The appointment and announcement this week of Stuart Lancaster as the Head Coach at Connacht Rugby was a masterclass in strategy and execution.

The highlight of the season was hosting the first provincial rugby game at MacHale Park and drawing a record attendance of 28,000.

The advance to the Quarter Final of the Challenge Cup after topping their group was another win, and the new Dexcom Stadium rising from the ground is a bold marker for the future.

But the loss of Pete Wilkins as Head Coach left a gap, and fans, whether expressing it publicly or not, were looking to see who would be next.

Lancaster is box office. Having managed England in a home Rugby World Cup and then served at Leinster and Racing 92, his credentials are among the best in the game.

A love of Ireland and the freedom to choose after leaving Racing 92 were seized upon by CEO Willie Ruane, and the negotiations were opened.

The IRFU, conscious of commentary highlighting the gap between Leinster and the other provinces, would have been willing supporters. Once the deal was done, it came down to making a splash with the fans and the wider sporting audience at a time when only Leinster and the Lions were in active game mode.

Like any sporting organisation, it is all down to teamwork, and Stephen Long, the Communications Manager at Connacht, paid tribute last night to the team that helped to bring Lancaster’s appointment to the world, and set more records along the way.

“Mark Howard from Prism Digital did a brilliant job in producing Stuart’s first interview in the role,” he said, and you can see the fruits of that labour below.

 

 

“Tom Maher from Inpho Sports Photography Ltd produced some fantastic imagery from his first day in the job, incorporating our recently finished HPC and the new North Stand, which continues to develop,” he added.

The point being that when you have the most eyeballs on Connacht, you want to ensure that they are looking in the right direction, with the visibility of the new development now ingrained in more minds.

Finally, he paid tribute to communications executive Daithi Boland for “tying the whole thing together on social media, while smashing our 24-hour record for reach and engagement. The announcement on connachtrugby.ie also became our most-read news article in years.”

Lancaster is a great communicator. We had the pleasure to do some work with him, Leinster and William Fry when he was there.

Sporting loyalty is built on far more than the result of a single game.

In the space of 24 hours Connacht put themselves in the position that they are a team that fans will want to follow and that others will have a greater curiosity about what is going on.

 

This week’s Sport for Business Podcast

 

Further Reading for Sport for Business members:

Check out Sport for Business coverage of Tennis

 

SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

This was a real team effort and with Stephen Long, a Sport for Business 30 under 30 alumni at the heart of making it known.  Connacht Rugby is back in a good place at the time it needs to be with the new stadium.  Looking forward already to the new season.

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

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