Newfoundland English soccer game didn’t make big splash: Province
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Sponsorship of Barrow AFC: A Closer Look
The return on investment for Newfoundland and Labrador’s sponsorship of a professional English soccer team may not have been as successful as initially claimed. In September, Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley touted a boost in traffic to the government website, HomeAwaits.ca, which was displayed on Barrow AFC’s jerseys during a match against Chelsea FC.
Stoodley stated that the website typically received 50,000 to 55,000 visitors per day, with a spike of 1,200 visitors following the Chelsea game. However, recent scrutiny from the Shoreline News revealed discrepancies in the reported figures.
The department clarified that the 50,000 visitors mentioned by the minister actually encompassed the total traffic from June 22 to Sept. 28. Despite the increase of 1,200 users after the Chelsea match, peak traffic of 9,303 occurred over a week prior to the game.
The erroneous data provided by an external marketing firm prompted the correction, which was brought to light by the Shoreline News. Newfoundland and Labrador had invested $171,000 to sponsor Barrow AFC, with the objective of attracting skilled workers like doctors, nurses, and social workers to the province.
Final statistics revealed that out of over 58,000 website visitors, approximately 4% were from the United Kingdom. The HomeAwaits.ca platform serves as a hub for international recruitment efforts in various markets, including Latin America, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, the UK, and Europe.
The Opposition Progressive Conservative Party criticized the sponsorship deal, labeling it as a wasteful use of taxpayer funds. Party leader Tony Wakeham questioned the effectiveness of advertising on soccer jerseys in enticing individuals to relocate to Newfoundland and Labrador.
This analysis, based on information from The Canadian Press, sheds light on the intricacies of Newfoundland and Labrador’s sponsorship of Barrow AFC and the actual impact on website traffic and recruitment efforts.
