: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:17 am  

Dave Lister wrote:

Waste of time and money. Why would you rather try ideas that don't work just incase they might work? Shall we try another community day, and do it again and again and again, hoping that it works one time? Its a terrible idea for reasons discussed before and should not even be considered.

See...that's what has happened in the past. The club have tried something, it didn't work and the club decided against marketing at all!
I agree that Paul Browns initiative to give amateur players ST's didn't work, but rather than dismiss it out of hand, why not investigate why it failed? I am sure that any advertiser would investigate why their campaign didn't work rather than just keep on trying different things until they get lucky. I can just see the global marketing team at P&G sitting around a list of ideas, blindfolded with a pin

The RFL showed the club how it should be done for the Manly game, but no lessons were learnt. This points to the almost arrogant answer given at the fans forum about "no money worries" and "everything being in hand"...we were fed a line at the time and a 5% drop in gates with lower gates against the so called big 4 than the average gates in the past point to nothing being done...well nothing that worked anyway.

I am like you listy, in that I will sit in the East, west, north or south as long as I get to see the team. I don't mind too much if away fans sit in allocated seats as long as those people who have been allocated them aren't at the game. I go for the game for the game, not leech or some nobody of BGT, but the club need to look at the entire package and find a solution.
Oh, by the way, the community day was the only one of the 4 "summer at the stoop" days that actually got us a result. 100+ Kids playing rugby on the pitch with their parents, siblings and mates in attendance seemed to do the trick.......maybe we should promote the community team to do the marketing job as well

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:19 am  

Sorry, I actually meant the dancing day or whatever it was.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:34 am  

Dave Lister wrote:

Sorry, I actually meant the dancing day or whatever it was.

agreed......George Sampson didn't work and we were told there were loads of groups rehearsing for the dance-off on Saturday......er, 1 group I believe. Great bit of marketing.....really well thought out.
Southampton FC were a big football team, the SPL is a sellers market, The Brit Oval......surrey and cricket are quite poplular, HKR and Rugby League go hand in hand......but Rugby League in a leafy west london/middlesex suburb Good Luck PB, I think you are going to need it.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:38 am  

Our current fan base aren't happy according to who? I've noticed a few people on here whining about the Stands but other than that nothing. I have noticed nobody complaining about playing on a Saturday. This is what was voted for and the best day for the majority (IMO). Surely you must agree that keeping CURRENT supporters happy is more important than trying to attract new ones who might not even come back?

Dave you are wrong here. At the risk of being told I am being negative – I will say again a lot of fans have complained they are not happy and will not be renewing their season tickets next year. I am talking long term fans here not intermittent or fair weather fans. Some of these fans have personally supported players, others have enjoyed corporate hospitality, others have attended all games home and away. Many (23) are gold season ticket fans. If these people are not listened to the club stand a chance of loosing a vast amount of fan based income. I sent the list to the club and I also discussed it with them however I have no idea whether or not it will be acted upon. I hope the club take the initiative and contact these people who are quite happy to be contacted. Since I sent the list I have had other people come up to me about the state of things and I have asked them politely to contact the club directly. I will no longer be discussing things with the club, I have voiced the unhappiness of fans and I will no longer put myself in the position of being used as scape goat. I very much sympathise with some of the real issues fans have and I agree with them. This problem area must be addressed because if these fans stick to what they say with how they feel at the moment there will not be many fans next year. I have a very strange feeling the fans are not going to be happy with what is offered unless there has been a drastic change from a few weeks ago.

Yes, and as I just posted, there are plenty of other sports fans who don't give a monkeys about football. I think you might find that a large proportion of RL fans have an active dislike towards football. Our sport very much goes against the concept of football and thats why people follow it. Changing our kick off time and day to allow for a few people to do both stinks.

