Blog – Adam Sinclair, B2B Sales Manager at Aberdeen Football Club.

With some restrictions eased, hospitality venues re-opening and a gradual return to the office, we are now setting out on the road to recovery from the coronavirus crisis. But this will be a very windy and rocky road as we all adjust to what’s being termed as the “new norm”.

During the last five months, we’ve seen people furloughed, families struggling to cope with working remotely while home schooling, many losing their jobs or seeing their wages cut. Our local economy has been hit with the double whammy of lockdown and the collapse in oil price. For those resilient businesses who have managed to soldier on and those who’ve had to put their services on hold during lockdown, the road ahead is fraught with uncertainty.

The AFC family, comprising Club, Trust and the Red Army, has been supporting fans and the wider community through its #StillStandingFree campaign, reaffirming its place at the heart of our community. Now that the city is once again open for business, the Club is turning its focus to supporting the local economy through its By Official Appointment (BOA) programme.

Over 80 local businesses are members of BOA, our powerful B2B initiative that connects local brands with our loyal fanbase at an affordable price point. BOA members benefit from targeted exposure to our impressive and extensive reach and engagement with a wide cross-section of our community. As well as high-profile exposure, BOA offers local businesses the prestige of being linked to the Club and an exclusive B2B network which brings a family of businesses together under one common banner with a range of benefits.

Essentially, BOA has the power to help businesses on the road to recovery, saving jobs and supporting the local economy.

At a time when these businesses really need a helping hand and everyone is feeling the pinch, we’re ramping up our marketing efforts to encourage fans to make use of the deals and discounts offered by BOA members. In a similar vein to the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ initiative, we’re putting a renewed effort into letting our fans know about the exclusive deals they can access from BOA members, asking them to support the brands that support their club.

Our BOA members are able to create special offers which are tailored to the Club’s extensive fan base and we’re urging our fans to take advantage of those offers to save money and show their support for local businesses.

Find out how BOA could help your business survive and thrive here.

And, for all those Dons fans reading my blog, click here for this month’s special offers. You can make significant savings in the knowledge that you are doing your bit to help local companies on the road to recovery.