29: Jesse Cole of Savannah Bananas

The Club Development Podcast

The podcast has gone yellow this week for a very special episode of Behind The Goals - or should it be Behind The Home Runs? Jesse Cole (@YellowTuxJesse), owner of the Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) spoke to us about their unique approach to running a baseball team. Playing in the eighth tier of baseball in the US, the team started from scratch in a city whose previous team folded due to a lack of interest in the sport. By focussing 100% on entertaining the fans (do that, and the results will follow, according to Jesse) they've gone from zero interest to sold-out stadiums, winning their league in the process. Jesse's enthusiasm is infectious, and his insights into creating the perfect matchday experience are worth considering for any sport. Some of these ideas may not translate easily to Scottish football, but the beer festival idea might be popular ("you can't drink all day unless you start at breakfast time!") Enjoy!