Students from five Wolverhampton secondary schools descended on Molineux this week to compete against each other for a chance to represent Wolves in the latter stages of the national competition.
Ten teams of pupils were tasked with pitching an idea to a panel of judges - in a Dragons’ Den style presentation - around how Wolves can attract and engage with young adult supporters and increase season ticket sales in that age group.
Year eight to ten students from Heath Park, Moseley Park, Moreton, Aldersley High and Ormiston NEW Academy went head-to-head in the Wolves play-off heats as they pitched their pioneering ideas to the panel of four judges.
Jonny Warburton, Education Development Officer at Wolves Foundation, explained: “We’ve been working with the schools across the last six weeks in preparation for them to come to Molineux to present their business idea.
“Looking back from the very first session to see them now, the students should be very proud of their achievements. Presenting and public speaking is never an easy thing, but I think they really handled the occasion well.
“They will take a lot away from this, especially regarding team work skills which they might not have realised they had before, as they worked with people who were perhaps not in their social groups, people that maybe were not even in their year.
“They will have also learnt leadership skills as they had to take on responsibility in terms of their research and putting their finance plan together, so I’m really excited to see where it takes them.”
Among the initiatives suggested by the students were discount and loyalty cards, food vouchers, ‘2 for 1’ season tickets, free bus travel, prize draws, and even a party bus – which would take supporters to Molineux while they enjoyed free food and beverages.
However, the winning team from Heath Park School presented the idea of offering incentives to increase the number of female supporters at the club. This included couple packages, where female fans would be given spa treatments in return for buying season tickets, and family packages, where the club would provide free creche services for young children on matchdays.
After announcing the winners, Premier League Schools Coach and head judge Brad Moore, said: “I was really impressed with the standard shown by all the students. The ideas they were able to come up with as a team were simply brilliant.
“We chose the winners because it was a really original idea, it stuck to the assignment brief clear and well, and they matched the criteria.
“But for all these students to be coming out and delivering presentations like they did, at their age, in front of a lot of people is so impressive.”
Heath Park's winning team will return to Molineux to compete in the next stage of the competition - a regional play-off against five other teams from across the country.
