This story appeared in the Summer 2009 edition of the Hockey Business News, Volume 14, Number 6.
Wooing female fans helping Washington grow its footprint
BY Pat Lovgren
It was not too long ago the Washington Capitals were a franchise in trouble both on and off the ice. The team had won just five playoff games in the new millenium, were playing in a building that was normally less than half full and were paying about 40 percent of Jaromir Jagr’s $8.6 million salary, while he was playing for the New York Rangers.
Fast-forward a couple of years and almost everything related to the Caps has changed 180 degrees; whether it’s the uniforms, the sold-out building they play in or their reigning Hart trophy winner Alex Ovechkin – the polar opposite of the disgruntled Jagr – the franchise has undergone a dramatic revival.
The on-ice success the team has achieved has attracted a wide-variety of fans, including a large group of female supporters as passionate and supportive as any fans in the league. Sensing an opportunity, the Caps decided to create the league’s first female fan club.
Started this past February, Club Scarlet (scarlet.capitals.nhl.com) is self-described as a website, “dedicated to the Caps’ female fanbase.” The site features player bios and videos as well as blogs from various Club Scarlet members.
“People at first were hesitant,” said Kim Frank, Washington`s senior manager of promotions and fan development. ``But the female fans who know hockey, they told us `you`re hitting it, you`re doing great.```
The genesis of the club came from a female-oriented event called Hockey in Heels.
``It was an afternoon of hockey with a cocktail party,`` Frank explained. But the buzz around this year`s installment made her think bigger.
``We`ve had Hockey in Heels for three years now,`` Frank said. ``This year it sold out in 24 hours.``
She has since discussed the idea with other NHL teams and given them tips on how to organize female-friendly events.
Along with cocktail parties and the online blog component of Club Scarlet, members have been treated to group outings, including an open skate at the team`s practice facility, followed by food, drinks and a Caps game.
Washington players such as Tomas Fleischmann and Jeff Schultz showed the fans how to take wristers and slapshots, while coach Bruce Boudreau gave a tutorial on watching game video.
``We had them on the ice, which the women seemed to love,`` Frank said.
There is also a section on the website titled Hockey 101, which includes educational-type videos on a variety of hockey related subjects – the backhand pass, the slapshot and faceoffs. There are also behind-the-scenes features on different Caps, including videos highlighting the ``cribs`` and ``rides`` of Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Brooks Laich.
It is no coincidence the success of Club Scarlet has come on heels of the remarkable turnaround the team
has experienced the last couple of seasons.
According to the Washington Post, TV ratings have risen 67 percent and Caps merchandise sales is among the tops in the NHL, with in-arena sales at the Verizon Center up 30 percent this season. The team’s website also established a new high in March for page views in a month with more than 5.4 million. But the Caps are most encouraged by attendance figures.
Washington sold out virtually all its games this season, filling the Verizon Center to 97 percent of capacity, an increase of 17 percent over 2007-08. This is all the more impressive when you consider as recently as two years ago, the team ranked near the bottom of the league with a season ticket base of about 4,500. Plus, it was estimated owner Ted Leonsis was losing upwards of $20 million a season.
The team also announced it sold out all 12,000 tickets allocated for full-season plans for next season. This means that for he first time in franchise history, the Caps will have a waiting list for season tickets.
There is no doubt it is a great time to be a Caps fan, and with Ovechkin locked up until 2020-21, the Caps fan base and groups like Club Scarlet are likely in for some exciting hockey for years to come. HBN
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