How to increase attendances?

[Mr T]

Sir thanks for your kind advice!!

As per Accy web no stewards no game

Lets me up and improve ??

[Jeg Red]

Great thread which has generated loads of posts and demonstrates how special our club is and how special our supporters are, moving on from increasing attendances to increasing revenue. My two penneth worth:

- we need to play to our strengths and identify our unique selling point. We're the smallest club in the league, so get folk to adopt us as their second club. Discount tickets for Rovers and Burnley season ticket holders, prey on dissolutioned Rovers fans offering a return to 'real' football, market Stanley around Ewood and Turf in a campaign that says we're not in direct competition with you.

- get some PhD/degree marketing students in as part of their dissertations and get them to give some specific advice

- need to get a more community feel around the club and a place where people want to come with friends and families

- loads of great ideas that club should follow up - consider an experienced bar manager, free tickets, fans events, property developer to develop cowshed into more corporate type facilities and share profits,

- stewards are part of match day experience and I've not suffered at hands of our stewards like others seem to have. They are only doing their job, there is loads of regulations that most of us are unaware of - it doesn't stop them having as mile of their faces, creating a rapport with fans and being courteous. Stewards I came across at Rochdale recently were friendly but firm.

- the Ultras are important. You couldn't be anything but impressed at the display on the Newcastle game. The flags, the banners, the movement, the noise all create an atmosphere. If not the original lads, do any new lads want to take up the mantle?

- get a couple of players working in club shop, manning phone lines for enquiries /ticket sales every Wed afternoon on a rota system

- get some afternoon leadership and management surgeries with James Beattie for local business people. What's his ethos, how does he keep the group motivated, etc

- a Sportsmans Dinner


Will keep thinking.

[chevyfire]

Some positive points about the Stanley experience. The atmosphere (noise)created on the Clayton end is sometimes fantastic. The free tickets to school kids and players visiting school are good ideas, realistic ticket prices both multi tickets and £15 a game are fair, the advertising boards around town also good.

[dabeast]

Originally Posted by Mr T

Sir thanks for your kind advice!!

As per Accy web no stewards no game

Lets me up and improve ??

Not meant to cause upset or sarcasm - my opinion is only one opinion, but if you start a thread asking for opinions please do not dismiss mine (or that of any others). Not every fan has expressed a steward problem, many have supported them. You asked what can be done to increase attendances - for me, it may help if we improve the relationship between fans and stewards. That is my suggestion. No more, no less.

[DarwenRed]

Loads of good ideas;

Attendances used to be better, so the interest is there but for whatever reason people have stopped coming. I think there are two main reasons. 1)Matchday experience 2)Club promotion.

I've been watching from the Clayton End for years and in recent years it isn't as enjoyable as it used to be. As others have mentioned we need to use Winstanley every game. The Storefirst Man gets loads of attention on matchdays it would be nice to see those kids having their picture took with Winstanley aswell! The Crossbar challenge we used to do at half time was always good fun.....the prize doesnt have to be a lot, a couple of tickets or something. This season I've seen stewards shouting at kids, did those kids enjoy their day at the football?

Posters with the wrong kick off times on....on numerous occasions.

I follow a number of clubs on twitter who post things everyday, several times a day, usually nonsense but people read them and are interested. Social media is the future we may as well embrace it, I have read the small column in the Accy Observer about the community team. The club should get these good news stories as visible as possible. It will all help develop a community club image.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by Mr T

Sir thanks for your kind advice!!

As per Accy web no stewards no game

Lets me up and improve ??

What a pathetic reply.

[Mr T]

sorry, rather tired after a few hours rest.

Would rather talk, face to face; it's what I think I'm good at

[DAV007]

You clearly won't listen.

Don't worry, Ozzy outback will be back on soon to tell us the stewards do an amazing job, are under paid, have human rights and should get a round of applause.

Keep your head in the sand.

[Pendle Red]

Firstly and interestingly your Avitar is of the Family Excellence Award something as a fan I was rightly please the Club got because that is what the criteria is for it is now a few years since we received one so that tells it's own story.

On the OSC:

I have been a long time critic of the OSC and will continue to be if it continues to exist as it does. The fans decided to cancel the meeting because the Founders Lounge was unexpectedly locked up? The Crown is literally a 2 minute walk away!

It was locked and in darkness yes our meeting usually do include some directors and those who involved in the running of the Club who were minuted as normal about when the meeting was taking place and what time it would be.

Two of us did go to the Crown where there was a weight watchers meeting taking place in one side and normal pub in the other so would have been difficult to have any sort of discussion.

The OSC has for a long time committed more time to criticisng the club than doing any hard graft to help it.

Lee to me a Supporters Club is not just about being a cash cow for the Club in my eyes it also has to represent fans views as a Football Club it is very difficult for Supporters to have their views heard come back to this thread in twelve months time and let's see what has been implemented.

I think there are good intentions but they rarely come to anything positive. The numbers at OSC meetings are shockingly low and that is because fans do not value what goes on.

With anything voluntarily these days it is hard for people to committ and that is what it is people's free time, we have had some brilliant people who have bent over backwards for the Club to help but when it's a one way street they walk away.

I am not blaming anyone individually, but seriously, 5 or 6 people turning up to meetings for the OFFICIAL supporters club, then cancelling rather than seeking refuge in a different nearby location?

