well what a day.
Many people appear to have calmed down somewhat after a days reflection and Ilyas's posts.
The argument seems to now be centred around the clubhouse, understandable. The clubhouse has not been the same since they tried to go corporate with it. That seemed to have failed initially but more recent times it has seemed a lot busier. For my part I tried the clubhouse last week after wide berthing it for the last 18 months or so. My wide berth was mainly because the lager had become so distasteful that even my uncultured pallete was unable to stomach it anymore. The good news was that it had lost the pungent smell (the lager) and tasted clean again. Slightly warm and I could suggest that the gas be turned up a smidgen, but it was drinkable and I had planned on trying to go in a little more often. Well that's that over and done with I guess.
But I am still very disappointed with the season tickets and no amount of posters juggling figures will convince me it is anything but a bad move. The point of it is that the hardcore to some extent will remain (still think we'll lose a goodly number though), the club will make a profit on those figures from last year. I do believe that season tickets will take a massive hit (unless loads of freebie kids season tickets are again included in the numbers) but that will be off-set later by the majority paying on the day.
But it's more disappointing because it has always been the newcomers that we have needed. A new season, new ownership, new belief and trust in the club, that is when people are at their most susceptible to getting involved. I think it was Shakermaker earlier on (can't find the post) who said something along the lines of the five pound offer hadn't really worked - well it wouldn't would it? Where was the full page advert in the Observer? where was the huge billboard ad on Burnley Road? where were the posters in all the pubs around town? Until the club has a marketing budget and strategy then no amount of offers are going to do anything other than reduce the income generated from those coming already.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris
But surely the new situation must make the club much more attractive to potential sponsors and the commercial staff should be going out into the local community and pushing that to maximum effect?
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this is where the club should be concentrating their efforts. Not even just locally. Whenever I go to other grounds I look at the advertising boards, they are full of national companies and chains. We only seem to have the nationals that are FA partners and we are probably contractually obliged to advertise them. Colemans Mustard, Stanley Tools, Milk Marketing - find the links and exploit those people.
The club should now be in a position to 'milk' the name again. Rob Heys, Martin Edmundson, Dave O'Neil and Ilyas have all said that people have expressed interest in sponsorship but wouldn't do until the situation was resolved. It is resolved now go out and get
their money.
Now should have been the time where we say to the town thanks for everything (not that many people did) you have done for us over the years during the bi-annual plea for money, thanks for putting up with us staining the name of the town through betting scandals and goodness knows what else, thanks for putting up with taking the mick with bodged planning permissions and ignoring the Freedom of the Borough - here you are have something back. We should be giving them the opportunity to watch football at an affordable price, we should be pledging to have a series of charity events for local causes, we should be looking at building a number of bridges through whatever avenues we can. It seems to me that this is pushing us further away from the community vision and further towards us being marooned as an expensive day out that can only be done once in a while.
All I can say is that I'm glad a married a woman who hasn't the slightest inclination to come to the game with me.