Jack Thonissen, the CEO of Princess Sports, details how the Covid-19 lockdown forced a change of mindset, as he sought to save his business and create a more sustainable future in the South African hockey space.
Individual sports like running and cycling seemed to soar during the various lockdowns as individuals continued to participate freely, but organised ‘team sports’ like hockey, rugby and cricket suffered greatly, as they were largely shut down.
Our company, which supplies Sportsmans Warehouse, Takealot and many other independent sports stores nationally with hockey gear (sticks, bags, balls, grips etc), saw sales plummet 80%. With overheads and suppliers to pay, it was obvious we needed to pivot and quickly – but how?
Taking stock of our team’s extensive sports experience in sales and events, we continued to look for gaps in the hockey/sports market and we finally spotted one. School sport was shut down indefinitely by the government (Department of Basic Education) and with 120,000 youth players in South Africa still eager to be active and healthy by playing hockey, how could we fill this gap legally and safely?
The concept of ‘franchise sport’ has been around a long time. The format is already used to great affect by youth indoor hockey nationally. But we didn’t have the luxury of taking a loss, nor did we have time to try and sell franchises in an unproven event. To get something new off the ground on a grand scale with outdoor hockey would require people to work together who normally compete, in terms of hockey events (tournaments, clinics etc).
But, what did we have to lose? I contacted four of my largest competitors across the Western Cape/Boland who ran regional hockey academies. No-one had had any income for months and the government regulations had just allowed club and private hockey to re-open.
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We produced the Cape Town Premier Hockey League (CPL) concept with six franchise teams across under-14, under-16 and under-18 boys and girls age groups, with each academy owner taking a Director role in their own franchise, with precious starting capital supplied by Princess Sports.
Everyone agreed to pool their time and marketing resources to ensure we created a world-class hockey tournament of substance and excitement. We contracted the top SA junior players to ensure their participation in the league. We contracted the top SA, Olympian and provincial coaches to ensure the highest quality coaching available. We had something unique, as youth players can’t ordinarily get access to these top-class coaches. With zero ad spend, we used a social media (Instagram and Facebook) and email marketing campaign to existing academy databases, and we launched the CPL first edition (@ctpremleague) with no guarantee of success.
We had over 700 players sign up for the inaugural ‘NBA-style’ player draft and only had space for 600 players. It was hugely exciting for everyone (players, parents, coaches) to watch on Facebook Live, as our top coaches battled it out in the draft and transparently selected their best teams under high pressure.
With guidance from the Western Province Hockey Union on our SA Hockey return-to-play Covid protocols, we ensured our first event was compliant and safe. With the support of Western Province Cricket Club and their two astro turf pitches, we secured a world-class host venue. International hockey brand Brabo came on board to merchandise and supply some top-notch playing kit, which was also a key success factor.
We connected with established development programs at both Langa and Khayelitsha hockey clubs to ensure that no talent was left out due to financial constraints, and ensured these players were budgeted for up front. With no sponsors on board, the player entry fees had to cover the full cost of the event.
With school sport having been stopped again and again, the CPL first, second and third editions have been played across October 2020, April 2021 and June 2021, including 2,100 youth hockey players from Ceres to Noordhoek.
A major success story for youth hockey, despite Covid.
The Durban Premier Hockey League (DPL) first edition has already been launched for October 2021 and over 600 youth players have signed up to play at Riverside Hockey Club.
The pivot from hockey gear sales to youth hockey events wasn’t immediately obvious, but we finally found our pivot and it has worked in practice, ensuring secured jobs for our staff (some of whom are SA hockey players who played at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics) and our suppliers all being paid.
Franchise outdoor hockey is here to stay and is fast becoming another business in itself.