Fan In The Stand

With Covid having an impact on the world and sporting events cancelled, the NRL was one of many organisations looking for a creative solution to fill the empty seats at the stadiums. The NRL partnered with Clarke Murphy Print to create core-flute cut outs of fans that were then placed in the stand. This was a great initiative by Clarke Murphy Print for fans who were unable to attend live matches and support their favourite team. Director Benn Murphy made comments to the media about “seeing it overseas about six weeks ago and we started to build the front end to drive these printing machines and then in conjunction with the NRL, we brought it to life”. The Fan In the Stand was a great success gaining attention of radio stations and television broadcasts. Fans of the NRL were able to purchase a cut out of themselves in the stands which made them feel like they have a presence at the stadium.

Within the first few hours of launch, Clarke Murphy Print forecasted that they would need to be operating 24 hours a day to keep to up with the demand of orders. With fans uploading photos of themselves, many found a creative way to include their loved ones such as pets and even having a little fun of including where’s wally and other cartoon characters. With fan in the stand having media recognition, it wasn’t long before it gained international attention along with making people feel connected in a time of separation.