Red Bulls Gameday Feature

HEAR YE, HEAR YE: NEW YORK RED BULLS AND THE DIGITAL AGE

In the times of our great-great grandparents (at least), the populace got its news from the town crier, who would deliver the news of the day while walking through the town center ringing a bell and announcing his presence with an authoritative: "Hear Ye!! Hear Ye!!". News of the day was not always delivered in a timely fashion, and there were few other outlets for information gathering. The days of the town crier as the source of news are long over, but people's cravings for news in the most timely fashion possible has never wavered, in fact, in today's digital age, the thirst for news is as insatiable as ever.

The Red Bulls have been taking steps since it took over ownership of the team to quench that thirst for news, and has unveiled several new information outlets during the last few months and years, and will continue to do so as the season and months progress.

Fans of the Red Bulls and readers of GameDay know that team news, stats, the team's schedule, and much more can already be found by pointing your web browser to www.newyorkredbulls.com. The official website of the New York Red Bulls provides information on the players, the coaches, and the front office staff. Tickets can be purchased and the team's television and radio broadcasts are listed. Fans can buy official team gear, get information on the highly successful Red Bull Academy, and keep up with the team's community initiatives.

But the website and beyond can offer the supporters of the club so much more than that, and in a variety of current and innovative formats.

In a way to fall in line with the style and consistency of the Red Bull brand, www.newyorkredbulls.com recently received a minor facelift, as the headers on all pages were updated and modernized. With five rotating banners depicting players and fans, the headers offer a fresh, exciting look to the site.

The New York Red Bulls have also implemented numerous ways for its fans to get information over the past few years. One such avenue is the Red Bulls e-newsletter. Once a fan signs up for the free newsletter (you can find the link to the signup page on the front page of newyorkredbulls.com), a weekly e-mail will be sent out from the team with news updates, ticket offers, promos, merchandise, stadium events, and much more. These newsletters may also contain exclusive content not available anywhere else.

For our season ticket holders, you can now access your account manager directly from the homepage, as the website has added a link to the account manager page. This link is located directly under the e-newsletter signup and will let you manage your season tickets quickly and easily. Now updating your personal information and forwarding tickets to a friend is just a click away.

Also available is a regular podcast that is available through the "Sites and Sounds" link on the left hand toolbar of the site. Known as Red Bulls Wrap, the official podcast of the New York Red Bulls offers inside analysis of not only Red Bull matches, but also the state of Major League Soccer, relevant soccer news, and one-on-one interviews with members of the team. This option is available as on-demand listening, but is also available via subscription, which will enable your podcasting software to automatically download new episodes.

In addition to the print and audio options, there is also a video option available to visitors at the official site. Entering its third season, Red Bull Insider is an exclusive video segment offered by the front office. New episodes air every two weeks beginning at the start of the season. RBI will offer previews of upcoming matches, recaps of previous matches, features on the team, special events, and behind the scenes looks at the lives of the players and staff, both on the field and off. This option is also available by clicking on the "Sites and Sounds" link on the left hand toolbar on the homepage.

The site will also offer game highlights of all the MLS matches in the Match Center Live section of the "Sites and Sounds" page. This section will also link to radio broadcasts in both English and Spanish.

Last, but certainly not least, is the latest addition to the web, Red Bulls Reader, the official team blog of the New York Red Bulls. Located at redbullsreader.blogspot.com, Red Bull Reader will offer fans up-to-date, in-depth information on all organizational events and will provide exclusive content not available on the official site. Some content available for visitors to Red Bulls Reader will be live commentary from Red Bulls matches, behind the scenes interviews with players and staff, and audio and video pieces that we hope will entertain and inform fans as well as bring in new friends. There are comments sections on all the posts on Red Bulls Reader, so we encourage visitors to tell us what they think of the site and what they would like to see us offer the greatest fans in the league!

With all of these initiatives already active, and with more always in the works, the Red Bulls and NewYorkRedBull.com will keep pace with new innovations in the digital age, and will always be striving to improve itself, both on the pitch and in cyberspace and beyond.

The days of the town crier are a (very) distant memory, but his legacy is being carried on by Red Bull New York. From the immortal words of the original news source, "HEAR YE, HEAR YE!" to the shouts of, "EXTRA! EXTRA!" from the newsboy, we here with the Red Bulls will be adding our voice, with more ears (and computers) than ever hearing our cries and receiving our news.