New man tasked with getting more fans in

Dec 20 2007

WIDNES Vikings have added another piece to their Super League jigsaw by appointing a commercial manager who has been given the task of attracting the new fans to Stobart Stadium Halton.

Mike Banks will begin his new role in the New Year with the majority of his work focused on increasing the average gates from 3,300 spectators to at least 5,000 – a figure the RFL has believed to have earmarked for the club to achieve next season.

Banks may have the toughest and most important job at the club as the Vikings have struggled in recent years to keep the turnstiles rolling after being dumped out of Super League two years ago.

The Vikings have seen an average gate of 6,700 plummet to the low three thousands.

Ultimately he’s aiming to see the club secure a place within rugby league’s Super League and push spectator numbers up towards the 10,000 figure that the RFL hope Super League sides will attract.

Banks has held a series of high-profile appointments within numerous top-flight sporting organisations and arrives at Widnes with a wealth of experience and ideas.

He joins Widnes from the Jockey Club, where he was business development manager.

The Haydock Park-based organisation had headhunted him from Everton FC and prior to joining the Premier League giants he had worked for five years as the head of sales at the Brands Hatch Leisure Group.

He also had a two-year spell for two seasons as the corporate hospitality manager for Rugby Union’s Sale Sharks.

He said: “I’m very excited and this is a fantastic opportunity. There’s a lot of work to do but with my background I’m very confident I will make a tremendous difference. I am absolutely sure we can increase gates week on week.

“We must make every game an experience for spectators and whether it’s a family, individual or corporate client, we’re aiming to give them a day they won’t forget.”

Meanwhile Eddie Stobart has denied claims that the new Vikings Nike shirt, sponsored by Stobart Group, will be the new uniform of all its drivers.

A spokeswoman for the iconic hauliers said: “Unfortunately, we do not have any knowledge of this particular inquiry.”