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The Biggest Surprise When I Joined All 17 NRL Clubs
I joined every club to audit the member experience. No club did this.
Member Experience
April 9, 2025
Steven Kryger
At the start of the 2024 season I spent $1,083, purchased the non-ticketed membership package for every NRL club and documented what happened next.
The biggest surprise was this:
No club acknowledged me as a new member.
Not one.*
No personalised welcome videos from team captains.
No handwritten notes from coaches.
Not even a simple "Thanks for joining us!" email.
Instead, I received a lot of ‘welcome back to season 2024’ emails that were presumably sent to every other member. Seven of the seventeen clubs didn’t even send me a welcome email.
It could have been a foundational moment. The start of something special. The chance to turn a newbie into a lifer. Instead it was a complete anti-climax. A trigger to consider if I’d made the wrong decision.
This is not how you want new members to feel.
I wasn’t expecting fireworks. Just a sign that my addition was noticed, a small “we’re glad you’re now part of us” to kick things off.
In an era where personalisation is increasingly expected (and never easier to implement), the difference between acquiring a lifelong fan and a one-season member often lies in those crucial first touchpoints.
For clubs that live and die by passionate member connections, this was a massive missed opportunity.
So how’s your welcome?
You want new members.
You work hard to get new members.
Have you thought about how you welcome new members?
That first impression isn’t luck - it’s a choice. Design it. Make it stick. Because a member ignored is a member lost.
* At the end of the season I received a certificate from the Wests Tigers, recognising the end of my first year of membership.
At the start of the 2024 season I spent $1,083, purchased the non-ticketed membership package for every NRL club and documented what happened next.
The biggest surprise was this:
No club acknowledged me as a new member.
Not one.*
No personalised welcome videos from team captains.
No handwritten notes from coaches.
Not even a simple "Thanks for joining us!" email.
Instead, I received a lot of ‘welcome back to season 2024’ emails that were presumably sent to every other member. Seven of the seventeen clubs didn’t even send me a welcome email.
It could have been a foundational moment. The start of something special. The chance to turn a newbie into a lifer. Instead it was a complete anti-climax. A trigger to consider if I’d made the wrong decision.
This is not how you want new members to feel.
I wasn’t expecting fireworks. Just a sign that my addition was noticed, a small “we’re glad you’re now part of us” to kick things off.
In an era where personalisation is increasingly expected (and never easier to implement), the difference between acquiring a lifelong fan and a one-season member often lies in those crucial first touchpoints.
For clubs that live and die by passionate member connections, this was a massive missed opportunity.
So how’s your welcome?
You want new members.
You work hard to get new members.
Have you thought about how you welcome new members?
That first impression isn’t luck - it’s a choice. Design it. Make it stick. Because a member ignored is a member lost.
* At the end of the season I received a certificate from the Wests Tigers, recognising the end of my first year of membership.
At the start of the 2024 season I spent $1,083, purchased the non-ticketed membership package for every NRL club and documented what happened next.
The biggest surprise was this:
No club acknowledged me as a new member.
Not one.*
No personalised welcome videos from team captains.
No handwritten notes from coaches.
Not even a simple "Thanks for joining us!" email.
Instead, I received a lot of ‘welcome back to season 2024’ emails that were presumably sent to every other member. Seven of the seventeen clubs didn’t even send me a welcome email.
It could have been a foundational moment. The start of something special. The chance to turn a newbie into a lifer. Instead it was a complete anti-climax. A trigger to consider if I’d made the wrong decision.
This is not how you want new members to feel.
I wasn’t expecting fireworks. Just a sign that my addition was noticed, a small “we’re glad you’re now part of us” to kick things off.
In an era where personalisation is increasingly expected (and never easier to implement), the difference between acquiring a lifelong fan and a one-season member often lies in those crucial first touchpoints.
For clubs that live and die by passionate member connections, this was a massive missed opportunity.
So how’s your welcome?
You want new members.
You work hard to get new members.
Have you thought about how you welcome new members?
That first impression isn’t luck - it’s a choice. Design it. Make it stick. Because a member ignored is a member lost.
* At the end of the season I received a certificate from the Wests Tigers, recognising the end of my first year of membership.
Recruit and retain more members.
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Recruit and retain more members.
GET THE LAB REPORT
Insights every Wednesday for growing membership.
Recruit and retain more members.
GET THE LAB REPORT
Insights every Wednesday for growing membership.