23/24 Season | A Message from CEO, Lucy Wray
Our first home Gallagher Premiership match is just days away. We could not be more excited to welcome sell-out crowds back to StoneX Stadium!
I know our supporters will have been gutted by the result last weekend but we are not a club that has ever judged ourselves on one result. We are all about the process and striving to be in the mix when it counts in May/June time.
People may assume that after winning the Premiership, it is difficult to motivate ourselves to go again. However, we are relentlessly driven to make Saracens the greatest rugby club, on and off the pitch, that the world has ever seen. Â That requires an insane focus over the long term.
StoneX Stadium is a special place to be on a matchday (predominantly because of the vibe you all bring), and we are excited to introduce new elements to enhance your experience. Ensuring that everyone who comes to a Saracens matchday has the best possible experience is top of our priorities, and there is no-one more important to us than our Seasonal Members.
As well as more opportunities for you to meet the players on a matchday, we have new bars and catering outlets as well as an improved Family Zone from our partners Trek with the Trek Activity Zone.
You may notice that some prices have increased around the ground, such as for draft lager and ale. As a Club, we are also impacted by the increased cost of living and are subject to our suppliers changing their costs. Our margins as a Club have decreased for this season, despite the price that you will see around the ground increasing. Please know that we do not make price increase decisions lightly. We would never want to price our Sarries family out of their passion.
It is with such enormous pride that we have watched thirteen of our Men’s team represent their countries in the Rugby World Cup. Whilst it might mean that they miss a small number of games for Saracens, we know that they are living their dreams chasing World Cup glory. Watching our Men’s Captain, Owen Farrell, become England’s leading point scorer was an incredible moment and I know that you are all equally proud of what an incredible person and player Owen is.
As the tournament reaches its latter stages, some of our international stars are back pulling on Saracens shirts. We have already welcomed back Theo McFarland and Marco Riccioni, with Eroni Mawi and Nick Tompkins returning imminently as well. Lovely to have them home!
Of course, you will also welcome back familiar faces and fan favourites such as Alex Goode, our most capped player ever. There is plenty of promising young talent coming through such as Toby Knight, Francis Moore and Samson Adejimi who have all been outstanding in the Cup competition. Our new additions will also bolster our squad, including new signings Tom Willis, Lucio Cinti, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Ollie Hoskins and Tom Parton. We have an incredibly talented squad and group of coaches who work relentlessly in their pursuit of long term and sustained success.
Mark McCall’s and Philip Morrow’s focus is giving the players an environment in which they can thrive and achieve their dreams by becoming the best possible player and person that they can be. Away from the playing department, the team at Saracens Group are aiming to make every matchday and experience you have with the Club the best it can possibly be.
Whilst our attention lies with Men’s rugby this weekend, we look forward to the Women’s Rugby Team participating in a new look PWR with firm ambitions to continue to be at the forefront of women’s sport. We are very excited to welcome Duncan Taylor and Mauritz Botha into the coaching group for this season (family members returning!). They are two brilliant people who know what it takes to win so we are looking forward to seeing their influence on the group. The recruitment has also been incredibly exciting, we cannot wait to welcome Sophie de Goede back, as well as Rosie Galligan! The way that Marlie Packer captains this group is truly inspiring, and to see her and Owen captaining England on the same weekend recently was a wonderful moment.
I am sure many of you were glued to the TV like I was watching England Netball go for World Cup glory in July. The Vitality Roses were enthralling to watch, and I know our Saracens Mavericks side will be as inspirational when they take to the court early in 2024 with many new faces amongst their squad. Our Head Coach, Camilla Buchanan, inspires us daily with her passion and we are excited for the journey that they are on. Now that the fixtures have been announced I am sure you have seen that we are taking a game to Wembley Arena this year which is a huge step in the right direction. To see the team performing at such an iconic venue in front of thousands is something we already cannot wait for.
Away from matchdays, we also have new benefits as part of your Seasonal Membership. I will be seeing many of you at our exclusive Members’ events throughout the season including Forums, a Quiz night and a chance for you to watch the Captain’s Run and meet the team. Our partners have kindly provided exclusive discounts and offers for Seasonal Members. Whenever we go on-sale for Gallagher Premiership and Investec Champions Cup fixtures, Seasonal Members will always have a one-week priority window with a 25% discount.
We return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 23rd March 2024 for a sell-out Showdown 4 against local rivals Harlequins. Our sales have started very strongly for this fixture and we have sold more tickets than ever before at this date. We hope that all Seasonal Members can join us, as well as bringing friends and family along with our 50% ticket discount exclusively for Seasonal Members.
We’re all back together again at StoneX to make some more magic memories together! Being at the stadium to cheer on our teams, really matters to the players! Thank you!
See you all on Saturday. Lucy
