Stand Cricket Club

Stand Cricket Club is a community sports team local to Think in Whitefield. Established in 1853, they are steeped in history. In January 2020, we set about helping Stand reposition the club from being seen as a members social club to a community asset. Part of the wider project was to create an easy-to-use website and modern take on the club’s badge. If effect, the work we have undertaken for Stand has been done in two phases but all part of our ESG policy. Stand offers youth opportunities within the area, as well as being a social hub open to the wider public.

When Covid-19 struck and the club had to close due to lockdown, it stood on a financial precipice.

We started with a press release and fundraiser to help the club see out the 1st lockdown whilst the the first website was created.

January 2020 to February 2022

• Redesign and create a new, identifiable club badge.
• Launch a new WordPress Website to meet the cricketing and customer needs, reaching a wider audience through SEO management.
• Relaunch and position Stand CC as Whitefield’s go to community asset (with the and biggest beer garden), to change perceptions of Stand, attracting new players, funding, and function room bookings.
• Establish a social media presence.
• Design and distribute the clubs first ever brochure to local residents.

March 2022 to February 2024

• Evolve the brand identity toolkit.
• Create a targeted campaign to reach more people within the community and increase revenue to help fund players, refurbish and expand facilities, and improving customer experience.

The campaign had four main goals:

1. Increase player numbers for all Stand’s teams.
2. Increase business sponsors for Stand.
3. Increase social membership.
4. Increase club awareness through community participation.
5. Out-of-home marketing, utilising PR, posters, banners and brochures.

We split our target audience into key groups.

We presented local business owners with the idea that sponsoring Stand creates mutual growth, where financial support for the club is returned with benefits and promotion. Some may have already considered sponsoring a local club, we just needed to guide them towards Stand as their option.

We appealed to venue seekers to promote Stand’s facilities through the point of view that Stand’s legacy gives them the necessary experience for your special day to go on without a hitch. In promotions, our messaging became more straightforward. Experience the Stand difference: laidback atmosphere, refreshing drinks, and conversing with friends. “Here are our upcoming events, from festivals to live music.”

We promoted Stand’s eight teams. Juniors (ages 5-18) had a focus on learning the game, while League teams (1st XI, 2nd XI, 3rd XI and T20 XI) focused on giving players a professional team to play in.

The evolved visual identity for the club made it distinct and memorable across all communications, including match previews, press releases and events to draw people in. This new visual style grabbed the attention of audiences. The illustrative design depicts fast-paced cricket with a “wear and tear” look, representing elements of the sport such as a used cricket ball, stumped wickets and worn creases. Videos and photography from training and matches, portrayed engagement within the club. We focussed on the live, positive atmosphere and team dynamics.

Audiences mostly engaged with the campaign through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

In the last 12 months Stand CC’s channels has seen:

• 261,000 search impressions – up from 30,000 the previous year.
• 79% user increase.
• 72% session increase.
• 8500 click-throughs – up from 800 the previous year.
• Facebook had a reach over 41k – up 136%.
• Instagram saw organic posts increase the reach by 100%.
• Twitter averaging 250,000 impressions a year.
• Our brand new Tiktok account saw a reach of 10,000.

TikTok reached out to a new and younger audience. From a standing start in March, TikTok has seen over 10,000 total views using trending songs to engage younger viewers and attract junior cricket players.

The real benchmark is the financial one. We have helped Stand increase annual turnover by over 100% between 2021 and 2023’s end of financial years directly. This was due to the marketing activities increasing club usage by the community significantly.

We have seen the good that can be brought on first-hand from what Stand does. For 171 years, they have been a mainstay of the local area. Helping them grow the size of their family was extremely important to us. We want the public to love the club as much as us and we look forward to the club growing years down the line.

All of this has been done pro-bono.