How to increase attendances?

[DAV007]

For all games (excluding a cup run)
£15 adults
£10 kids
£2 under 12's

Advertise (flyer for free outside) at the university fresher fairs (UCLAN, Bolton, Manc, etc)

Tell the stewards to leave the fans alone in the Clayton End

When negotiating a contract with the caterer for next season,
ask them to include a package deal (the same way blackburn rovers do)
Its a win/win
The fans get a better deal and the caterer shifts more products and gets a higher £ spend per customer

[sparkie]

Originally Posted by Mr T

Next week will be manic, but please call by for a brew if you can

Pm with when youre available mate and ill see if I can pop up. I have an idea, but dont know how viable it would be. Best not to put it out there if its not doable! Lol

[Mr T]

Caterers contract has 1 maybe 2 years to run.

We need to inprove, but IMHO has to be outsourced.

Will do Sparkie

Keep the ideas coming please

[Mr T]

Dav007 sorry the stewards cannot ignore breach of ground regs

We've already had too many FA repreminds this season!! Please don't get me started!!

We had a pitch invasion at the West Ham game and were reported!!

[DAV007]

I have a mate who brought his 2 kids who won be coming back anytime soon to the crown due to the stewards.

I understand you have to enforce regulation, but there is away of enforcement which gets fans on your side.
Take a leaf out of wycombe wanderers book.

[Mr T]

Dav007,

Please let me know via PM or a chat how we can improve.

I believe we are fair and allow as much as we can.

However we do listen; promise and will explain

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Pendle Red

I can't think of anything else to spend on where the money goes directly back to the Club given Programmes & 50/50 are usually purchased outside the Stadium.

The 50/50 tickets are sold inside for the main stand ( although it could probably do with more prominence ),I guess he collars them at the bottom of the stairs for the Clayton End. Don't know if anybody still does away end.

Apart from refreshments I can't think of any other way they raise they raise money in grounds anywhere else. Off the top of my head I can't think of one at the Turf, though they probably take some rent or commission off the bookies huts.

The other side of this discussions is if the people are not going to go to the ground and pay there money, how do the club get it off them away from the ground ? Somehow the money making schemes away from the ground have to be increased, but that's not easy when the same reasons Beattie has to have a low budget also applies to staffing and resource. Not enough paying customers on match days and every other day

[Exile on Spencer St]

Mr.T, good luck with your efforts.
I think Sarah Sparkie's point about advanced notice is a good one. I don't have kids but know how much planning has to go into things from those parents who make an effort. And how much competition there is for the kiddie pound. But, as suggested by others, kids are the future for Stanley, and I'm sure that getting players visiting primary schools will pay off.
I generally only get to away games but do notice at places like Wycombe, Oxford, and Northampton just how many kids are taken by one or both parents. If tickets for a game two or three weeks ahead can't be offered through schools, could not vouchers be given for any future game for that season, offering free entry for kids to be accompanied by an adult and half price entry for a second adult?

[Mr T]

Sir, points noted Sparkie will be listened too.

This may be too early but the Board want to engaged with teenage fans via the Trust so all sides can react to understand what we have to "sort"

[Wynonie Harris]

When the club's targeting schools, does it have to stick within the Hyndburn borough boundaries? What about distributing free tickets or vouchers to schools in the Ribble Valley, Rossendale and other surrounding areas?

[Mr T]

We're pushing the boundarys to the max!!

Stoneyhurst, Rawenenstall area, St Augustines, QEGS, Clitheroe RGS are all on our radar!!

We are working damn hard!!

[Pendle Red]

I don't know the criteria in the Main Stand can it be that hard to designate a block similar to the area that is used by the CT in the Clayton End perhaps the End of the Season is the time for a decision to be made with that one.?

I am sure a Steward can be designated to control that particular area from all the one's we have on the ground on Matchday surely we can do that?

I am all for money saving but sometimes a reshuffle of resources can bring other dividends.

Davo has touched upon the catering units what is the average punter spending in them do the Club know and what scope for doing in house?

Most away grounds catering consist of Pies, Rollover hot dogs, Tea, Coffee, Cans & sweets relatively easy stuff to do and I would think good mark ups?

Perhaps Even the Beer Huts or Crown could have a small bit of merchandise in to catch impulse buyers?

If we don't try things we will never know?

[Pendle Red]

Why not have a genuine community day is there scope to do something on the Land behind the Clayton End?

The ideas could be endless for it does it have to be a Matchday?

Feel Free to add ideas your own ideas and let's see how far we can get it!

Meet and Greet Manager, Players, Attract Potential Soonsors, include Companies that are already sponsors, leaflets about what opportunities are available, what a Matchday costs, a tour of the ground.

One of our fans is also a Radio Presenter that could perhaps broadcast live if the event was on a Sunday?

[smobile]

I always enjoy the fanfests that Plymouth put on at quite a few home games. Big Marquee, £5 to get in and you get a pint & a pasty and live entertainment.

They raffle stuff off, have a sing, get fans up on the mic and this lasts for a couple of hours up to kick off. Good crack and loads of banter in there for both home and away fans.

Good opportunity for the club to sell itself and involve the community. Get the kids involved, get a face painter in etc.

I'm sure we could squeeze on in behind Clayton End.

[fc:stanley]

In all honesty its just flogging a dead horse with stanley as the town just doesnt care about watching the club.

The only way you could get a few more is to improve facilities in the ground or to move the ground to a central position in the town.
At football clubs they have the hundreds of the prawn butty brigade type of fan that come to the game because of the experience and the facilities and for football league Accrington is as tinpot as it comes! From the dirty ground before you come in to the dirty portakabin toilets. These people who come with children who want these facilities come and then dont come back again. Dont get me wrong, im a minority that couldnt careless but unfortunately us minority doesnt keep the club afloat and carrys on that tinpot label. For more family's to come and more of the wealthier and upmarket kind of people you need better facilities. Maybe we need to invest on doing the cowshed up for offices etc and make it a family stand?

Another option would be to move the ground more central to the town and create a better ground for the club. This would become a more community based thing where more people would be visiting the ground and could actually see it!! How many people you could ask (including a taxi driver on saturday) dont know where the ground actually is! if your a general walk on fan sometimes they would rather stay in town with a pint then make the effort of venturing up to the ground.

Another idea is working with Ossy Mills again? they have so many people walking through that place its unreal! Get the merchandise selling in their with a ticket option too at the counters?

One main idea that i think could really boost the towns interest is having near to the town hall or in the town centre a massive sign saying who we are playing next and who away. Like burnley have outside their ground and rovers. But instead stick it in the town. It will jog peoples memory of what kind of clubs and who we are playing and will actually show whos football club this towns is instead of the thousands of blackburn and burnley fans.

The one people mention all the time is the stewards too. Alot of the time they are not welcoming at all and are constantly looking for trouble but im not saying much about this as im just fed up of it.

Unfortunately as we know it all costs money but unless you spend it you are never going to increase gates unfortunately and thats why sometimes we dont belong in this league. Also think the club needs to push more on away travel and help the fans back the club away like most clubs do.