Match Tactics - INAPUB WINTER MAGAZINE 2023 ISSUE 105

Match tactics
by ANDY IVES

One licensee shares how he makes the most from live sport in his venue, and what’s coming up in the sporting calendar for 2024 that he hopes will get the tills ringing.

“Great sound, great atmosphere, and use social media.” This is Andy Werra’s ‘in a nutshell’ advice to licensees who want to get the best possible return from the eye-watering cost of a Sky Sports pub subscription.

Andy’s pub, The Cross Keys in Hull, which he runs with Kirsten Collinson, was a finalist in the 2023 Great British Beer and Pub Awards “Best Pub To Watch Sport” category. Making a return on investment in sport is a subject the partners have given a great deal of thought to.

The Cross Keys underwent a £350,000 refurb last year, with a hefty portion of that money going towards the pub’s sport and entertainment offering. Andy describes this as a “matrix” system: “We’ve got 14 screens with three Sky boxes, and when we designed the pub we made sure that wherever you’re sat you can see at least two screens, although in most places you can see three. Each screen has got this new matrix system which means every screen can have each of the three Sky boxes playing at any time. Obviously, this was quite expensive to set up and the Sky subscriptions are really expensive too.”

Making some noise

With that expense in mind, Andy needs to be playing to a full house as often as possible, and says promoting what’s on and constant communication with customers is key. He explains: “We’ve got a Facebook page which has almost 1,000 followers, as well as Instagram and Twitter. We post to them all the time, you have to do it on a daily basis.

“You have to remember it’s not just football, it’s every sport. Rugby League is really big around here, for example, so look at what’s popular in your region.

“You also need to build relationships with the community and local teams. We’ve got local football teams and pool teams. They come in and we sort their supper out for them, that really helps even out the quiet times, and we support two local charities too; Men in Sheds, and City of Hull Boxing, they come in and do events here.”

How about non-mainstream sports like Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), are they popular with his customers?

“I wouldn’t say UFC is popular. Like a lot of these things, if it’s on, people will watch it, but because most of it is in America the time zones don’t work. Formula 1 is really big though, and so is horse racing, during the day. Women’s sport is getting much more popular, we get a lot more people coming in and asking us to put the women’s football on now.”

Next year brings several big sporting events, but with everyone trying to cash in Andy is keen to ensure his pub stands out.

“Obviously we’ve got the Euros next year, that will dominate the summer. Cheltenham Week is always big too, also the run-up to the end of the Premier League and the final game is massive. In the days leading up to these things, you have to do a big build-up on social media to make sure everyone knows you are showing it.

Building a sense of occasion

“You can go the extra mile for big games. Last year’s FA Cup Final we had one side of the pub set up with coloured bunting and all that for one team, and the other side the same for the other team. It’s things like that which build an atmosphere which makes people come back. They love it.”

Not every pub has the budget or indeed the space to set up a multi-screen system like the one at The Cross Keys, but Andy has some advice about showing sport that will be useful to any venue, regardless of size or number of screens.

“First is make sure you have good sound, and always have the commentary on. People come in to listen to the sport as much as watch it, so you need the commentary and the pre-match sound on in such a way everyone can hear it.

“Build up your social media and Facebook page, it’s the easiest way to make sure people know what you are showing.

“And then you’ve got to create a welcoming atmosphere. With the cost of living now, a lot of people can’t afford a Sky subscription at home. We always keep the pub nice and warm, and it’s cheaper for people to come here and watch Sky in a nice warm pub than it is to sit at home and pay their heating bills. That’s what makes us a community sport pub I think.”