Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer – European Tour
Interview with M. James Ward
Background
Formerly Head of Global Sponsorship & Partnerships at Barclays Plc and a senior leader at Procter & Gamble, Nathan Homer joined the European Tour in September 2016. Tasked with identifying and maximising the Tour’s commercial opportunities around the world and leading continued growth in existing markets. With a remit to develop the European Tour’s global brand, he has overseen the launch of the Rolex Series, a premium category of eight events on the Race to Dubai – the season long competition which in 2018 features a minimum of 47 tournaments in 30 countries.
He was also instrumental in the launch of the innovative GolfSixes, a short format event aimed at attracting new audiences to golf, which this year will see male and female golfers competing together in a historic first. He also oversees The Ryder Cup commercial and marketing programmes.
The Homer Story
I had worked on the brand and sponsor side of the industry for 20 years and became more and more intrigued by how many sports rights holders were so incredibly good at running the sports side of their businesses but were lagging behind modern businesses in other areas of their organisations.
I was keen to try to bring some of the business experience I had across to a rights holder, and when I met Keith Pelley (the Chief Executive of the European Tour) at an industry event: a one hour chat over lunch became three hours over coffee.
I was fascinated by the journey that the European Tour was on to change and innovate quite dramatically – led by both Keith and the Chairman, David Williams – and since the day I arrived at Wentworth I have loved the agility and speed with which we can take things forward. With a home Ryder Cup this year, the momentum is growing every day.
You wake up in the morning what is the driving passion?
To have fun with great people – whether that’s at work, over the weekend or on holiday. I always want to enjoy what I do, and I see my work team as much as any other group in my life. If you don’t have that connection with your team, you are probably not in the right place. That said, my kids are more fun than anyone else!
The European Tour has taken a clear position on slow play and will feature a shot clock beginning in June at the Austrian Open. How do you expect that development faring?
The first ever GolfSixes event last year featured a shot clock hole, and it was hugely popular with players and fans. When the opportunity arose to work with the promoters of the Austrian Open to try something there, the 2018 Shot Clock Masters was born. I think it’s a very interesting development, particularly because it allows us to demonstrate how the technology will work over every hole at an event.
Editor’s Note – there will be a shot clock on every hole in Austria, but for now it is not being introduced at other events. The shot clock hole will return at GolfSixes in May.
In prior circumstances dealing with slow play issues, not just the European Tour but professional golf at the elite level worldwide generally, the top players have often escaped any penalties with lesser names being usually cited. Will there be uniform application when warranted?
At the Shot Clock Masters there will be referees with every group on every hole and every player will be on the clock. No exceptions.
The Tour features three new tournaments in Belgium, Oman and the European Championships along with varying formats beyond the traditional 72-hole model. Why the new events and format changes?
There’s no question that 72 hole stroke play will always be the staple of the golfing calendar, but there is a need for golf to embrace new formats and engage a wider audience. The main stipulation with any new format is that it has to be credible – and we believe we have retained that – but we’re also in the entertainment industry. The players recognise that too, and we have had terrific buy-in. For example, if you look at the Belgian Knockout, the event is being promoted by Thomas Pieters’ company. At GolfSixes this year we’ve just announced that the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup Captains, Thomas Bjorn and Catriona Mathews, will be forming Captains Team, so it’s a real positive to have their backing.
2018 is a Ryder Cup year. What was learned from the loss to the Americans in ‘16 at Hazeltine and how going forward will the European team be selected?
I don’t think the Captain would be too happy if I revealed the specifics of what was learned, but certainly at the start of 2017 the European Tour made some changes to the qualification process, which we believe will benefit Thomas (Bjørn) this year. First of all, there is now a greater weighting for points earned in tournaments in the latter stages of the qualification process to help make sure the team that heads to Le Golf National in France reflects the players who are in form nearer the time of the event.
Captain Bjørn will also have an extra wild card pick, so that means his team will be made up of the first four players from the European Points List, followed by the leading four players from the World Points List and completed by four wild cards.
With Italy scheduled to host the matches in ‘22 is it fair to say either Germany or Sweden are the favourites for host selection for the ‘26 matches?
I wouldn’t like to speculate on future host countries. At the moment the focus is on building on the great European Ryder Cup spectacles of the past and delivering a world-class event at Le Golf National this year.
There’s been increasing talk about action being taken by both the R&A and USGA to rollback the technological gains in golf ball distances. Has the European Tour been reached out to regarding this topic and is it likely a bifurcation in the rules is inevitable as the game played at the recreational level is one thing and the game played at the highest elite competitions is totally another?
All the major golf organisations have been reached out to for their input on this topic. Discussions are on-going with meetings planned during the upcoming Masters week at Augusta. It would, therefore, be inappropriate for me to comment ahead of those meetings.
The major golf organisations R&A, USGA, European Tour, PGA TOUR, LPGA are all seeking ways to attract new players. This is especially so for millennials, women and minorities. What specific strategies do you see as being crucial to get more people interested in the sport?
From the innovations that we have introduced in recent years – whether that’s the Hero Challenge, a one-hole shoot out in the week of some of our biggest events, or GolfSixes, it’s no surprise we see benefit in developing shorter formats of the game.
If you want to get someone interested in watching, or playing golf for the first time, four or five hours is a huge time investment. Through our partnership with the Golf Foundation, the GolfSixes format has been rolled out to junior players across the country, and we are working with partners to take it across Europe. There’s no reason why that couldn’t work at golf clubs. There is still a healthy engagement with the game, but people now enjoy going to the driving range, playing crazy golf or even trying simulators or computer games, so recognising this shift in society is important.
We also recognise that millennials consume content in a different way from the traditional TV audience: that’s why we put a huge focus on developing our digital content and showcasing golf in different ways. Whether that’s content like the Mannequin Challenge, Awkward Reporter, Fastest Hole in Golf – these all generated new fans and showcased our players as the stars. Plus, the players love being part of it, which is very important.
If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally, what would it be and why?
Get rid of stuffy old dress codes, ideally for everyone, but definitely for juniors. Music on club ranges would be good too!
Biggest challenges facing the European Tour, short and long term?
There is a crowded market place with other sports and entertainment, so our product needs to be compelling going forward. As I mentioned, we know millennials consume content differently to the traditional audience, so we have to engage fans in new ways. We must continue to provide a stronger content offering, whether for the spectator at the course, those watching at home on TV, or following on digital platforms. We want to stay ahead of the game and be leaders in our field. Also, the sports rights market is changing, you see that with Amazon and Twitter dabbling in live content with other sports, and we are focused on developing our live broadcast and non-live content provision with this in mind.
For more info go to:
www.europeantour.com