Championship clubs aiming to reach out to the next generation
The likes of Swinton, Bradford, Barrow and Widnes have put an emphasis on reaching out to the next generation ahead of the 2023 Championship campaign.
Most recently, Bradford announced another milestone in their ‘Kids Go Free’ campaign with more than 15,000 junior season tickets now distributed.
More than 250 schools have been visited in the Bradford area, alongside over 120 businesses.
Having enjoyed the successful initiative in 2021, Barrow have once again offered 20,00 free season tickets to schools across the local area during January.
The Championship side offered thousands of free tickets to every child in south Cumbria in 2021.
Widnes launched a new ‘Pay it Forward’ scheme earlier in January, which allows fans to donate £26 which will pay for a Widnes child season ticket for the upcoming 2023 Championship campaign.
Batley also announced massive ticket price reductions for the 2023 campaign to help with the current cost of living. London Broncos also offered supporters the chance to purchase an early-bird season ticket for just £80 for their season.
Swinton launch new initiative in Championship
Meanwhile, Swinton are hoping to reach a new audience and grow the game in Manchester following their latest initiative for juniors.
Allan Coleman’s side won promotion back to the Championship via the play-offs in 2022 after just one year in League 1.
The Heywood Road-based side are offering free season tickets to ages 16 and under, alongside a package which includes a range of extras.
The free 2023 junior season tickets includes exclusive digital content, meet the team evenings and a chance to be a mascot.
Swinton’s community development coach Mark Robinson said: “I noticed last season that our junior membership numbers could improve.
“After testing a few different areas last year with our members, we came up with this new initiative. We rebranded the name to make it feel fresh, ‘Lions Pride Pass’ and we also added digital content because we understand that digital devices are very common with children.
“Our content will always be around 20 seconds long so that children are engaged for a short period which will give us the best chance of the children watching to the end.
“We will also run activities through the season like stadium tours, the chance to be mascots and to meet players.
“What we also want to achieve alongside giving our members an unforgettable experience is to get our players exposure through our digital content and meeting the members more regularly.”
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