The club needs fans....

[baldy]

Another great post from Macca!

Like mentioned, Only this season we have started to run our own food outlets, Not for the lack of trying but we just haven't had the money to fork out for the facilities until now...All money going back into the club rather than outside catering!

Another thing is the Sports Bar, Should be on of the first places people want to have a birthday but the state of it at the minute it's way down the pecking order in Accrington to have a party...Maybe that will change depending on Andys plans on the Main Stand?

Macca mentioned about players doing meet and greets in town on a match day, I mentioned this in the summer about getting players to stand in Asda/Tesco and hand out season ticket/loyalty card forms out. Injured players handing out cheap tickets to kids, autographs on match days in town, just to raise the profile of the club!

Maybe Andy wants to get the ground up to his standard before attracting new fans, Maybe he thinks there's no point doing incentives now with facilities that won't entice "new fans" to return..."

[Chrisr]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

I suggested something to AH a few months ago with the aim of seating a thousand 11 year old bums on seats. Andy's response was that we had nowhere to put a thousand kids.

I thought it was a spot on answer. Previous Chairmen would have told me to crack on, and we'd have had a thousand disappointed kids who probably wouldnt come again.

The point is that we know what to do but the order of business has to be correct or its wasted opportunities.

Discounted games, free games ... all pointless unless you are in a position to capitalise.

I GUARANTEE that the position will be entirely different. AND TOGETHER WE WILL HELP THAT MATERIALISE

Andy Holt is a realist. I think if you do a trawl of my posts going back 2/3 years I have said all this. I am just glad people seem to think things are now falling into place. All the points you have mentioned are both valid and Andy knows what is needed. It may be that it takes another 12 months to sort the sports bar and venue to capitalise on the venue income. ie wedding receptions, birthdays etc. Together is the way forward but we need to make the Stanley experience something people want. This is a critical part of the recovery plan as it has to be right first time.

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by baldy

Another great post from Macca!

Like mentioned, Only this season we have started to run our own food outlets, Not for the lack of trying but we just haven't had the money to fork out for the facilities until now...All money going back into the club rather than outside catering!

Another thing is the Sports Bar, Should be on of the first places people want to have a birthday but the state of it at the minute it's way down the pecking order in Accrington to have a party...Maybe that will change depending on Andys plans on the Main Stand?

Macca mentioned about players doing meet and greets in town on a match day, I mentioned this in the summer about getting players to stand in Asda/Tesco and hand out season ticket/loyalty card forms out. Injured players handing out cheap tickets to kids, autographs on match days in town, just to raise the profile of the club!

Maybe Andy wants to get the ground up to his standard before attracting new fans, Maybe he thinks there's no point doing incentives now with facilities that won't entice "new fans" to return..."

And the player sues. Making injured players stand all day giving out leaflets beggars belief, the injury should be a clue. The players are not paid enough to degrade themselves, plus no one recognises them.

[Lord Stiffupperlip]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

I suggested something to AH a few months ago with the aim of seating a thousand 11 year old bums on seats. Andy's response was that we had nowhere to put a thousand kids.

Surely a thousand kids would only increase our current home gate to around 2,200.
You could spread 1000 kids across the front of the Clayton end with ease, why do they need seats?

[sherry]

Then how many minders, qualified in 'safeguarding' and as per the law and Regulations would be needed to care for them? Not as straightforward as it seems. It has been tried giving free season tickets to all Hyndburn junior school leavers in the recent past and takeup was negligible.

[maccawozzagod]

Originally Posted by Lord Stiffupperlip

Surely a thousand kids would only increase our current home gate to around 2,200.
You could spread 1000 kids across the front of the Clayton end with ease, why do they need seats?

In a nutshell, yes you could. If a 1000 extra people turned up at the next game then they would fit in anywhere. But in the instance of a specific invitation then you'd want to house them together somewhere - and as Sherry says, there would be adults with them numbering in the hundreds. If we had to do this now we'd look for a smaller club, house their fans in the cow shed and give the Accy End over. If it then rained all the good work goes to waste as they'd have a ruined experience.