See Above

To summarise, people bring people. The club can do any sort of promotion (Torquay game for free didn't even fill the ground) but in reality the only thing that is going to increase attendances is if we as fans pressure people we know to come along, pay their money and get hooked. We need to make it part of peoples routine. The supporters club needs to start generating support, the stewards need to learn how to speak to people and we need a cup run.

I agree we need to be as one but that starts with communication and transparency. The other thing is football fans are your paying customers and are entitled to their opinions it's what football is about whether it's on or off the pitch.

Easy for people to walk away but a damn sight harder to get them back

Adios [/QUOTE]

[bdc]

Originally Posted by Lee

I would like to add my views as a long time fan/previous employee.

On the OSC:

I have been a long time critic of the OSC and will continue to be if it continues to exist as it does. The fans decided to cancel the meeting because the Founders Lounge was unexpectedly locked up? The Crown is literally a 2 minute walk away! The OSC has for a long time committed more time to criticisng the club than doing any hard graft to help it. I think there are good intentions but they rarely come to anything positive. The numbers at OSC meetings are shockingly low and that is because fans do not value what goes on. I am not blaming anyone individually, but seriously, 5 or 6 people turning up to meetings for the OFFICIAL supporters club, then cancelling rather than seeking refuge in a different nearby location?

The OSC does what it can with limited resources, there are few members but the OSC has helped to provide money to improve toilets round the back of the Clayton End, it pushed to get the Main Stand renamed and ensured the signage was sorted for it, they sponsor a board at the ground, sponsor players shirts, they have paid for work done to the changing rooms and clubhouse, bought shares in the club and have arranged the end of season events that brings supporters and players together.

The OSC has tried to look for ways to work with the club, that is why some of the above has happened due to communication/ action between the OSC and the club. The OSC doesn't look to criticise the club unless there is genuine reasoning, simple as that.

If you feel that you can make a difference to the way the OSC is run then you could be nominated at the AGM to take on a role within the OSC if you feel that is something you want to pursue.

[bdc]

Going back to the original question, few things:

- Keep prices simple for next season £15 for adults and look to do promotions on Friday night games only, this is something we should be looking at to try and differentiate to other clubs. 4 Friday games would help to make sure we are not directly competing against Burnley or Blackburn and may encourage more walk ons from both sets of fans. Make tickets for these games £10.

- For games where low attendances are expected try and offer pie and peas and a pint and hospitality for £20 to ensure full use of clubhouse for games in particular on Tuesday nights where attendances are lower.

- Try and get a matchday club going for kids to attract families and help build up attendances over a period of time.

- Promote things better on social media, it took until the Saturday before the Morecambe game to actually promote the reduced prices.

- Get the catering units back in house and get a few kids in to do the serving with one cook preparing the food, plenty of profit in doing it and will help boost income for the club.

- Push the flexi ticket offer more, the idea is a good one, make it more visible and it will catch a few more supporters.

[Lee]

Hi Neil, you had already decided to cancel the meeting before you knew anything was going on at the Crown. I don't see why people using the other side of the pub could have really affected an informal meeting of 5 or so people. It seems it was cancelled in haste, and rather than find a quick solution it was easier to criticise. Just an observation.

One thing the OSC really struggles with is letting people know what they are doing. I have no idea of membership numbers, agendas, projects or what the membership fees are being spent on. As someone far away, this gives me no motivation to become a member. Take the website for example - Accrington Stanley - Official Supporters Club . The next meeting is September 2012 apparently, our manager is Paul Cook and we are excited for the coming 2012 /13 season.

When I was in the UK for the first 3 months of the season I saw little activity regarding fundraising or recruiting new members and poorly attended meetings. I understand it's hard to get people volunteering but what specifically are you currently trying to get people to volunteer for? What is the supporters club currently doing to raise the profile of the club? If I can't find it while looking then it really does not seem to be working. Why are less than 1% of our 1000 core supporters actively going to meetings? Nobodies fault like I say, It just does not seem to be doing much at the moment.

Everyone has seen the Ultras go into decline and everyone acknowledges it. I think a much larger decline has happened in the OSC over the last 5 years, but it has a pat-each-the-on-the-back culture and people don't like to criticise it publicly.

I am not saying the OSC should just be there to serve the club but it does have a part to play in improving the match day experience for supporters, I think it's nowhere near to delivering its potential.

As for it being hard for a fan to have their view heard? Walk into reception, on a match day you will immediately be talking to a director, ask for Mark - he will be lurking, nobody is inaccessible. Also is the club not fan run? Joe Cirino is fan director, is the OSC the best route?

The Excellence Award? The criteria is not that high to get one and they tell you what it is. It's really sad we no longer get them.

[Pendle Red]

Lee if you look at the posting date if I really wanted to go out of my way to criticise I would have done it on the Night I waited over a week perhaps blinkered expecting somebody to send an email perhaps explaining the mix up?

Why does the OSC have to fundraise all the time and what part does it have to play on Matchday?

The dynamics as BDC has put are easy to change if people want to give it a go and volunteer at the AGM for the OSC to be part of the Committee, just want to attend meetings or just volunteer and steer it a different route I have no problem and maybe that is what it needs fresh ideas and impetus.

This thread is about ways to improve attendances with some cracking ideas and is unified in the sense of all wanting it to go the same way just need somebody to take the Bull by horns.

Your last line says an awful lot.

[Pendle Red]

Lee on a Final Note Massive Well Done and Thanks on the Club Website so much better and easier to navigate and a massive plus for the Club.

[Redraine]

Agreed,
it's brilliant,though could it be amended to give the link to this message board more prominence ?