Consistency Is Key As Super League Triathlon Again Proves It Gets Things Done

On the back of announcing our fourth Championship Series I feel a great sense of pride that Super League Triathlon can confidently say we deliver consistently.

Our goal is to make triathlon a spectator sport. We are now in our fourth season and are consistent with our venues, and those venues are in the major triathlon markets, which helps drive engagement, spectators and fuels growth.

For every new event series that launches there is a significant challenge of getting beyond the initial hype and excitement and proving your concept has longevity.

If you scratch out COVID, we at Super League are now in our fourth series and we have a consistent calendar on which we can build. That sets us up for continuous growth and for giving depth to the series, whether that is commercialisation, working with athletes or telling the stories in market. It is important and we are very proud of it.

We continue to push barriers with a consistent agenda and then are able to jump on ideas and themes like the Fan Team. Everybody seems to be hyping up a DAO, and people are speaking about that as a future vision for sport. Well, we are doing it. And, what’s more, the announcement is barely a day old and we are seeing fans jump on it, so there are early indications of success.

Another big step in becoming a spectator sport is the structure under which it is delivered, adding elements of racing strategy and fan affinity.

We are now the first professional team league in triathlon. With our major goal as a business to turn triathlon into a spectator sport, we are driven every day by figuring out the best ways to do that. We believe our Teams concept is an important milestone in elevating the sport to wider audiences.

As a participation sport, triathlon is an individual pursuit, but as a professional sport it does not have to be. There can be team strategies and team dynamics. We saw it play a role last year in how the racing evolved and similar to Formula 1 where it is arguably an individual sport but having team franchises means there are economies of scale for franchise holders to leverage.

We saw last year that the athletes jumped on it, managers were very involved and this year we will see the first franchisees jumping on board. It remains a curve and I expect another year or two will be required to truly see it mature. Cycling has taken many decades to build this out, we are fast tracking it and we are proud to be the first ones in triathlon to do these kinds of things.

Also, crucially, it is a first level of engagement for fans. It transcends individual performances and the concept of Teams is more accessible for those who are new to the sport, who are vital for triathlon to continue to grow.

It all comes back to one key thing. While some organisations talk about things and take time to move and then evaluate, Super League Triathlon gets things done, and I could not be prouder of our journey so far.