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Team:
Rachael Grose
Patricia-Marie Harley
Brand Manager
Strategist
Brand Manager
Strategist
Cimira Crews
Leah Glass
The Ask:
How can the Richmond Flying Squirrels evolve into a brand that feels relevant and appealing to college students to reflect Richmond’s new era?
Research Methods
128
Sports Culture Survey
Responses
19
In-Depth
Interviews
Richmond Summer
5
Activity Logs
Desk Research
MRI Simmons
Mintel
Reddit
Problem
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are one of our city's most loved sports teams, but overlooked by the city’s young adults and college students. Games feel more like nostalgic, family-friendly outings than social experiences that fit into young adult life.
How do we bring big-city fan culture to Richmond?
Rated sports a 4 or 5, as importance to local culture.
Young adults don’t feel a PERSONAL CONNECTION to the Flying Squirrels, and overall don’t prioritize sports in their freetime.
Major City Perspective
vs.
-Maria, RVA local, 23
"I’d go more when I was younger with my family.”
Fans grew up with their hometown teams, kid-friendly at first, then naturally evolving with them as they grew up.
have only attended a game once or twice, when they were children.
36%
57%
Rated sports as a just a 1 or 2, as importance to local culture.
62%
"Everyone really has a place at Fenway park"
-Eddie, Boston local, 22
Many of our college-aged respondents remember going to games with their families as kids, but few have returned as adults.
Richmond, VA Reality
What do they prioritize instead?
53%
mention shopping at local spots
50%
meniton the James River, or restaurant scene
RECOMENDATION 1:
Build PERSONAL CONNECTION with young adults by Design programming that mirrors Richmond’s cultural identity: feature local food trucks, brewery nights, live music, and artist showcases at the ballpark.
Major City Perspective
&
Richmond, VA Reality
-Isha, VCU student, 21
"If my friends were going, I'd like to go to a game”
Motivated by the social experience
62%
Despite location, students attend local sports for the atmosphere, and time spent with friends.
70%
35%
Motivated by the sport itself
"I love taking the train in super early in the morning and being with the atmosphere of everyone all day.”
-Emily, Philadelphia resident, 22
-Carly, UVA student, 21
“The energy that you see outside the UVA stadium is what really teed it off for me.”
Attend local Richmond events for the atmosphere
47%
Students don’t come for the game, they come for the vibe. To win them over, games must be the center of the SOCIAL scene.
RECOMENDATION 2:
Position Flying Squirrels games as the Friday night SOCIAL scene with group ticket bundles, lowering cost barriers and encourage students to attend together.
-Bailey, VCU student, 20
"Advertise games in more active spaces, like the gym. Maybe get a few banners up too, especially in the Commons a lot of people see things there”
-Luke, RVA local, 19
“I think the main goal for them would just be to get us in the door...if they enjoyed that experience I think they’d be a lot more likely to go back.”
Young adults face an AWARENESS gap- they can’t show up to what they don’t understand or even know is happening, so the team stays out their weekend plans.
Major City Perspective
Say understanding what games entail would feel more like a Richmond experience
33%
vs.
Game days own the social calendar. They’re hyped weeks in advance, everyone knows the team, the rituals, and exactly when to show up.
Game days don’t land on the social calendar. With endless weekend options, The Flying Squirrels aren’t cutting through.
Say not knowing when games are happening keeps them from attending more often
Richmond, VA Reality
38%
College students prioritize their own teams and rarely look beyond the campus bubble. Richmond is no different: for local students, The Flying Squirrels register as a city team, not part of campus life.
Think of their college sports teams when thinking of Richmond sports culture
36%
RECOMENDATION 3:
Bring AWARENESS to the team through visible and relatable mascot activations, and amplify real fans’ POV with UGC content to show young adults what a game is actually like.
Thank you Richmond Flying Squirrels for being our live client and to my amazing team!
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