Rugby League Merchandise

Things aren’t so easy today. Single sports no longer influence the scene the way they once did, with leagues sprouting up for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other games that only a few decades ago weren’t represented. One of the results of this player pool dilution is that leagues have to draw participants from a much wider area in order to have enough players to warrant a league. That means the old notion of word of mouth information flow is pretty much out the door. Newspaper subscriptions have declined precipitously, so posting information there only reaches a small percentage of the people who want it. Not only that, but people have become accustomed to information in real time; they don’t want to wait until tomorrow morning to read about the score of a game in their league, they want to see the outcome as soon as it’s decided on their laptop or their iphone. In ninety percent of the cases I work with, the first thing I suggest is that athletic leagues turn to the Internet to solve their communication issues. What they may not realize is that a professionally designed sports website can boost the visibility and appeal of their league, make event coordination a snap, even offer merchandising opportunities to boost revenues. Better yet, features are available that help the organization to plan and schedule games, coordinating with coaches and officials. A well designed sports web site can become a real community for players, families, fans, league officials and visitors. A typical web site of this nature will include: # Team specific bulletins, team rosters and photos. # Downloadable schedules with automatic e-mail notification of changes. # Playoff elimination brackets with graphics. # Game results and team standings. # Player statistics. # Sponsor pages with page top display of team sponsors. # Pages for feedback, surveys and questionnaires. # Discussion forums. # List of area facilities, complete with maps and directions. # Exchange page allowing visitors to post equipment and other items for sale or swap. # Scheduling capability for officials. # News bulletins. # Ability for visitors to register to play for the season with secure credit card transaction. # Merchandise sales through an online store. While athletic organizations face challenges unheard of a few decades ago, when used properly the Internet can make running a league even easier than before.