The mind behind cricket's Hundred on his 'Prem' relaunch

BBC News

5 hours ago

The Premiership may be losing seven letters next season, but Rob Calder hopes it will gain much more.Calder, the top flight's chief growth officer, is the man snipping the competition's name to simply 'the Prem' for next season.The change comes with a new logo – a shock of orange to reflect the intensity of the action – and fresh branding promoting the physicality, athleticism, collisions and confrontations on the pitch."There was definitely an issue with the Premiership brand in that it felt quite corporate and establishment," says Calder."It didn't feel like an entertainment product and that's what we're trying to address now with this new identity."This league is not broken, it is actually flourishing - we just need to reframe ourselves a little bit to make sure we can reach those wide audiences and grow."In repositioning rugby, Calder hasn't looked outside the box, but into the octagon."If you look at sports that are growing in this country, it's basketball, it's NFL, it's mixed martial arts and there's a singularity to a lot of those brands," he adds."Think about UFC. There's a real sort of punchiness. There's a dynamism and a lean forward and we really like that. We thought we could do it our own way though."The reaction when the new branding was unveiled before Saturday's final was mixed. It often is with these things.But that is perhaps the point - the existing audience is not the target. Calder wants to expand the league's appeal and convert the indifferent.
A record 1.26m television audience for Bath's victory, combined with demand outstripping supply for the 82,000 tickets, suggests the Premiership is nurturing new fans.There has been big growth in engaging supporters between the ages of 18-34, while Red Bull's reported interest in buying Newcastle Falcons would tie in perfectly with a parallel aim of attracting youth-orientated brands.It is a brief Calder has worked to before.Before he arrived in rugby, he was the commercial director for the Hundred, the neon-spattered, slog-heavy cricket format that launched in 2021 and raised more than £500m with the sale of its franchise sides earlier this year.That was revolution. In rugby, Calder is aiming for evolution."With the Hundred, we were clear that a distinctly new approach was going to be critical to get to the next generation," he says."When I did research on the Hundred though I looked at rugby clubs and how they compared in terms of appeal to younger audiences and they actually performed pretty well."There are some strong brands in there – be it Harlequins or Leicester Tigers or others – with legacy and awareness of those identities."So I think we're starting from a different level with rugby."The rebrand will include more behind-the-scenes content from the league's bright, young things and more intelligent highlights, with dramatic moments, such as shuddering hits, try-saving tackles and interactions between players, included alongside the scores.Some of the strategy is more mundane than the marketing, but just as important."The first time people come to rugby grounds, we have got to make them welcome," says Calder."We've got to point out where everything is, to make sure there's enough toilets for women, that the facilities are clean and the rest of it."Rugby is probably a little bit behind where some sports are, but that's a massive focus for us."We've invested in gathering match day experience scores from fans and match day experience training with the clubs."
Calder says the hunt for new fans is a necessity, rather than a luxury. He began his career promoting drinks for a big-brand brewers."There was a massive, massive commitment to consumer understanding in that industry," he says."What struck me when I came into sport was there was a lot of data on who was buying, but not a lot of understanding of those people outside and why they weren't engaging with the sport."I think that's a flaw in sport because there's there's so much pressure commercially on clubs, the focus is on understanding as much as possible your existing audience and getting as much of a return out of it."It's less common to look beyond that and so you have these unfortunate sort of ever-decreasing circles."Calder has seen this close up.He says The Hundred only came into being because Twenty20 cricket had been mistakenly marketed at existing supporters, drawing them away from county cricket, rather than bringing in families and new fans as intended.It isn't just other sports or other entertainment option that rugby must compete with either. It also has to keep pace with society."I think families are important whichever sport you're in - because more and more families make decisions to have experiences together of a weekend," says Calder."Maybe my dad, 30-40 years ago, would go and play golf all day or go to rugby with his mates, but I've got a commitment to look after my family and I enjoy being with my family."I want to make sure my two young girls can come to these events, and want to come to these events."We have seen it in women's football - the growth of that family experience economy. That's definitely something rugby should be tapping into."Whether the shorter, rawer Prem hits that sweet spot will be seen next season.