OREANDA-NEWS.  January 18, 2012. i-Free, the leading provider of mobile value added services in the CIS,* has updated the “Vote for Our Players!” SMS voting service designed for the fans of the Dynamo-Minsk ice hockey club. Following the update, it is now possible to reward voters with prizes and gifts commensurately with the number of text messages they send.

“Vote for Our Players!”, a service developed by i-Free-Belarus and launched in October 2011, is for the fans of Dynamo-Minsk to support their favourites during any game on the Game Calendar by sending a text message with the player’s personal number.

Before, all the SMS voters received the same prize – the download of a Dynamo-Minsk team photo and an ice hockey themed mobile game. But now, after the system has been reset by i-Free-Belarus in consultation with the club, voters will receive a variety of prizes, depending on how many messages they send during a single game. 

Fans having sent fewer than six text messages during a game will receive the same free download of a mobile game and a photo of their favorite player. Fans having sent between 6 and 10 messages will be invited to attend team practice. The senders of 11 to 15 messages will receive autographs of the club’s top players. Fans sending more than 15 messages during a single match will be able to attend team practice and an autograph session of the best Dynamo-Minsk players with a photo opportunity.  

“It’s been only about three months since the launch, but already it is obvious that “Vote for Our Players!” has been a great success with Dynamo-Minsk fans,” said Tatyana Turets, project leader for i-Free-Belarus, commenting on the update. “No surprise there, as the voting service makes both the fans in the stalls and TV viewers feel closer to their favorite team. Even more pleasant is the opportunity to meet their favorite players in person as opposed to merely receiving gifts.” 

Voting starts the first minute of the game and ends five minutes before the game’s end. Then the commentator names the best player as voted by the audience. The vote tally is posted on the Dynamo-Minks website and on the electronic display of the Minsk-Arena sports complex.

All mobile subscribers can vote irrespective of their network, as long as it has coverage in Belarus. A text message to 2014 costs the same for all: 3,500 Belarus rubles (net of tax) for all network subscribers.  

To see the current Game Calendar, make sure about players’ personal numbers or get more information on “Vote for Our Guys!” SMS voting, visit the Dynamo-Minsk website at  http://hcdinamo.by.

By the terms of this service, any messages sent before the official start or after the official end of the voting will be billed, but not counted.