Toronto-based Tennis Canada wants to shed its ‘country club hangover from the ’80s.’ So says Stacey Allaster, tournament director at the Rogers AT&T Cup, which is being held in Toronto from Aug. 9 to 17.
The plan is to get younger folk interested in the sport through the use of music and entertainment, among other things, at this year’s tourney. ‘We want to make tennis relevant in the 21st century; we want to make it fun and accessible,’ says Allaster. ‘The growth for Tennis Canada is going to come from a younger consumer, and obviously the youth segment is a priority for our title sponsor.’
On that note, spectators will also be able to register for SMS text messaging on site or online, so that they can follow their favourite players’ results. ‘We want to stay connected, on-site, on-air and online,’ says Allaster. ‘We already send e-mail broadcasts to 20,000 customers.’
On the grounds, meanwhile, fans are being treated to tunes during the 90-second player breaks at weekend and evening matches. But if you’re thinking about the rap you hear at basketball games, think again. This music falls into a ‘friendly pop rock’ genre that would not ‘offend older clients, [but that] a younger customer would also enjoy.’ (The typical attendee is a 41-year-old, active, family-oriented, technology-friendly professional.)
And taking another page from the other sports clubs, spectators will now have something to do between matches, besides visit the loo. They can expect to be entertained by ‘The Racquettes,’ which include new junior and senior dance packs decked out in tennis attire. Joining The Racquettes is Ace, a new mascot that is described as a ‘big, muscular creature with crazy red hair.’ He’ll be entertaining kids at the event – those he doesn’t scare off, anyway.
The organization is also distributing ‘thousands’ of postcards at bars and restaurants in Toronto to promote the tourney, and a travelling billboard with the same goal will be on the streets for a span of three weeks.
The images used for these initiatives are from the WTA Tour’s worldwide marketing campaign, which launched at Wimbledon with the slogan, ‘Get in touch with your feminine side.’ During the media launch, female athletes showed up in tight, hot pink tees emblazoned with the tagline. These tees will be for sale at the Rogers AT&T Cup, says Allaster, who adds that a black version will also be available for guys who may want to ‘get in touch with [their] feminine side.’
