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coaches Robert Ford and Michael Ferguson, all in their
first season with the Juniors, and of course to team
manager Colin Hunter on a fantastic effort. You have
set the bar very high gentlemen. Take that as your
challenge for the seasons ahead. Well done!
COMMERCIAL AND MARKETING REPORT
The 2016/17 season has once again delivered a
steady growth in both commercial revenues and fan
engagement. Whilst no doubt intrinsically linked to
on field performance as was demonstrated by the
decline in numbers at the home European matches this
season, once fans viewed the team as being out of the
competition, the overall numbers are very strong with
commercial revenues hitting above target.
The Pro12 attendance leads the way in this respect
with Ulster Rugby having the second highest average
attendance in the Pro12, behind only Leinster Rugby
who have the benefit of an Aviva match with a capacity
of 50,000. The average attendance for Pro12 matches
this season at Kingspan Stadium was 15,602 which
is a new attendance record and shows the value that
fans put in the Pro12 Championship. The event led
marketing that captures these attendances is at the
fore-front of this success as the marketing team delivers
a season-long event plan to increase purchasers in key
areas for us, such as family and event goers.
Some of the great match-night experiences that have
captured fans attention have been the introduction of
the ‘Big Red Bar Bus’, the new ‘Fizz Bar’ and the unique
events such as the Shane Todd comedy events held
pre-match in the Heineken Quarter. This success has
been realised through our shortlisting for the Northern
Ireland Tourism Best Event Experience award.
Season ticket numbers are 10,562 which includes 590
junior season ticket holders. Season ticket holders
stated their key reasons for purchase were loyalty to the
team, match-night experience and exclusive benefits
delivered to them.
The sponsorship portfolio remains healthy with many
sponsors such as Kingspan, Kukri Sports, Bank of
Ireland, BT and Go Power in multi-year deals and
there is significant interest from the marketplace for
new sponsorships coming up for the season ahead.
Grassroots sponsors are thriving with some noticeable
engagement such as Danske Bank who are in their
twelfth year of sponsorship of the Schools Cup. Other
partners are delivering great initiatives such as Ulster
Carpets with their ‘Club of the Month’ award and the
‘Community Champions Award’ sponsored by SONI
which recognises volunteers.
APPOINTMENTS AND REPRESENTATIVE
HONOURS
Congratulations go to Rory Best who captained the
Irish team to a first test match win in South Africa, a
first ever win against the All Blacks and who earned his
100th cap for Ireland during the 2016 Autumn Series.
Congratulations also go to the other Ulster players who
represented Ireland during the 2016/17 season: Rory
Best, Iain Henderson, Jared Payne, Paddy Jackson,
Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe, Craig Gilroy, Luke
Marshall and Sean Reidy, and to Ilse van Staden, Claire
McLaughlin, Jemma Jackson and Nikki Caughey, who
were all involved in the Ireland Women’s Six Nations
squad.
For the upcoming tour to New Zealand Rory Best, Iain
Henderson and Jared Payne have been selected for
the British and Irish Lions. Paddy Jackson and Luke
Marshall will travel with Ireland to Japan, where they will
be joined by two of the rising stars of Ulster Rugby, the
uncapped Kieran Treadwell and Jacob Stockdale. We
wish them every success in the weeks ahead.
Our congratulations are also due to all those players,
both male and female, who have represented Ireland at
other levels during the season.
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IRFU ULSTER BRANCH
ANNUAL REPORT & STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 2016/17