Lightning Watch: Lightning show off skills on and off the court

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: MARTY THOMPSON
The London Lightning have routinely led the league in attendance, thanks to their actions on and off the court.

When the London Lightning beat the Ottawa SkyHawks 98-97 for their first win of the season, it was their first success of the season on the court.

The Lightning have been known for their successes throughout their two-year history, winning two back-to-back championships. But their success off the court has gone hand-in-hand with the success on it. Here's what they have done right as an organization so far, to make it one of the most successful National Basketball League of Canada franchises.

Branding has become crucial to the survival of new leagues and teams. Now, I put the term ‘branding' into several different categories, one of them being an online presence. The Lightning have a huge following on Twitter as they are quick to release information that some teams in the league almost never mention at all. It doesn't take a genius to do it, and it doesn't take a genius to think of doing it, but it has helped the brand tremendously.

Team owner Vito Frija was recently quoted as saying he wanted to achieve one goal per year when he first brought the franchise to London back in 2011. In the first year, he wanted the team to stay afloat, the second year he wanted the team to make a profit, and in the third, he wanted to donate. This year, players are out in the community more and more, and starting with the 3,000 tickets that were given away for the first game. The Lightning have made their intentions clear; they are going to give back this season.

That was an amazing event. Credit is due to the organizers because the group is routinely marketing to families. They want groups of four or five to come through the doors. Hardcore basketball fans will come to these games no matter what, it's up to the Lightning to bring groups to the arena, to pay the expenses.

Frija has been one of the more stable owners in the league. Owner of the property development company Southside Group, he has come with strong business connections right out of the gate. Gaining sponsorships and having the corporate community on your side has shown to be very important to teams in this league (Oshawa moving to Mississauga, claiming they want to be closer to Toronto's “corporate community”). Frija's housing background helps tremendously, as player accommodations do not count against the league's $150,000 salary cap. He can easily put the players up for little cost to him and the team.

By the looks of it, the London Lightning have many years to come.

Marty Thompson is the play-by-play voice of the London Lightning for their livestream, SportsLive24.net.
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