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the long term stability of Ulster Rugby. We seek
partners that share the same long-term objectives
that we can deliver together on, that will become
an integral part of the make up at Ulster, and that
our fans can identify with and support.
GRASSROOTS SPONSORSHIP
This is a vital part of the income stream that
allows us to continue to invest into the grassroots
game and we are lucky to work with a range of
partners who see the value in aligning with these
sponsorship properties.
2017 will see Danske Bank enter their 12th
year of sponsorship of the Ulster Schools’ Cup,
with commitment for a further three years.
Some of our partners are providing some great
incentives such as Ulster Carpets with the ‘Club
of the Month’ initiative that actively rewards
youth rugby clubs who deliver examples of
best practice both on and off the field, and
the ‘Community Champions Award’ sponsored
by SONI, which looks to recognise volunteers and
provide multiple winners with a bursary for their
club.
KINGSPAN STADIUM
With a fantastic stadium that can deliver across
a range of events we are definitely open for
business and indeed this is one of our fastest
growing new revenue streams. With the facilities
and experience to host major events here, we
have been successful in winning the right to have
the PRO12 Final in 2015, Barbarians v Fiji in 2016,
and we look forward to hosting the prestigious
Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017, an event that
really will put us on the world map.
Day-to-day we are open for ‘Ulster Rugby Visitor
Experience’ tours which take in The Nevin
Spence Centre and a behind-the-scenes stadium
tour. Our H3 Lounge is open for conferencing and
we have seen our revenues through conferencing
double since last year. Commercially, we need
to grow these revenues outside of Ulster Rugby
match days and our strategy is to ensure we
have at least one major external event here each
year and to increase conference income, visitor
numbers and hospitality outside of match days.
FUTURE DIRECTION
In the ever changing landscape of professional
rugby, the commercial reality is that we need
sustainable growth to ensure that we can
compete at the top table of European rugby.
We will seek to achieve this through delivering
value for money for our partners and sponsors,
delivering an exceptional experience for our fans,
and capitalising on new revenue streams. This will
hopefully ensure that we can provide the financial
platform for the professional team to compete on
field and for the domestic game to flourish.
As always, thank you for your support.
Fiona Hampton
Head of Sales & Marketing