Under the epidemic, China's outbound tourism market is still waiting for the spring of recovery. So, in the cold winter, how did a fan travel company that made a living by "watching football abroad" survive? We invited Lu Yiming, the founder of hardcore sports, to write some of his entrepreneurial stories in the past two years.
Text / Lu Yiming
Founder of hardcore sports
"Lu Zong, the epidemic has been so long, is hardcore sports still alive?"
I am like a fish out of water, and I am often asked this by my friends.
In 2015, with a football dream in mind, we chose the track of the sea exterior race and founded hardcore sports. In the past 6 years, our footprints have covered nearly 100 stadiums and training bases in Europe, helping more than 8,000 fans realize their overseas dreams.
In addition to helping the fans to fulfill their dreams of pilgrimage, bringing our five-star red flag to various football holy places, everyone has become family friends with each other, I think, even after a few years, everyone will still talk about a moment of memories, and even between different cities in The country will talk about wine.
Hardcore sports Barcelona Pilgrimage Group photo
On a trip to Barcelona, the hardcores of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Chengdu and other different cities gathered in Spain, and after returning home, every iron rod went from becoming a stranger to an iron rod and becoming an iron porcelain.
But the twist of the story begins with my original year.
01
Fish off the water
Although we have prepared for various ways to face the legendary "Honmei Year", we did not expect a "natural disaster" that would affect the whole world, and even 2 years later, there was still no dawn.
Time back to the Spring Festival in 2020, and every day seems to be vividly remembered.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Wuhan was locked down, and then the cross-border gradually stopped. Originally scheduled to depart manchester United's "Class 92" pilgrimage to Manchester on the fifth day of the Chinese New Year, the fans have successfully obtained their visas and are only waiting for the moment of departure.
Airfare, hotel, ground connection completed the purchase, Manchester United club and The Salford City club visit of the Class of 92 has also been arranged, Gary Neville and other players of the Class of 92 are preparing to welcome the arrival of our fans, a wonderful Premier League game of Manchester United vs Wolves is waiting for the fans to enjoy, and the professional follow-up team is ready to record this unforgettable football journey for the fans...
Even so, because of the outbreak of the epidemic around the world, the above activities had to be cancelled, hardcore sports bore most of the refund costs, and domestic fans waiting to depart also received refunds and canceled their trips. Subsequently, the Spanish national derby in February 2020, the Premier League Liverpool won the championship in April, the European Championship in June, etc., all the fees paid to the fans were also refunded in full at the first time.
I still remember the days when the whole country demanded not to go out as much as possible and stay at home, in addition to organizing the Football Love League, even in the fantasy that the epidemic would not affect the Copa America, our team immediately formulated the relevant routes for Argentina and South America. After returning to Beijing, I felt an unprecedented "tranquility" in my company and home every day.
The "Football Caring League" was awarded the pennant
"Mr. Lu, anyway, I will definitely go abroad to watch the ball, even if the European Championship is canceled, I will go out with you in the future, and the tour fee will not be refunded in a hurry." "The first thing after the epidemic is to go abroad to watch the game with the hardcore, you must stand up." 」 I was moved by the trust and encouragement of fans like this, who never considered stepping back or giving up, only persevering.
The reason I'm so determined to go on is, of course, the support from the team. In the early days of the epidemic, we had to temporarily suspend our salaries in order to ensure the normal operation of all aspects of the company, but no small partner really left the hardcore.
"Winter is coming, will spring be far away?" "Iron is our career, our future, even if it is difficult now, but when the hardcore needs me, I must be there." 」 Words like these are the courage and motivation of our team to persevere whenever I shake.
In the past two years, the team's friends have also tried new directions together, making various efforts to survive in order to survive and not abandoning. Because, we are already a family.
02
Dreaming back to the World Cup
How difficult have these two years been for a company that specializes in cross-border sports tourism?
Put it this way, "changing the seller" seems to be our only option.
At the same time as the football journey over the years, we have also collected a lot of signed jerseys and other football collections, plus we have the privilege of gaining the trust of many friends in the industry, and we have also entrusted our own collections to me for consignment. As a result, To C's business shifted from sea appearances to the sale of football collectibles.
From taking pictures, P-drawings, putting on shelves, to designing packaging, nameplates, certificates, etc., some new skills that I didn't even know were inspired. Although these revenues seem like a drop in the bucket relative to the operating costs of the entire team, at least the accounts have a turnover.
Writing here, I can't help but stop writing and sighing, the original intention of entrepreneurship, the motivation to insist, there are many old irons for us is really absolute trust, the first batch of jerseys have not yet had time to take pictures, on the shelves, just with an EXCEL, a Liverpool KOP directly transferred nearly 70,000 yuan to the company, took 9 jerseys. I originally thought that the transaction of the signature jersey with a high unit price would be difficult, and each time a jersey was sold, it was more of a deep feeling in my heart.
In 2021, although the dawn has not yet arrived, we are used to finding the light in the dark. With the accumulation of media resources and the organization of offline activities over the years, we have participated in some brand customers' activities in events such as the European Championship, although the cost is minimal, but the emphasis is on participation. The team's old partners have also returned to work. Due to the shrinking of the team, the remaining partners can only wear several hats and stimulate their potential.
