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with 47 schools entering the competition at this level.
There was also an U18 Development Cup competition
introduced in which 8 schools competed with Dromore
HS running out winners.
Thanks are due to the organisers of these tournaments
who did an excellent job. Sincere thanks are also due to
the clubs who hosted these competitions.
The continuing development of the High Schools game
is very much down to the commitment of the High
Schools Committee, chaired by Mark Patton. Damien
Campbell, who is stepping down after 4 years as
secretary of this committee also deserves our thanks for
his work and efforts.
MINI RUGBY
Fifty clubs provided mini rugby at the start of the
season, ensuring that right through the province
children were given the opportunity to participate within
the sport, the increase in participation can only bode
well for the future development of the game.
In a change to the traditional format of national festivals
this year saw the inauguration of provincial Aviva
festivals. Ballyclare RFC kindly hosted this season’s
festival that saw 20 teams from across the province and
five teams from Leinster making the journey up to play.
The culmination of the Aviva National Festival series
was the National event at the Aviva Stadium on the 30th
April. Ulster were well represented with three U10 boys’
sides and two U12 girls’ sides in attendance.
Two areas were identified at the start of the season as a
focus for mini rugby development in the province. These
were the development of the U12 age group and the
registration of all club mini rugby players. Considerable
work was put in by the Branch development staff which
ensured that both these areas showed a significant
improvement during the course of the season.
Thanks to the continued sponsorship of Centra, every
mini rugby club in the province with a U12 team has
had the opportunity to play at the Kingspan Stadium
during the half time break of Ulster matches. In addition
the support of Maxol resulted in the running of festivals
throughout the Ulster, focusing on the U7, U9 and U12
age groups. In total 9 festivals took place through the
course of the season.
Overall it has been a successful season for mini rugby
in Ulster and it is hoped that with an increasing focus on
the introduction of the girl’s game the province will see
a further increase in playing numbers and participating
clubs.
COMMERCIAL AND MARKETING REPORT
With 2015 being a Rugby World Cup year there were
always certain challenges that this would bring to the
season for Ulster Rugby. The biggest of these were
match attendances, the corresponding fan engagement
and income. The previous season 2014/15 had been
a record year for match attendance in Ulster with
an average of 16,200. It was always going to be a
challenge to surpass this number, but with every
challenge there are opportunities. Instead of going up
against an RWC All Blacks match, the Ulster v Treviso
match was rescheduled for 6pm with the target market
aimed very clearly at families and youth groups. The
product on offer was a great wrap round experience
and the marketing plan was developed carefully with
a tremendous result. Ulster Rugby proved to have the
highest attendance across the PRO12 League that
weekend with some 14,400 attending the Treviso match
but the biggest win was the amount of new customers
that attended the match, had a great experience and
who we know will return again. Another challenge was
the first Sunday match at home for some 15 years
against Scarlets in February. Again, a careful marketing
strategy was developed and executed with the result
that there was an excellent crowd of over 15,200 at the
game.
Whilst not hitting the record attendance highs of the
previous season Ulster have once again punched
above our weight in a difficult year that saw most clubs
floundering commercially in the wake of RWC 2015. The
average match attendance across the season at the
Kingspan Stadium was 15,554, which includes a record
10,511 season tickets holders, and which enabled ticket
income to remain steady.
A very strong sponsorship portfolio has once again
delivered above expectation and overall this has
cemented a strong position delivering commercial
income of £7.5 million which is a 7% increase on the
previous year.
A new website was launched in September 2015,
which merged the professional and domestic websites
into one, thereby enhancing the user experience and
encouraging browsing across all areas of the game in
Ulster. This new structure, combined with a clear focus
on delivering more frequent, timely and relevant content,
had a tremendous impact as the new website delivered
a 30% increase in traffic on the previous season.
Ulster Rugby’s social media channels also continued
to flourish, with the number of followers rising from
221,000 to 291,000 during the financial year. This growth
has been facilitated by the appointment of a Creative
Content Designer, who has produced engaging artwork
and video content to engage Ulster Rugby’s online
audience.
With Sky Sports and BT Sport broadcasting almost half
of Ulster’s games this season, the Province has been
exposed to an expanding audience. Closer to home,
an official media partnership was established with the
Q Radio Network, while the Irish News has increased
its coverage of Ulster Rugby significantly. Both of
these relationships have provided Ulster Rugby with an
opportunity to reach new markets.
The challenges for the Commercial and Marketing team,
in a busy, fast paced environment was to continue
to provide a high level service to meet the needs of
customers, partners and sponsors. This is critical in our
strategic planning to ensure we have sold out matches,
long term sponsorship deals and a thriving business to
business market. The forecast for next season shows
this already is delivering against targets as Ulster
Rugby is looking forward to another successful year
commercially.
The Commercial and Marketing team led by Fiona
Hampton deserve great praise for the work that they
have put in this season.
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