Cheerleaders dancing during sport games are now almost an indispensable part of them. Let me tell you if it is worth having a cheer team in your sport club and how to choose the perfect team.
Some sport fans admire these shows, while others are more skeptical. Where does the reluctance of fans or even their admiration of the team performing during the breaks come from?
There is a plenty of reasons.
I will base the following article on my experience (as a coach, choreographer and a team manager), which I have collected since 2004. Management started a little later no less, it does not have much impact on the experience and looking at the work of others in this matter.
The matters that will be mentioned here will be useful for cheerleading teams performing at matches, teams wishing to start such an activity, as well as for those who are involved in match day setting or marketing in a sports club.
Are cheerleaders needed at the games?
It depends. It all depends on the role they are supposed to play, during sporting events. The most common task is to provide entertainment for fans during breaks in the game. As I wrote above, some fans will be delighted with this, others just the opposite. Two reasons for the (fortunately initial) dislike of the cheerleading team, I can give from my own experience. Back in the days when the team I coached-Trinity Cheerleaders-performed at basketball games (Wisla Can Pack Krakow) and there was a Wisla's club forumin the Internet, it was easy to tell that the dislike had two main sources. The first is that the cheerleaders don't fit in at the games (remember, we're talking about fans who are heavily involved in supporting the club). And the second reason is-the suspicion that the dancing girls are not Wisla's fans at all :) It was a long time ago, no less, I am able to imagine strongly committed fans who prefer to cheer during the breaks and not be drowned out by the cheerleader's music. This should definitely be regulated by a club, as neither performances nor cheering should interfere with each other.
Returning to the question of whether cheerleaders are needed at matches?
Sometimes the regulations of the league of a particular sport clearly state that the organizer of the match must provide a setting. So, sometimes they are a necessity based on the regulation (although it is not always specified that setting=cheerleaders).
Cheerleaders fill the silence that occurs during breaks. They are also part of the almost, uninterrupted focus of the fan on the field-although in the age of smartphones this is very hard to keep up. Often clubs, opt for a DJ setting instead of a cheerleading squad.
In addition, they are often involved in the presentation of the players (by forming a rows, keeping a club's flags and so on) or when there is a longer break in the match (depending on the sport) they conduct animations with children-thus making the hall, the stadium more of a family-friendly place, which also helps the club "grow" the fans from an early age.
How to be a professional cheerleading team and how to verify such a team as a club?
The first thing I would personally pay attention to is who is managing the team. Is it a business person, what are their competencies and can they be relied on. There is no denying that the manner of communication is also important. In my experience in the industry, teams often "run themselves," so there is no single person in charge of the group and the shows, which also prevents B2B cooperation.
The second, is the previous experience of the team. And this is not at all to discredit newcomers, but to make sure the team is ready to perform during a given sport. On the other hand, as a team, I would make sure I know exactly what the sport is characterized by, when there are breaks in play and how long they last. What's more, I would also take into account the previous atmosphere in the hall or field. You may ask why. In order to adapt as much as possible to the club I start working with. If the talks continue beyond the previous season, I would certainly take advantage of the videos available on the Internet.
The third matter, which I would check as a club and adjust as a team, is inextricably linked to point two. This is the so-called repertoire. That is, how many choreographies I have as a cheerleading team, in what style they are, whether I use pompoms or other accessories for the shows, and how long my performances last. From my point of view (if we are talking about permanent cooperation and not one-off shows at matches), it should not happen that, for example, we have choreographies that are 2 minutes long (because, for example, we are also a competitive cheer team) and for performances we divide our comp choreography into several parts, without making each show a separate entity. I also don't think it's a super solution (here information mainly for teams) to end the choreography by escaping the floor during the music. Then fans don't really know if the show is over, and if so, when. So if the announcer doesn't ask for applause for the cheer team, it may happen that there is no applause. It may not be because the show didn't appeal to the fans, but they just didn't know when it was over. And if, after your runaway, the players quickly entered the floor, then there is nothing to talk about at all.
Fourth, as a manager or marketing manager of a sports club, I would check the type of communication of the team I am going to cooperate with. By this I mean external communication, and therefore what kind of content the team has published on its website or publishes on social media.
It may be that the content is inconsistent, with errors or simply not in keeping with our aesthetics. If the team will be performing at matches, the club's name will certainly appear on its social media. Now, it is important to consider whether, as a sports club, I want to be presented in such feed. Therefore, as a cheer team, I would make sure that my social media posts are as professional as possible. As a sports club, I would try to work (if it doesn't suit me, of course) on the content and form of the team's social media's feed When running NEXT CHEER Generation, I always posted content that shown the team as a professional entity. Of course, by doing so, we certainly missed a lot of potential events, but it was the path I chose. I was interested in the biggest events in Poland, which, as you know, do not happen every day.
Is it worth working with a cheerleading team?
Definitely yes.
First of all, we will gain additional activity at our matches. With long-term or enhanced cooperation, as a club we can influence the repertoire and quality of the shows.
Certainly, material, regarding the cooperating or our "native" team will increase the volume of content in the club's social media. What's more, also through the cheerleaders' private profiles, the club also increases its reach.
In addition, cheerleaders will work well in the promotional activities of the club-and not just in the context of "our beautiful cheerleaders." They can be involved in conducting "little cheerleaders" in the club, provide animation with fans, contribute to the club's CSR activities, and also represent the club in competitive cheerleading competitions!
The multitude of fields of exploitation of such cooperation is very numerous. I have described several of them in the chapter of the book "Sports Marketing" with the title (chapter) "The potential of the cheerleading team in the marketing and PR activities of sports clubs."
If you are wondering how to integrate the cheerleading team more into your club, or as a cheerleading team you need to adapt to club realities, contact me and I will be happy to help. Feel free to contact me and fill out the form CLICK