Melbourne Storm’s on the road again, with Uber

Three words leap to mind for Ross Patison, Melbourne Storm’s Head of Football Operations as he talks about the impact of Uber for Business on the NRL club.

When it comes to getting employees, players and – on special occasions – their families around, Uber vouchers have delivered much-needed “control, flexibility and transparency”, he says.

For the first Victorian club in the National Rugby League, which spends a cumulative two months of the year on the road, Uber for Business has delivered a major timesaver. “Essentially time is money,” quips Patison who is now in his 15th season working at the club.

In its 25 years, Melbourne Storm has been an enduringly strong club. The high performance expected on the field also plays into the culture behind the scenes where now some 80 full-time staff provide the backup and support for more than 50 players all up.

The desire for both control and, in contrast, flexibility, to drive business outcomes for the club was a key reason behind the decision to sign up for Uber for Business around 18 months ago.

Every second week, the NRL team plays an away game, often interstate. “Uber vouchers are often used when players are going to a promotional event if they need to get to a medical appointment and it’s at the club or if they have to attend a clinic.”

Vouchers also make busy match days easier. Players’ parents, when travelling to watch their son make their debut or play another milestone game, also get treated to the Uber experience, courtesy of the club.

Another way they use the Vouchers is to support the reserve grade players who are part of the top squad and compete in the Queensland Cup, the team provides them with Uber vouchers to book transportation to and from the airport each week via the Uber for Business dashboard.

To make their travel more efficient, the reserve players utilise Uber’s Melbourne Airport kerbside pickup location upon their return to Melbourne. The Uber app deploys PIN technology to instantly connect passengers with drivers, allowing players to reduce wait times and quickly make their way home after their travels. By providing this transportation support, the team helps ensure that players can focus on their performance on the field, rather than worrying about logistics and transportation.  

New work-from-home practices that came with Covid highlighted the importance of having a centralised travel model that allowed flexibility, according to Patison. “These days everyone’s on the go or at home. Our travel bookers can be anywhere and still send an Uber voucher to anyone.” No need to check in with the finance department or print off forms. “It’s really efficient,” he says.

At the same time, the reporting function of Uber for Business ticks boxes for both control and transparency by giving managers an instant overview of who’s travelling where and when.

Patison, who is responsible for all the football operations, particularly likes the reporting function because it helps with compliance and accountability. “When you want to get into the numbers of the business, you can see ways to either save on costs and also see what’s happening,” he says. “We’re having deeper conversations with people to make them think about where they’re travelling to and why.”

With 60 to 80 trips a month to monitor, Patison shares that “setting up the foundations right from the beginning”, in terms of applying account codes is really important. “I’m quite time-poor,” he says. “I like them set up properly, with descriptions, so it’s quick and easy to track and sign off.”

According to Patison, their recruitment team within the Melbourne Storm organisation who aren’t based in Melbourne frequently travel and rely on the Uber platform during their travels as they search for the next star player. He emphasises that the Uber platform has now become a crucial component of their operations.

“Our recruitment manager and scouts frequently travel in search of the next rising star, they have come to rely heavily on Uber as a means of accessing transportation,” he explains. “The integration of Uber into our operations has become indispensable at this point.”

Get in touch with our team to find out more about how Uber for Business can help your business.