London Irish target millennial rugby fans with Netflix-style monthly ticket subscription for home games
Premiership Rugby club London Irish have launched a monthly ticket subscription service in an attempt to woo millennials ahead of the new season.
Prices start from £30 per month for adults and £9 for children and include entry to all league and cup games at the Exiles’ new stadium, as well as all perks afforded to season-ticket holders.
The monthly subscription model, designed to appeal to generations raised on Netflix, Spotify and gym memberships, can be cancelled with a month’s notice and is believed to be a first for top-flight rugby.
“Following our move back to London, our aim is to attract a new audience and demographic to the Club, to help increase attendances,” said London Irish marketing and communications director Ian Taylor.
“What’s more, the move to the Brentford Community Stadium presents us with an incredible opportunity to reach out to and engage with a younger audience.”
London Irish returned to the capital last season after 20 years of calling Reading and the Madejski Stadium their home. This will be the first full season in which the Exiles will be able to welcome fans to their new home, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
London Irish share their home with Premier League football club Brentford. The 17,250-capacity stadium, adjacent to Kew Bridge, hosted the Bees’ dramatic opening Premier League weekend win over Arsenal last month.
London plays host to three Premiership clubs: Irish in Brentford, champions Harlequins in Twickenham, and newly promoted Saracens in Barnet. Irish hope to use their central location to tempt casual rugby fans away from the other Premiership clubs and surrounding three Championship clubs.
Why monthly London Irish ticket subscription suits millennials
The subscription model, which launches today, will be available in all areas of the ground, except from hospitality.
“The main challenge to engage with millennials comes down to cost and commitment – the subscription model takes that challenge away,” added Taylor.
“This is the way that millennials are used to paying for their services and entertainment, it’s part of their learned culture.
“We are confident that the product that we can deliver on match days at London Irish will keep people coming back for more – and we’re excited about being the first rugby club to adopt such a model, making attending London Irish fixtures more accessible than ever before.”
London Irish begin their Premiership Rugby campaign away to Worcester Warriors this Saturday before hosting Sale Sharks on the following Sunday.
The Brentford Community Stadium is also guaranteed European action this season, with Irish hosting French outfit Brive and Scotland’s Edinburgh Rugby in the Challenge Cup.