Digital signage provides technology that brings Rugby Clubs closer to their members.
A well managed Rugby Club can be the pillar of the community. It celebrates the achievements of teams and individuals of every age group, nurtures and develops players and families, and provides sanctuary for all who want it. Digital rugby club screens allow a Rugby Club to provide all these functions with greater ease and greater efficiency for a variety of reasons…
Before we get started – do you play another sport? Check out our more general sports club article to give you some ideas for your digital signage.
1) Player, League and Club information.
A fantastic way to make players feel like a valued part of the club, whilst also informing members and visitors of the players they are watching, is to publish player profiles on digital screens around the clubhouse. Something as simple as displaying a few players’ statistics that are performing well, their traits on or off the pitch and a nice photograph of them can be a fun way to engage the player, their teammates and their families.
Another way to boost personal investment in the club’s progress is to display league rankings on screens. This allows members to see who is contesting for promotion or relegation, where other teams sit in the league in relation to your club and with reference to their bonus point tally (how likely a game is to be high scoring). Being able to do all of that without having to trawl through a ‘pitchero’ website, means members are likely to be aware of the standings of all teams at the club, not just the one they are affiliated with. This should grow crowd attendance at games as fans will with more ease be able to understand which games are contentious, which games are important, and which games will be fun to watch. Not only does this generate cohesion within the club, it feeds teams’ aspiration as the entire club is aware of their position. The software allows you to rotate between the leagues of all your teams or any display of your choosing.
Lastly, general club information is highly beneficial. Information regarding the history, origins or notable accomplishments of the club can help enhance a member’s ability to situate themselves within the wider context of the club and foster pride in the institution they represent. If an individual learns about the club, they are more likely to wish to invest their time and energy into it, than if they were playing for an anonymous organisation they felt they knew nothing about.
2) Fixtures and Results
A fixture list helps to orientate members, allowing them to schedule their time. In essence a visible and digital fixture list acts as a club calendar, helping to garner attendance. The software allows you to present information in a ticker format, meaning that for example you could present a list of fixtures descending from the closest upcoming match right to the end of the season which would scroll up the screen as fast or slow as required. Alternatively, a club could just project the website on to the screens, which would have the fixture list on it too.
Having rugby club screens also enables you to display your results in a scoreboard or whatever format you should choose, thus providing a visible record of achievement. This is pivotal as being able to publicly celebrate your victories and make note of your losses is of huge help to team development. The technology allows you to remotely change your screens, this would mean that you could update the results using the design tools provided and it would then be updated to all screens instantly, saving valuable time whilst also being far more engaging than an old-fashioned chalkboard.
3) Offers and Promotions
Digital signage has a well established return on investment with regard to displays showcasing offers and promotions. The programmatic capacity of the technology means that an offer could be scheduled for certain times of the year such as around Christmas time. If the rugby club is hosting an event you may wish to programme an offer for tickets to the next event, as those at the current one are far more likely to attend the next one. Offers such as discounts on subs for referrals could also be a creative way to boost membership if it is displayed correctly.
The bar is the epicentre of any rugby club and is where bonds are forged, camaraderie blossoms and where adversaries are able to reconcile the events of the previous 80 minutes. Offers on drinks, can grab people’s attention when entering the clubhouse after the game or even if someone were to just be checking screens for fixtures, results or league tables they may be grabbed by an offer and decide to purchase a beverage.
4) Promote membership
Visitors to the Rugby Club could be family members, friends or inquisitive members of the public. Encouraging these people to give Rugby a go is vital to the Club’s and the Sport’s progression. An eye-catching digital display, encouraging people to join is often enough to let people know that if they were to make the leap to take up the sport or rekindle their relationship with a lost passion, they would in-fact be welcomed and not judged.
5) Local Advertising
Being the pillar of a community, the Rugby club is sought-after as being hot property to display adverts. Rugby Clubs regularly have people of diverse backgrounds going through their doors, and therefore are of huge appeal to local businesses. The Club could build off existing relationships they have with sponsors or build new ones with new local businesses, displaying information about the businesses on the screens. No matter the size of the club, on screen advertising is worth looking into. We’ve written an actionable guide on how anyone can generate upwards of £330/month on a single screen.
6) Images and videos of game play 
The slideshow feature of the software allows you to go through images or screen displays at whatever pace suits you. This is a perfect opportunity to display images of Rugby players from around the club in action. Alternatively, the Club may wish to display video footage of games, perhaps the top recorded tries of the season. Either way it is a great opportunity for players within the club to see visual displays of themselves doing what they love.
7) Wayfinding
Regardless of the size of your club, any Sunday with reasonable weather is going to be busy. Members and visitors will therefore be very grateful for any information showing them the best way to get out of the club, mapping detailing the best way to get to each pitch or even hints and tips about how to avoid traffic, leave and get around the grounds safely. Furthermore, it is important for anyone coming to the club to know where fire exits are, disabled access is and most importantly how to get to the bar and kitchen. A rugby club screen in the entrance to the clubhouse is the perfect way to do this and can be updated with any developments in the club. This further reflects the reciprocal nature of club rugby; if the club serves them, they are greater disposed to serve the club.
8) Welcoming away teams
It is important for teams potentially travelling great distances to leave the club feeling as though they have been welcomed and appreciated. The maintenance of networks with other clubs is of vital importance as it means being able to organise friendly fixtures in future.
This can be programmed far in advance, as soon as the fixture is arranged. As well as providing a personal message, the club could also provide them with practical information such as which changing room they are in and which pitch they should go to.
9) The Club’s social media
As we advance in to a digital age, not only does it mean people are accustomed to looking at screens, making digital signage an attractive option for displaying information; it also means that arguably the best way to promote any organisation is via your social media. The digital screens allow you to promote your social media by first and foremost encouraging people to engage with the club’s social media by ‘liking’, ‘following’ or ‘retweeting’. However, the software also allows you to put your social media on your screens, meaning you can have live updates from your ‘instagram’, ‘twitter’ and ‘facebook’ appear on screen. If members see the club interacting with their social media with a retweet for example, they are bound to love it.
10) Autonomous registration
At very high-tech organisations, you may wish to have paperless options for signing up, leaving feedback or even leaving score predictions. Touch-screens could allow this to happen, and would simplify and demystify the signing up process. Making the club transparent and open could enhance membership which would definitely be achieved by touch-screens that encourage the user to sign up on-the-spot.
Digital Signage eases the day to day running of a Rugby Club and is a proven valuable inclusion, given its adaptability to your various needs. If it’s time to invest in the future of the club, then reach out to us below!
Call us on 02380 981110 or email info@troudigital.com.
10 Reasons To Invest In Digital Rugby Club Screens
