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Raise Your Game: What is your role?

Paul Sullivan: My job encompasses two roles. I am responsible for marketing the games and particularly the ticket sales, and I am also the match night director and announcer. So I handle the microphone announcements, the running of a game on a match night and also the selection and editing of music and video which is used during the match night entertainment.

RYG: How did you get into this career?

PS: I have been a Cardiff Devils fan, and have been involved in supporters clubs, for many years. I started as general manager for the Cardiff Devils, but was then approached when the new ownership took over in 2008 by the director of hockey, Shannon Hope, to inject a bit of adrenaline into the match nights.

RYG: How do you psych up the crowd and players?

PS: Hockey has got a bit of a definite culture really. It's has strong links to rock music and dance music, similar in style and culture to big American sporting occasions such as WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). We try to inject some new bands and some new attitudes

Our new introduction video is a huge thing for the Cardiff Devils and their fans. The same musical intro had been used for around 13 years prior to this season (2008-09) so it was a huge deal for us to change it.

We spent a whole morning shooting footage of the players, such as head shots, getting ready for battle and dressing room shots. We then added a motivational sound track. This is shown at each match prior to introducing the players and the place just goes crazy!

The video is about a minute and 20 seconds long and we get a huge round of applause. This is followed by a quick sequence of music to get everyone clapping and to bring on the players. We use classic rock riffs from bands such as U2, AC/DC and Guns n' Roses.

We also have audio overlaid of coach, Gerad Adams, talking about how the team plays physically, as well as general manager, Brent Pope, making motivational comments such as "We are the devil", "We are the dragon", "We are the red army," which works to get the players and fans psyched up.

RYG: How important is music to sport?

PS: I see very regularly the effect that music has on other people. I think the role is huge, particularly in sport where you can have a passage of play where the team are a little de-motivated or they are losing.

If you play the right music, you can engage the crowd again and the players can then feed off that energy. But then you can play the wrong thing and kill the atmosphere.

RYG: Can these techniques enhance performance?

PS: Definitely. We have a 20 minute warm up at the start of each game which is composed of tracks that the team themselves have selected.

These tracks work to motivate the players as well as the crowd and work to build up the atmosphere prior to the one track which we always use which is Thunderstruck by AC/DC.