February 19 – Football fans are often described as tribal. Polish club Legia Warsaw have taken it a step further with the club, and Poland’s, first affinity programme with fans given a military rank depending on the number of affinity points they accumulate.
Called ‘Legiony’, the theme is based on the club’s historic roots. Legia were established in 1916 by soldiers fighting in the World War I in Józef Piłsudski’s 1st Brigade of Polish Legions. This unit was an independent formation within the Austro-Hungarian Army – at that time Poland was divided between Prussia, the Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire, before regaining independence in 1918.
The Legiony programme uses military symbolism throughout with fans gaining points by attending home games (10 points per game). The more points you get, the higher rank you achieve. In Piłsudski’s Polish Legions there were 12 ranks, these are reflected in the Legiony programmes with Privates being fans with just 10 points, through to a Warrant Officer (who attends 14 games) with Colonel the highest rank (season ticket holders).
The core objective of the programme is to build home attendances. Fans progress higher up the ranks by attending more games, and rewarded with money-can’t-buy experiences.
For example, a warrant officer can choose the autograph of a player of his/her choice as his reward, while a Colonel has all the benefits that go with a senior officer including: a walk on the stadium’s roof with a guide; participation in the presentation of the first team’s strategy and tactics run by the manager and the coaching staff; a Night at the Stadium – entering the illuminated stadium with musical backdrop; have one of their children walking out with the players before the game; and being at the entrance tunnel before the game – with the opportunity to high-five the players as they take to the field.
Club president Bogusław Leśnodorski said: “The Legiony loyalty program aims at rewarding fans who support the team the most often, those for whom each game is equally important, no matter if it’s a Polish Cup game in winter, a European cup second round qualifier or a game which decides the championship. We want to give these fans an experience of a lifetime, something that cannot be bought, that is a chance to get to know the club from the inside. This is how we want to thank them. Those who attend all the games can expect something really special.”
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