Interview with Steven Anderson

Idaho Steelheads Assistant General Manager discussed community relations within the team and its importance.

Steven Anderson is the current Assistant General Manager for the Idaho Steelheads. An ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) team located in Boise, Idaho. He got his position with the Steelheads after he intern with the team in his senior year at Boise State university during their 2012-2013 seaspon. After he graduated, he applied for their Account Executive position believing that he would be there for 2-3 seasons before moving on with his career. Little did he know that after his third year there he would take on more of a sponsorship role and later get promoted to Assistant General Manager to assist more in the business side of things. Thus far he has worked with the team and in the industry for 8 seasons with the Idaho Steelheads.

Interview: Q & A

1. What is your definition of community relations and community outreach?

While I did cheat a little bit on this answer and looked up a few examples…one answer I found that I think is a great definition is that community relations is a way for a business and the community to create a mutually beneficial relationship.

2. Although your title does not include community relations, I know that multiple people within the Steelheads organization play a part in community outreach in some way. What part do you play when it comes to community relations and community outreach?

Essentially everyone in our organization plays a role in the community relations side of things. I currently do a lot of work with the youth hockey programs in the area which include the Jr. Steelheads hockey program and Idaho Ice World’ house league. We do a fundraising program with both of those organizations in which the youth players can sell any game vouchers to a Steelheads game and for every ticket that is sold ($15 each), $5 goes back into the players’ account to help pay for hockey fees and other hockey expenses. The more tickets the players sell, the more money they get while also accumulating prizes throughout the duration of the fundraiser (signed jerseys, steelies swag, visa gift cards, iPad, etc). At Ice World, we also do an evening with the Steelheads players in which the team goes out and sign autographs for the youth hockey kids. In addition to that program, throughout the season we do fundraising group nights in which groups (schools, church groups, youth sports leagues, etc) can purchase tickets through an online link with a unique username and password. For every ticket sold through that link, $5 will go back to that specific organization.

3. Why is it important for not only the community relations coordinator to play a role in community outreach but for everyone in the organization as a whole?

As mentioned earlier, everyone on our staff plays a role in community relations. Being out in the community and giving back is a major part of our business and the ECHL as a whole. Having our players do school visits or sponsoring a golf tournament in the summer helps with brand awareness and shows that we do support our community and thank them for helping us be a successful organization.

4. I know that many people within the office of the Steelheads also work game nights interacting with the public whether in the information booth or elsewhere. How does that form of community relations compare to community programs and events?

At our level of professional sports (“AA”) it is vital to have a face in the community and that the fans create a relationship with the individual that they are working with whether it’s buying season tickets, suites, or a community partnership.

5. Do any of the fans provide inspiration or ideas for new events/programs?

Absolutely. Fans always have good ideas that we take seriously. Our community partners will also create fun and new ideas that give them more brand awareness as well as us being able to provide the community with some new material.

6. As the Assistant General Manager, where do you see the most growth and where do you see the need for improvement when it comes to community relations and outreach within the organization?

The last few years I would say the growth has been on the face-to-face community relations side of things like the players going out to schools and talking about living a healthy and active lifestyle. As mentioned above, even the players going out to ice world and signing autographs goes a long way in keeping the kids interested in hockey and maintaining that active lifestyle.

7. What are some of the challenges in creating and developing new programs or events? Whether as a single entity or in partnership with another organization (i.e. Jayden DeLuca Foundation)?

Sometimes staffing can be challenge in which we are a small front office and it can be hard to accommodate all of the community requests or even some of the ideas we come up with. We also need to make sure our players are getting their proper rest and downtime outside of practice, games, workouts, travel, etc.

8. Where do you hope to see the Steelheads organization in the next five years when looking at the organization from a community relations perspective?

We want to continue to build on the success we have had in the community whether it’s giving back financially or just having our mascot at community events. Community relations helps make our brand stronger which hopefully leads to more sellouts and fans in the valley.

9. To wrap up this interview, what advice do you have to people who want to work within sports industry? Whether in community relations of other positions?

This might be the most cliché answer ever…but when trying to get into the sports industry, it’s important to reach out to your local sports teams about internship opportunities and starting to build those relationship within the industry. Being a reliable intern goes a long way in regards to references for future career opportunities.

Thank you to Steven Anderson for taking the time out of his schedule, especially during this time with the current world situation with COVID-19, to answer these interview questions. While I wish we could have done an in-person podcast interview, it is important to maintain social distancing and quarantine guide lines.