Gold Coast Titans offering discounted tickets in a bid to get supporters to their game
Chris Garry
The Courier-Mail
March 29, 201212:00AM
THE Titans firesale has already started with the club using internet shopping sites to offer premium seats to this weekend's home game at almost 70 per cent off.
One deal even included a free meal at the company-owned Titanium Bar.
Despite the fact more than 11,000 people already have free tickets for the Titans' game against Canterbury Bulldogs at Skilled Park on Sunday, the club has been using every marketing ploy they know to entice more fans to the match.
The Titans used Groupon, a deal-of-the-day website that offers heavily discounted items, to sell tickets to their most highly valued seats at 66 per cent off.
"Prime seats at a Gold Coast Titans game with delicious dinner for two people just $49 for Gold Seats or $59 for Titanium, includes return transport and complementary entry to Titanium Bar after the game (Up to $174 Value)," the Groupon deal read.
The deal was a hit and provided the Titans with their first sellout in several seasons.
The club also teamed up with NBL team Gold Coast Blaze last week to offer dual tickets to Blaze and Titans games at 33 per cent off.
The Titans used to be the must-attend event in town, with the fifth highest membership in the NRL. It has now plummeted to 15th.
Their crowds used to average 21,618 but in two games this year, their average is 11,316 despite the matches being played in perfect conditions.
In fact, the three highest home crowds at Skilled Park occurred four years ago, in the 2008 season.
It is not as if the Titans do not engage with their potential fan base as they have done some terrific community work, especially in the past two years.
They also have a group of friendly, affable players that are well liked among fans and media.
Yet the Titans are so on the nose they're forced to create novelty schemes such as the free ticket promotion offered at their previous home match against Melbourne Storm.
Sponsor iSelect and the Titans gave fans who attended the March 17 match a free ticket to Sunday's Bulldogs game if they lost, which they did (30-6) in front of 11,254 supporters.
The man who was last week asked if he could help relaunch the Titans, Western Corridor NRL bid director Steve Johnson, said a club must perform community work for several years before it bears fruit in terms of committed fans.
"Michael (Searle) was very busy helping get the ARLC Commission introduced to rugby league during the last two years and perhaps his time would have been better spent focusing on ensuring the Titans improved their links to the community," Johnson said.
"Michael works very hard and he's very passionate about rugby league which is a quality our game needs more of.
"But sometimes his passion gets in the way of what is best long term for the club."
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Whose upset?