Reds pack economic punch

The champion racehorse Seabiscuit inspired the United States during the Great Depression. In the same way, Queensland’s rugby union team the Reds are proving a potent pick-me-up for the state’s depressed business community.

The team’s success has brought a liveliness back to those who have suffered through the state’s zero per cent growth of the past 12 months and one of the worst floods in 40 years.

The team rewarded its fans with a grand final win over a star-studded New Zealand Crusaders team before an Australian record crowd of 52,113 in Brisbane.

While success on the field is one thing, procuring real economic benefits is another.

St George Bank, the principle naming rights sponsor for the Reds, timed its investment just as the team starting picking up its performance.

Queensland managing director for St George, Martin Barrett, says the increasing number of supporters and sponsors, which range from Volvo to Elastoplast, sparked some much needed networking. “We have a list of business that we have written this year which we believe our involvement with the Reds has had an influence over,” he says.

“When we invite clients along to the rugby we say ‘do you have someone you do business with that you might like to bring along?’ and there has been a lot of new business out of that.”

Although over the past five years the Reds’ membership levels have been as little as 4000, last month that jumped to more than 15,000, reflecting not just interest from families but a sign of increased corporate involvement.

Earlier this month a corporate rugby breakfast in Brisbane attracted 480 guests. For Brisbane it doesn’t get much better than that. Dozens of businesses were there – from investment and banking’s Perpetual and Investec to listed engineering business Cardno and airline Korean Air.

Logistics provider DHL recently invited one of its big private clients – toy wholesaler Tim Britz – to a finals match in which the Reds were playing. “I think it’s great for business,” Britz says. “They say a lot of business gets done on the golf course. Well I say a lot gets done at the rugby.”

Reds chief commercial officer Dan Herbert says the Reds will continue to drive more business activity and convert the positive feeling surrounding the club’s success.

“We are unashamedly trying to get out there,” he says. “We are trying to bring in partners that don’t just sponsor the sexy part of the Reds but the other parts of the community like the schools and the clubs.”

BRW

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