Playing with the Big Boys

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

American Football or Gridiron as it is often called in New Zealand sees players ranging from 75-175kg on the same field. This can be a daunting prospect for new players until they realise that they are usually matched up against someone of similar build and skill set. Even more daunting is the prospect of trying to promote a sport that ranks 4th or 5th in the countries football codes in a market where the All Blacks, Phoenix, Hurricanes, Warriors and Lions are teams every boy knows by the time they are 5 years old. The Hutt Valley Spartans on the other hand had a 2% recall in a recent survey in their home region of the Hutt Valley.

As part of the Spartans CANI (Constant and never-ending improvement) programme they decided to act as through they already were in the big leagues and have begun the work of making the team a household name. The first step was a billboard on Queensgate Mall which is viewed by thousands of potential players and supporters everyday. Next was the production of 10,000 business card sized fliers which the team has begun distributing around the region. The team also purchased the best domain names in the country to help them out so they are now reachable at www.gridiron.co.nz , www.americanfootball.co.nz and www.spartans.co.nz.

With their games starting in October the team and attendance looking to improve dramatically with the increased marketing the Spartans needed to make sure the “the show” was close to what people were expecting to see. New Zealanders only see American Football on TV or the Movies so they expect to see shiny uniforms, freshly painted field with unusually shaped posts, cheerleaders, big stadiums and zebra striped referees announcing penalties over the public address system. The big stadium was not possible instead the Spartans will be playing at their ground on Harcourt Werry Drive were they are installing seating for the spectators. All the other key factors will be there though. American style cheerleaders will be there cheering the team on and throwing each other in the air, the felid and posts will be just like the games on TV and the referees have just received their wireless PA system to keep the spectators entertained and informed.

The only difference will be the shorter length of the games as the teams will not be stopping for advert breaks so expect the game to last about 10-15 minutes longer than a game of rugby.

More information is available at www.gridiron.co.nz

ENDS

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