalist might need i.e. - Club background and membership figures - Information on special guests Sample copy for open day/promo template It s the height of the tennis season and Ballytown LTC will host an open day on Saturday 4 July Experienced coaches will be on hand to show you or your children the basics, members will show visitors around our state of the art facilities and, of course Wimbledon will be showing in the Club bar. Club officials will also be on hand to talk through our superb special offers, including a summer membership option and special rates for students and over 60s. Information on summer camps, children and adults tournaments and coaching will be available. For further information, contact: John on Text box or side bar containing top tennis facts: - Tennis is a sport for life! - Suits people of all ages and all abilities - Can be taken up at any age - It s an effective, low impact, workout - Great for kids fitness and hand/eye coordination - Lots of social activities at clubs 13

14 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :45 Page 14 LUB C T E U OQ MALAHIDE LAWN TENNIS AND CR 25% OFF TENNIS IS HEA ARINA MEMBERS S OF THE M AND ADULT E BEST VIEW EW FAMILY TH N STEM H R IT SY W FO G N R ST KI BOO NG LI D A BA NO WAITI EFURBISHED CLUBHOUSE AN S AND A WEB-BASED COURT NEWLY R E OF THE ART TENNIS COURT R 8 TO 10 YEAR OLDS D AGES FO AT ANDARDS AN NINE ST ECIALLY MODIFIED COURTS ES FOR PLAYERS OF ALL ST M SP THREE D COMPETITIVE PROGRAM RDS JUNE 2015 AL AN ANDA CI ST L SO AL R DON - 29TH FO OF WIMBLE T AVAILABLE G AR IN ST H E AC UNTIL TH CO ce! INING FEES 25% OFF JO ellen TENNIS.. Join a Centenary Club today ove SPORT YOUR exc g n i sportlife! ars offor r 100 ye LTHY! The averag e burns 420 female playing an hour of si calories w ngl hile the av erage mal es tennis e burns 6 TENNIS 00. IS FOR L IFE! Tennis ca n be playe d an and at all levels of ab d enjoyed by ever y age grou ility. p TENNIS IS GRE GREAT FA M AT FOR K IDS AN D IT S A ILY SPOR Parents ca T! n each other play with children and siblin. And it s gs can pla a non-con y tact sport. TENNIS IS LOW COST AN Equipmen D ACCES t is relative SIBLE! ly inexpen club can be cheap sive and jo er than m ining a te any gym nnis members Most of a hips. ll it s an all year roun d fun spo rt!!! MALA HIDE LA WN TENNIS A ND CROQUET CLUB come down an tennis for yourd try self! club open d sunday june 14 ay th fun games and good all the family!ies for CALL MIC HAEL BY RNE 14 AT (01) O R OR VISIT : MANAG ER@MLT LTCC.CO CC.COM M

15 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :45 Page 15 Useful contacts Tennis Ireland T: +353 (0) E: info@tennisireland.ie W: Tennis Ireland Director of Development Roger Geraghty T: +353 (0) E: rogerbiscayne@me.com Ulster Tennis T: +44 (0) W: Development Officer Ulster Lauren Smythe T: +44 (0) E: lauren_ubti@yahoo.co.uk Leinster Tennis T: +353 (0) E: info@leinstertennis.ie W: Development Officer North Leinster Brendan Moran T: +353 (0) E: Brendan.moran09@gmail.com Development Officer South Leinster Peter Farrell T: +353 (0) E: peter.farrell@tennisireland.ie Munster Tennis Connacht Tennis W: Development Officer Connacht Garrett Barry T: +353 (0) E: gbarry6@hotmail.com Links T: +353 (0) E: info@munstertennis.com W: Development Officer Munster Conor O'Callaghan T: +353 (0) E: timunsterrdo@gmail.com 15

16 Tennis Ireland Toolkit 2015_Layout 1 12/06/ :30 Page 16 Tennis Ireland Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 T +353 (0) F +353 (0) E info@tennisireland.ie