What needs to happen next? : Mon May 18, 2009 12:44 pm  

Yesterday I found myself paying to watch the bulls live for the first time in about 18 months. Apart from the result, and many have opined about Mcnamara / Hood and their ability to do their job, there are other things that need putting right.

lets get out of the way about McNamara. 7000 brave souls watched the match yesterday. If he was sacked and replaced then it would be 9000. The club would be seen as taking a positive step to improve. thats my opinion and I am prepared to be shot down.

the "gameday experience". Well, Odsal has never been a good place to be on a day like yesterday, but there are some things that could have been managed better.

For many years i was a season ticket holding, home and away fan. Now, with 3 kids and a wife to support, I have to be more discerning with my spending. yesterday, taking my two eldest sons aged 6 and 3 to the match I spent £50 and was prepared to spend another £60 but couldnt!

I had the "quid a kid vouchers for the boys" so I was made to walk an extra 100 yards outside the stadium to get to the right gate. this was not specified on the ticket. I wanted to buy my lads the away shirt, so walked the 100 yards again inside the ground to find that the smallest shirt available was a large boys, and that would fit a 9/10 year old! I asked when a new stock was arriving, but was told they wer not getting anymore!
Note 1 to club: if you are giving cheap kids tickets away, try to make it easy for parents to spend money once they are in. Open the turnstile nearest the shop for the vouchers, and have someting for people to buy! when a popular new shirt is released, make sure that you have availability of it in all sizes for more than half a season

I then paid to transfer to the stand. £9 for the 3 of us. at 2.30, the only seats left in the block that were covered by a roof were limited view. i could not see about 15 meters of in goal area. I also queued for about 15 minutes in the rain to be charged £3 each for a burger and 2 hotdogs. thats 50p each more than at Bradford City, and I get served before i am drenched.

Note to club 2: When charging fans a premium for a seat, make sure that they can see the game and be covered, and that they are getting better facilities than those not paying the premium.

I bought a programme for each of my kids and whilst it is a decent programme for the cost, the sellers were holding them out in the wet and I am not sure if they saw my son coming because he weas given two sodden paper mache things that resembled the programme.

so heres the breakdown:
1 adult admission £17
2x cheap kids £2
3 x transfer £9
2 x programmes £6
1 hotdog/2 burgers £9
1hot drink 2 cold £5.60
2 badges £5

total £53.60

will i be back again this season? probably not. and dont even get me started on the on field performance!!

: Mon May 18, 2009 1:04 pm  

Lots of valid points there, I think Kooga are in difficulties, which could explain the problems with the kit supply.

Re: What needs to happen next? : Mon May 18, 2009 1:16 pm  

Lots of valuable points. The issue with shirts has been the case since Kooga became our supplier, I took my son's mate yesterday and he was excited about the prospect of getting one of the away shirts, only to be told the same thing, none in stock in his size. Not only that but he asked if he could buy a ball only to be told they didn't have any of those in stock either! On that front there used to be a time when you could get your name up in lights at half time for a £5 on the main scoreboard, a small earner I'm sure, but surely revenue is revenue, that's gone too. And the shop at the back of the main stand hardly had any stock in it at all.

The constant messing around with which voucher is handed in where for s/ticket entry to the main stand is also indicative of a business being run in a cack handed way.

: Mon May 18, 2009 1:19 pm  

Can't really blame the Bulls for prices food and drink. Pretty sure they are set by the vendors.

: Mon May 18, 2009 1:37 pm  

dixie wrote:

Can't really blame the Bulls for prices food and drink. Pretty sure they are set by the vendors.

True, though I'd have hoped the goods offered (and their prices) would form part of the process when vendors are applying for one of the pitches.

: Mon May 18, 2009 2:20 pm  

TBH the food this season is an improvement over previous years. And the price is comprable to other grounds in the league.

Re: What needs to happen next? : Mon May 18, 2009 2:28 pm  

isaac1 wrote:

Yesterday I found myself paying to watch the bulls live for the first time in about 18 months. Apart from the result, and many have opined about Mcnamara / Hood and their ability to do their job, there are other things that need putting right.

lets get out of the way about McNamara. 7000 brave souls watched the match yesterday. If he was sacked and replaced then it would be 9000. The club would be seen as taking a positive step to improve. thats my opinion and I am prepared to be shot down.

the "gameday experience". Well, Odsal has never been a good place to be on a day like yesterday, but there are some things that could have been managed better.

For many years i was a season ticket holding, home and away fan. Now, with 3 kids and a wife to support, I have to be more discerning with my spending. yesterday, taking my two eldest sons aged 6 and 3 to the match I spent £50 and was prepared to spend another £60 but couldnt!

I had the "quid a kid vouchers for the boys" so I was made to walk an extra 100 yards outside the stadium to get to the right gate. this was not specified on the ticket. I wanted to buy my lads the away shirt, so walked the 100 yards again inside the ground to find that the smallest shirt available was a large boys, and that would fit a 9/10 year old! I asked when a new stock was arriving, but was told they wer not getting anymore!
Note 1 to club: if you are giving cheap kids tickets away, try to make it easy for parents to spend money once they are in. Open the turnstile nearest the shop for the vouchers, and have someting for people to buy! when a popular new shirt is released, make sure that you have availability of it in all sizes for more than half a season

I then paid to transfer to the stand. £9 for the 3 of us. at 2.30, the only seats left in the block that were covered by a roof were limited view. i could not see about 15 meters of in goal area. I also queued for about 15 minutes in the rain to be charged £3 each for a burger and 2 hotdogs. thats 50p each more than at Bradford City, and I get served before i am drenched.

Note to club 2: When charging fans a premium for a seat, make sure that they can see the game and be covered, and that they are getting better facilities than those not paying the premium.

I bought a programme for each of my kids and whilst it is a decent programme for the cost, the sellers were holding them out in the wet and I am not sure if they saw my son coming because he weas given two sodden paper mache things that resembled the programme.

so heres the breakdown:
1 adult admission £17
2x cheap kids £2
3 x transfer £9
2 x programmes £6
1 hotdog/2 burgers £9
1hot drink 2 cold £5.60
2 badges £5

total £53.60

will i be back again this season? probably not. and dont even get me started on the on field performance!!

Very good and valid points there. Although I don't think you can argue about the seats. Obviosuly, had you have got there a little bit earlier you would have got a better seat. I was there for 2 o clock and there was plenty free but as I go to every home game, I know how busy the seats get when the rain comes.

I just hope it hasn't put you off for good. The club needs all the support it can get at the moment and the high points taste all the bit sweeter when you have been through the low points!

: Mon May 18, 2009 2:43 pm  

Asim wrote:

True, though I'd have hoped the goods offered (and their prices) would form part of the process when vendors are applying for one of the pitches.

Yeah, you'd think that. I was told though that vendors just pay a price to get their pitch and that's about it. Not 100% if this is true for Odsal.

: Mon May 18, 2009 2:49 pm  

Asim wrote:

Lots of valid points there, I think Kooga are in difficulties, which could explain the problems with the kit supply.

Kooga are supplying no more shirts to any of it's clubs.

Re: What needs to happen next? : Mon May 18, 2009 2:55 pm  

anarkik wrote:

On that front there used to be a time when you could get your name up in lights at half time for a £5 on the main scoreboard, a small earner I'm sure, but surely revenue is revenue, that's gone too.

The electric scoreboard is fooked, so there wouldn't be much point having your name up there anyway.