Engagement growth a highlight for Hoops Capital

After two years at the helm as director for media and communications for Hoops Capital, the Sydney Kings and the Sydney Flames, the time has come to focus on our growth at South Break Media and in the Illawarra region. We have new clientele and new challenges which require my full attention.

I will be passing the Hoops Capital baton onto my man Courtney Ward and remain as a consultant to support Court and team as needed. Watching Court grow and thrive in the Hoops Capital environment has been a personal highlight over the past 12 months.

Two years ago on starting this journey my South Break Media co-owner and partner Paul Smith and I had a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve. We wanted to be the most open, proactive and receptive organisation to the media we could be to lift our club’s profile and status to where we thought it should be. The Flames were a blank canvas and the Kings, well, despite the club’s status, we languished midfield at best in terms of the metrics the NBL use to gauge engagement.

These metrics measure website performance and consumption, social performance and growth, viewership, media mentions, and attendance. They are ranked in accordance against the other teams in the league and then there is an overall ranking. In year one, thanks to the combined hard work of Lachlan Everett and Abigail Isip we started to lift those rankings markedly. By the end of year two and with Court joining Abi and I for the second year, the Sydney Kings had achieved our rightful place as No. 1 overall on the NBL engagement metrics. Sure the team’s performance hasn’t hurt, but the stats don’t lie.

In terms of the Flames, we’ve consistently had the most prolific and some of the most engaging content across any of the WNBL clubs and I’m particularly excited to see what lies ahead with the list being put together for this WNBL season.

Thanks to all the players for their support and unwavering commitment to our cause over this journey. Thanks also to all the media outlets, newspapers, television stations and radio stations who have been so supportive. Radio has been huge driver for us over the past two years and we thank everyone for devoting their previous time to the promotion of hoops. I look forward to seeing that continue to grow and thrive.

Thanks to Smithy, Sean Nicholls and Chris Pongrass for their support and all the Hoops Capital front office for their selfless commitment to the cause. People think working in sport is glitz, glamour and excitement. I’d say it two per cent that and 98 per cent a shitload of hard work. It’s always dangerous when singling people out but I did want to make special mention to Michael Johnstone and Katrina Lindner for their incredible support, patience and guidance over those two years. Absolute superstars. Our organisation is lucky to have you both.

Without question, the highlight of the two years has been the people, meeting all of the volunteers who make the club tick and most importantly the fans. The championships aside, the landmark moment came in selling our Qudos Bank Arena TWICE in one week, something we wasn’t sure was even possible. I stood alongside Paul as Illawarra Mercury editor on centrecourt for the LaMelo record in NBL20 and a couple of years later as part of the same management team we blew that and almost every record away. Incredible.

Two years, two championships. Those NBL titles will forever remain among the greatest moments of my life and to do it with my fellow Illawarra natives at the club made it all the more special (special shout to my brother Angus Glover and the Glover clan) . I’m very much looking forward to returning to the role of avid NBL fan and a face in the crowd whether that be both in Wollongong or Sydney. Hoops is in sensational shape in this country. Long may it continue.

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