Letter from the AD
March 2004

Hello Husky Fans!

In this letter I would like to discuss the importance of the Husky Athletics Club and how building a fan base is critical to the success of Northeastern Athletics.

In order to energize our fan base and coordinate our external affairs, I worked with the coaches, staff and athletic development office last summer to create the Husky Athletics Club. The Husky Athletics Club serves as the primary booster and fundraising arm of Northeastern Athletics. The Husky Athletics Club coordinates and oversees the athletic department’s special events, marketing, corporate sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise and annual fundraising efforts. Jim Madigan, Director of Athletic Development, and Brett Burchette, Assistant Athletics Director – External Affairs, work together to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Husky Athletics Club.

The goal of the Husky Athletics Club is to increase attendance and revenue for Northeastern University Athletics. In order to accomplish this goal, we must dedicate our time and energy to growing our base of fan support.

In order to attract new fans and sustain our fan following, we must provide our fans with the following:

• Commitment to Fans
• Fan-Friendly Atmosphere
• First-Class Events
• Benefits for Association

Commitment to Fans Northeastern Athletics is committed to provide our fans with a quality product of which to be proud. We’re determined to find quality coaches and student-athletes that will represent Northeastern University with pride in the classroom and on the field of competition. Our fans have our commitment to field competitive teams that will vie for conference and national championships.

Fan-Friendly Atmosphere The Husky Athletics Club’s marketing and promotions team has worked to create a fan-friendly environment at NU home games. Fans will find free giveaways, contests, music, and in-game promotions to add to the game-day experience. Fans can celebrate birthdays or bring their youth teams to be a part of the Husky Game Day experience. This fun environment adds to the experience and encourages fans to make the trip down Huntington Avenue again in the near future.

First-Class Events In order to improve Special Events, the Husky Athletics Club is taking a leadership role in helping coordinate all Athletic Department banquets, alumni/parent events, golf outings and fundraisers.

We will plan events such as the Husky Athletics Club Golf Classic, May 19th at Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass. The Golf Classic features an opportunity for supporters of Northeastern Athletics to enjoy a day of golf with NU coaches and fans while supporting our individual teams and student-athletes.

The Husky Athletics Club will be hiring a Full-Time Director of Special Events and Communications that will coordinate our event planning in the athletic department. This person will not only provide an expertise in organizing our department’s events, but will also improve our communications with our fan base. The Special Event and Communications Director will begin to develop sport specific newsletters and improve and update database information so NU Athletics can communicate with our fans more effectively and frequently.

Benefits of Association I believe in rewarding fans that have been loyal to Northeastern University. When fans join the Husky Athletics Club, members receive great benefits such as official athletic merchandise, newsletters and access to members-only events. Not only do you receive great benefits, but your contribution can be tax-deductible!

We also look to reward fans that follow multiple Northeastern teams. In 2003-04, our ticket office introduced the Husky MVP Pass, a multi-sport ticket option for fans who enjoy attending NU Football, Men’s and Women’s Hockey and Men’s and Women’s Basketball games. The cost of the MVP Pass was significantly discounted to encourage more fans to attend more NU athletic events.

We continually try to find ways to market our ticket packages to our fans and increase our attendance at all home events. I’m confident that our efforts are beginning to pay off with overall Men’s Basketball attendance increasing last season, including our first sellout of a home game since 1995 on February 8th against Vermont.

I hope you can see that Northeastern Athletics is competing daily to win the support of alumni, students, parents and fans. We would like for you to help the Husky Athletics Club grow our base of support. If you are interested in signing up to be a part of our team, please contact Jim Madigan (617-373-8872) or Brett Burchette (617-373-2037) today.

Go Huskies!

Dave O’Brien
Director of Athletics

Previous letters
• February 2004
• January 2004
• December 2003
• November 2003
• Summer 2003
• June 2003
• May 2003
• April 2003
• March 2003
• February 2003
• Q & A with Dave O'Brien