Insomnia has long been the norm for me, and maybe my brain is inherently unable to be on standby. Entrepreneurship is not so much a brave and free choice as it is a top cultivation for oneself. Self-media accounts can increase one more fan, even if it is one more reading, they will try hard to try. Customers in the industry who have not been in contact with them before do their best to strive for cooperation opportunities. As a helmsman, I have long given up on caring for those chicken blood chicken soup, after all, living is the king.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia was the peak of hardcore sports in the past 6 years, and it was also my busiest and happiest year. Because of the service of a hundred spectators and a thousand people, we did it. Doha at the end of 2022 is undoubtedly an important destination for hardcore accumulation. If hardcore sports entrepreneurship is an experience for my life, then the significance of the Qatar World Cup for hardcore is the ultimate stage.
The 2018 World Cup Chinese fan viewing group organized by hardcore sports
As a sports practitioner, you should all know that the football industry has a cyclical nature of large and small annual cycles, and the key node of this cycle is undoubtedly the World Cup as the world's top IP. We have spent 6 years learning and exploring the channels of various event tickets, the solutions of various emergencies overseas, and the complex offline organization capabilities, all of which are only the accumulation of time and experience, and there is no shortcut.
In fact, as early as 2019, we have begun to contact the local area. Compared with the previous Russia, Brazil and South Africa, Qatar is a very special host country. The pandemic, the limited size of the city, the customs of Muslims, etc., are full of challenges and opportunities. Fortunately, hardcore has experienced a lot over the years and has long been accustomed to challenges.
In July 2021, Hardcore Sports received an invitation from the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and the Commission for Delivery and Heritage (SC), and we also have the first Fan Leader (Fan Leader) of the 2022 Qatar World Cup in China.
In addition to To C services such as tickets, hotels, and local services, the big event we are preparing for is the "Fan Home".
At present, hardcore sports is working with local enterprises in Doha and World Cup-related institutions to create a special overseas fan who travels to Doha to watch the World Cup, especially Chinese fans. The "Fan Home" will become the second local scene of the Qatar World Cup, and share more content that cannot be seen outside the TV arena through online self-media, so as to fully experience the local passionate atmosphere of the Qatar World Cup. At that time, whether it is offline advertising space or event marketing, or inviting the world's top stars and industry talents, we strive to achieve the perfect combination of the biggest IP in football.
In short, if you look at the various competitions of football as a playthrough, then the current hardcore team has the ability to PK the final boss. The peak of 2018 seems to be yesterday, and the challenge of 2022 is just around the corner. Whether it is to live up to every partner who has given trust and help to hardcores, or to give ourselves an answer, we can only move forward.
03
Winter has arrived, waiting for a warm spring
Looking back on these two years, perhaps the biggest gain is the "mentality".
In the past two years, there have often been fans who have contacted hardcores and asked when we will be able to organize a foreign game again? In the face of the cruel reality, after a second of helplessness, we are more emotional and moved, at least this is the meaning of our existence.
To this day, I vaguely remember a scene, last year a visit to a well-known tourism company friends, hundreds of workstations in the company, there were only 3 people left, speaking with echoes.
For football and the entire sports industry, from glamorous, lively to the fading of the boom, and even many friends engaged in the capital circle are "talking about the change of body color", the results of the national football world preliminary competition and the difficult domestic football, so that the original football that is not just needed more returns to rationality. I don't think this is a bad thing, after all, only the glitz fades to reveal the essence.
Looking back at the six years of hardcore entrepreneurship, there are very few partners who have struggled together on the football track so far. Whenever a friend asks about football-related projects, I advise them to calm down, entrepreneurship is indeed a road of no return, especially like my extremely willful. Of course, "pain and joy" is also an extraordinary experience.
In preparation for this article, we were about to relocate to a new location. When cleaning up the old office, I couldn't help but sigh, after all, there were too many memories of the Beijing team for four and a half years. For example, the portrait of the player on the wall was a perfect work that invited the students of the Academy of Fine Arts to stroke one by one, and even the handwriting on the glass plate was deliberately retained for two years, and the above was the itinerary plan for the 2020 Euro 2020 Before the epidemic.
Seeing the picture above, don't misunderstand that the iron rod has stopped cooking. Due to the Spring Festival, we chose to temporarily work from home, and the hardcore football collections that were originally kept in the office for all these years were rearranged and placed in a bar (UBAR) cooperated by Gongti West Road, and we also hoped that all the football feelings would be passed on there. There are more than ten stadium models alone, all of which were brought back from the fanshop of the local stadiums of the giant clubs, and each one has witnessed the precious pilgrimage memories of the hardcore over the years, of course, the wall full of signed jerseys and so on.
In Beijing for so many years, every time the fans are organized to watch the game offline, they take turns to find bars, which seems to lack a gathering place full of football elements. If you are a self-media expert, a veteran of pro evolution soccer, a soccer collector, or you also love to go abroad to watch games and have a rich football story, then contact me to get together, maybe our football story has more new chapters. If you have the opportunity, I look forward to meeting you in this bar full of football elements, listening to the hardcore to share with you all the football stories of the pilgrimage journey with old friends and around the world over the years.
The cold winter has arrived, the warm spring will eventually come, I believe that the "pause button" will eventually have the day to restart. With dreams, forge ahead, and cheer for every partner who is still struggling!