Maybe 18 months down the line we'll see a lid over the Accy End? Maybe we'll see the Whinney Hill stand go up?

The point is that we could house an organic growth of fans but A specific promotion aiming at a thousand kids we couldn't.

Food for thought there and we find ourselves back in a chicken and egg scenario

[Lord Didsbury]

If memory serves, There was a match last year when loads of kids were behind the goals. It was a sunny day and think it was the one where Fosu scored In a 1-0 victory?

[Mr T]

Sherry is right; with so many "anticapted" children there would be work to do.

When we "split" the Coppice for the "grassroots" teams it was v Cambridge; 1-1 from memory.

Sad thing was hundreds "requested" and were issued free tickets but failed to attend.

The whole of this post is excellant, shame we currently have limitations and experience of "been here done that" in a positive way!

[Revived Red]

Originally Posted by Chrisr

You can't buy a ticket online

Pinched from the Morecambe thread but more relevant here.

We should not forget that 3 or 4 years ago, it was indeed possible to buy a ticket online - and to select seats from a diagram of the stadium. I used this system to ensure that my family had seats next to mine when they came to home games. However, I suspect that while it may have been incredibly useful for me, it was not used by many others. It was set up by Lew Carroll and, if I remember rightly, was based on a scheme used by Manchester City - and was VERY expensive for the club.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Revived Red

Pinched from the Morecambe thread but more relevant here.

We should not forget that 3 or 4 years ago, it was indeed possible to buy a ticket online - and to select seats from a diagram of the stadium. I used this system to ensure that my family had seats next to mine when they came to home games. However, I suspect that while it may have been incredibly useful for me, it was not used by many others. It was set up by Lew Carroll and, if I remember rightly, was based on a scheme used by Manchester City - and was VERY expensive for the club.

Thats summat needs weighing up first if it aint been imho.

[monkey hanger]

making reasons for doing nothing for me is not on. something needs to be done quickly. there,s been various ideas posted on here and through the supporters club in the past. something must be implemented by the club as they know what can or can,t be done. try kid for a quid, give em a voucher for the next home game and see the amount of take up there will be. kids with their mates is the way forward, trying to get parents who are not interested to bring kids will never take off.

[Lord Stiffupperlip]

After some of the positive ideas put forward to help the club increase home attendances, it is a little sad & disappointing to read posts making excuses why all of these ideas are doomed to failure.
'We can't afford it!'
'It's been tried before'
And perhaps the most illogical - 'We can't accommodate them!'
Well, I suppose we might as well give up bothering then.

[cashman]

its also illogical pretending stuff never happened.

[st06nc2]

Maybe try if the adult brings 2 paying children the the adult gets in free

[Chrisr]

Originally Posted by Revived Red

Pinched from the Morecambe thread but more relevant here.

We should not forget that 3 or 4 years ago, it was indeed possible to buy a ticket online - and to select seats from a diagram of the stadium. I used this system to ensure that my family had seats next to mine when they came to home games. However, I suspect that while it may have been incredibly useful for me, it was not used by many others. It was set up by Lew Carroll and, if I remember rightly, was based on a scheme used by Manchester City - and was VERY expensive for the club.

I believe it is very relevant. when this system first came out and was tried it was very expensive. However, the cost's have come down to affordable levels. I know many ideas have been tried and failed but that was then and we should have learned from those experiences. People like to be associated with success. Towards the end of last season, we were achieving good gates which would keep the club a lot more self sufficient. I hope we can make further suggestions with some ideas as how to implement them with a greater degree of success than previously experienced. Whatever we do we must keep the aim to have a good experience coming to the Wham. If we see things that can be done better or shouldn't be happening then we need to be making it known to the people in charge on the day. I am glad this thread is turning more positive than previous attempts. I think we all agree that the way forward is together, Criticism of the club/ Team / management is good if done as constructive. we all like to have a rant when we see the game through different eyes than the manager, I can't understand how Coley can get wrong with all the advisors in the ground. Baffling.