No such thing as a bad idea...

There's no rugby on but there is some (justifiable) doom and gloom regarding the current state of affairs. I thought a fun thread of ideas on what we and/or Connacht could do over the next year would be good. I know that some of this will either have been tried by the branch or clan in the past or found to not be feasible, but its as much about throwing ideas out there and learning whether that's the case or not. Also not all of us are in Galway of course so our ability to contribute is different but *points to subject title* no bad ideas right now.

I'll start with some of the higher level/unlikely to happen stuff but also maybe somethings that are more likely:

- If there aren't crowds allowed at games for a while after games restart then this could potentially see construction of the redevelopment sped up? I know everyone in the country won't share this view but I think a redeveloped sportsground is almost essential to the province, and obviously essential to the growth of Connacht rugby.

- Shares: some football clubs are fan owned, I've always been a big proponent of this approach. Provinces are owned by the IRFU so this is more difficult to do than a football club from the ground up but I would like to see something in this vein.

- on a similar note, the clan have sponsored academy players in the past right, is there any plans to do that again? I think that patreon and other funding platforms are more common nowadays and it would be easier to promote internationally. There would have to be some additional benefits to the funders but I think it worked in the past, though feel free to correct me there. Is there anything else that could be converted into an investment of sorts along these lines?

- greater connectivity? I love the forum here though when there isn't any rugby on it can be quiet. I think Covid has generally increased people's desires for frequent connections, I wonder if there is an audience for a monthly newsletter with some fan perspectives, ideally a short player interview, some predictions, etc. I'm an editor so I would be able to help out with that.

- raffle/lottery/other online game? I know there is the superbru site but what if we were to run a weekly predictions league off an app or custom made game with prize money involved as fundraising? same with maybe a monthly/weekly lottery which some loi clubs do? What other games or events have people seen during lockdown that could be replicated? These could be included and/or updated in the newsletter.

Anyways would love to hear some out there ideas if you'd like to share.

I would absolutely love to have a deeper connection with the team as a whole. Monthly newsletter would be great, and an uptick in quality social media content. Would be great to get weekly snippets of some cool shots in training, the gym, lads having the craic during lunch, short interviews, even jokey ones like we had during RWC.

As a supporter based in the UK, I would also be very interested in some sort of distanced season ticket/membership. I'd happily pay £50 a year, possibly more if it comes with some quality merch to support the team from afar. Maybe a nice Connacht branded pint glass for the sauce when I'm watching the matches at home, access to bonus content, to keep me going throughout the week.

I think there's a lot more that can be done to engage fans. They'll always have us die hard fans, but to grow and fill the stadium they need to bring in some fresh perspectives and embrance the online always connected world we're in. Engage with younger fans more. There's so much content from various places already taking up peoples time, Connacht need to step up. And not with some cringey shit either, proper quality content for all ages.

I like Conclan93's suggestion of a sort of distance membership, it might come with a discount for buying tickets if you do happen to have the chance to go to a game. I like the idea of getting a piece of merch as well, especially if it was something that isn't on general sale, though I know its always hard to strike a balance between good merch and designing something that costs more to produce and put out than you're getting in from the sales, but I think you're onto the beginnings of something there.