Newcastle Jets’ Hyundai A-League round 23 attendance will be bolstered this Sunday by players, coaches, officials and volunteers from three local clubs taking part in a pilot of the Official Supporter Club program.
In recent months Jets staff have worked alongside Northern New South Wales Football (NNSWF) officials and in collaboration with representatives from 11 local clubs to establish the foundations of a fresh program aimed at strengthening the Jets’ links to grassroots football and consistently building A-League crowds at Hunter Stadium.
The mutually beneficial program will enable interested NNSWF clubs to raise funds for their club by championing and selling a Newcastle Jets Official Supporter Club six-game pass for the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 campaign.
Moreover, participating Official Supporter Clubs will be provided with exclusive opportunities to take part in a raft of game day experiences. Clubs will be featured via the big screen, in broadcast, on social media and on field throughout the Jets’ 12th season in the A-League.
Newcastle Jets interim Chief Executive Officer and NNSWF CEO, Mr David Eland, explained that the program aims to give back to grassroots football while also deepening the relationship between local active participants and the region’s flagship football club.
“This Sunday we will be delighted to welcome representatives from New Lambton FC, Wallsend FC, and Kahibah FC to Hunter Stadium for our much anticipated match against Western Sydney Wanderers,” Eland said.
“These three clubs are among the first to opt-in to and embrace what we believe is an exciting new program and one that seeks to support grassroots football via a revenue sharing model.
“At its simplest we believe that the Hyundai A-League is best watched, supported and experienced alongside family and friends, which is why we’re facilitating this program and encouraging local clubs to band together at our games.
“This program also aims to link the identities of our Official Supporter Clubs and the Newcastle Jets. Each Official Supporter Club will receive a giant flag with their club crest plus Jets branding, and flag bearers from each club will become part of a new pre-match tradition in order to visually reflect the Jets’ commitment to the grassroots football community,” Eland explained.
For this Sunday’s match against Western Sydney Wanderers each Official Supporter Club has been provided with ticket allocations to sell among their club members at reduced rates. Current sales suggest that the three clubs will cumulatively bring north of 1,500 people to the round 23 contest.
Expressions of interest for NNSWF registered clubs to take part in the Official Supporter Club program next season can now be lodged. Please click here to express your club’s interest.
Newcastle Jets together with NNSWF will provide more information following an evaluation of Sunday’s pilot, with full details of the Official Supporter Club 2016/17 program to be launched later in 2016. Later this year the club will develop options for regionally based NNSWF clubs to engage with the program.
