BLOG: Talking Clan Towers 7 – with Gareth Chalmers

NEXT HOME GAMES: We’ve got some Christmas Crackers coming up during December with Belfast, Fife, Coventry, Dundee and Edinburgh all visiting Braehead Arena. Get your tickets NOW via TICKETMASTER or by calling 0844 499 1700.

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone is well and is looking forward to our return to Braehead on Saturday 3rd December v the Dundee Stars. We’ve got a bumper month of games coming up on home ice in December with 7 games in 29 days. It’s a period we’re really looking to get some momentum going and start climbing back up the EIHL table. I can assure you no one at the club expected to be in this position, we expected to be challengers and near the top of the table. However, this is the way hockey goes sometimes and we’re all working hard to try and get back on track and move up the table over the coming weeks. I’ve been in positions like this in the past, the worst thing to do is press the panic button. There is no easy fix, it’s about staying united with what we set out to do – analysing and adjusting along the way. For those that know Ryan, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s passionate about his club, and doesn’t take losing well at all! Like us all he wants to win and wants to see the organisation successful on and off the ice. He has our full support in achieving that and if we need to bring in players to turn that around we’re always in the market. However since Ryan and myself have joined the club, we’ve both agreed that if mid season changes are to be made they must be the right additions and not just to bring a player in. Here is too an exciting month ahead!

I was recently in Munich, Germany, where I attended the European Hockey Club Alliance which is an organisation made of Europe’s top clubs (Eisbären Berlin, Red Bull Munich, Färjestad, Bern, Davos, Sparta Prague to name a few). It’s an alliance of clubs to discuss matters such as financial stability, market growth, broadcasting agreements, international breaks etc etc. It was a very positive and interesting meeting and an opportunity for the club to gain new contacts and forge new relationships. What was very encouraging is our growth and CHL (Champions Hockey League) experience has certainly put the Braehead Clan on the hockey map. However one of the issues that was very prominent from the meeting is still a lot of people don’t realise that Braehead is in Glasgow, Scotland. To give you some perspective we lost out on a player last season because he hadn’t realised that Braehead was near Glasgow – he ended up signing for one of our big EIHL rivals! Following feedback from the CHL, it’s a subject that has been a discussion point between the directors and ownership here for sometime. We all agree that for us to continue to grow, the club we need to incorporate Glasgow into the brand much in the way that Celtic and Rangers are known throughout the world as Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers respectively. The brand progression would see very little or no change in terms of game nights, our brand within the EIHL, team colours, logo etc. I strongly believe that Glasgow is the biggest hockey market in the UK and so does the ownership, the scope for growth here is massive! In addition, as we found out last season with the St Andrew’s Day jerseys, the commercial market for merchandising is huge across the Atlantic and one we want to take advantage of. It’s much easier to take advantage of the Scottish heritage/connections if we acknowledge Glasgow in our branding, something that works very well for the Belfast Giants on various levels currently. This will never be at the detriment of what has been grown here over the past six years, however if we want to become bigger and better (which I am sure we all want), it’s something we can’t ignore. We all want to win, but in modern professional sport, revenue generation has a major part to play in that.

As many of you will have seen now, we won our second ROCCO award for Outstanding Performing Business last Friday night. Everyone from supporters, volunteers, staff, players and sponsors should be delighted with the organisation we have all created here. Everyone has played their part and this award is in recognition to that. The Braehead Clan are renowned throughout British Ice Hockey as being one of the leading organisation and the envy of many. We continue to grow season on season and lead the way in many aspects, the growth has been phenomenal and we’re all focused on reaching the top. We’ve had feedback from people that the club is too focused on the business and revenue generation. I have seen a number of organisations in Newcastle, and I am sure many of you here in the West of Scotland with the Scottish Eagles, lose their club due to the fact ‘the numbers didn’t stack up’! That drives us on to ensure we have a sustainable business for the long term and that’s something we now have. Increased 50/50, Shirt off the Back, Chuck-a-Puck, Jersey Auctions, Own & Loan, Kit Klub, increased attendances, the OSC, have all had a factor in going from a loss making club to a sustainable one in only a matter of seasons.

Talking of the OSC, I’d just like to thank them and all of the Purple Army for their support during the past two weekends. We’ve had two difficult road trips which has seen the players travel almost 1,500 miles and the support the club has received from the travelling fans has been outstanding. We appreciate totally it’s very expensive to follow the Clan up and down the country, so when we go to places like Manchester, Coventry, Cardiff and see the travelling support in numbers it’s something we’re very proud of. The OSC have a major part to play in that. Their travel team work hard to make following the team on the road as affordable as possible. The Purple Army are renowned throughout the country as being some of the best and most vocal away support – so thank you to you all and the OSC!

 

Thanks for your continued support!

Gareth Chalmers

Hockey & Operations Director