Though the Junior Colonels Club is not new to the Nicholls campus, Associate Director of Marketing and Development Brandon Rutley decided to revamp the club in hopes of expanding the Colonel athletics’ fan base.  

In only his third semester at Nicholls, Rutley has already redone the Junior Colonels Club logo and secured The Days Inn as a corporate sponsor for the club.

Rutley has also provided many more benefits for members. For just $30, members of the Junior Colonels Club will receive free admission to all home athletic games with the exception of football games during the 2011-2012 season, as well as a Junior Colonel Club t-shirt, birthday wishes from Tillou, and full access to an e-newsletter about things going on around campus.  The only Nicholls football game that will be free to members is the Oct. 8 game against Central Arkansas.

Members will also receive membership recognition on the official Nicholls State Athletics’ website and invites to special Junior Colonel club events.

“The Junior Colonels Club has actually been around for a couple of years, but we’ve never pushed it and we’ve made some changes,” Rutley said. “In the past, kids didn’t get a shirt, and only select games were free for members.”

By making all home athletic games free, Rutley believes it will increase the number of people attending games. “It gets expensive to go to games,” Rutley said. “Soccer fans, if you go to five or six games then you’ll get your money’s worth – never mind getting in free to other sporting games like basketball, baseball and softball.”

According to Rutley, the club is now in the phase of getting people in the stands. He and student intern Katelyn Thibodeaux have been marketing the Junior Colonels Club through Facebook and Twitter and are not stopping there. Rutley and Thibodeaux plan on marketing to local schools to recruit kids from the area.

“We encourage people to come out and try to create a base of fans,” Rutley said. “We’re trying to create an environment where our athletes have people in the stands to cheer them on.”

Future Junior Colonels Club members can join by going online to the geauxcolonels.com website and clicking on the yellow tab at the bottom of the page to sign up. Brochures will also be given out at home games with sign up information.