You are being naïve here. I used to attend football every week and there were a number of us who were football non league supporters and would go to the football on a Saturday and rugby on a Sunday. The band of about 40 people that would attend regularly from my non league area has dwindled to approx. four. There are a lot of football clubs out there that are not league clubs and these people are the ones who would attend both games. You will never convert a league football fan to choose us above their football team not matter whether you play Saturday or Sunday but I believe there is a market for non league fans. Personally I don’t care which day it is.

Do we still offer a discount for the unemployed? In today’s market it may be something we should be doing if it is not already being done. Lot’s of people are affected by the credit crunch and losing jobs. A cheap afternoon out at the rugby may well appeal to those with a very limited income.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:47 am  

Your "inside info" is very vague. You say some gold season ticket holders are unhappy. Firstly, why? Why are they offloading their season tickets? And secondly, who can blame them for being bothered? They are paying the most money. There are several hundred other season ticket holders - any evidence as to what they think or are we just going to say because the Gold Season ticket holders are unhappy then everybody must be? How many season ticket holders who are not gold season ticket holders hold this opinion that they won't be renewing, and why?

I don't think I am being naive at all, my experience of Rugby League supporters tells me that we should be aiming AWAY from football supporters, not trying to desperately accomodate for them.

I think unemployed discounts are bizzare tbh.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:54 am  

Dave Lister wrote:

Your "inside info" is very vague. You say some gold season ticket holders are unhappy. Firstly, why? Why are they offloading their season tickets? And secondly, who can blame them for being bothered? They are paying the most money. There are several hundred other season ticket holders - any evidence as to what they think or are we just going to say because the Gold Season ticket holders are unhappy then everybody must be? How many season ticket holders who are not gold season ticket holders hold this opinion that they won't be renewing, and why?

I don't think I am being naive at all, my experience of Rugby League supporters tells me that we should be aiming AWAY from football supporters, not trying to desperately accomodate for them.

I think unemployed discounts are bizzare tbh.

If 1 season ticket holder is unhappy, in my opnion, that is one too many! We don't have the fan base to be able to afford to lose anyone.....let alone a top dollar paying fan.

This brings up the Customer Services Management at Harlequins Rugby League.........oh, sorry, they don't have any CRM....

As for your experience of RL fans and the fact that we should be aiming away from football fans? I find that bizzare I'll take cash from anyone who wants to watch the game and given we are having trouble attracting anyone to our games, to exclude a large group of sports fans would seem to be a bit odd!

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:57 am  

gutterfax wrote:

If 1 season ticket holder is unhappy, in my opnion, that is one too many! We don't have the fan base to be able to afford to lose anyone.....let alone a top dollar paying fan.

Move the games to Sunday and there is 1 season ticket holder unhappy right here. Swings and roundabouts.

gutterfax wrote:

As for your experience of RL fans and the fact that we should be aiming away from football fans? I find that bizzare I'll take cash from anyone who wants to watch the game and given we are having trouble attracting anyone to our games, to exclude a large group of sports fans would seem to be a bit odd!

I would take cash from anyone too and don't care who follows us but making them our number 1 target is ridiculous.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:59 am  

BTW I think we are placing far too much emphasis on these Gold Season ticket holders. Its almost like they are the only ones that matter and the rest of the peasants and their views don't matter as the Gold Season ticket holders spend the most money. Load of rubbish. 23 Gold Season ticket holders equates to what, 60 "regular" season ticket holders? I'd sooner hear the views of the 60 tbh, especially as the 60 are the ones that are paying amounts that new supporters might be prepared to pay and enjoy a matchday experience identical to the walk up supporter.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:07 pm  

We get poor crowds.
We get poor crowds on a Sunday.
We get poor crowds on a Saturday.
On some Sundays we have had better crowds than some Saturdays, but they've still been poor.
On some Saturdays we have had better crowds than some Sundays, but they've still been poor.

Debating this is like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. It fails to address the real problem.

-Having said that (I'm prepared to turn up anyday, even Thursday evening) I feel Saturday's are clearly best for two reasons:
[1] It is more attractive for away fans (who we do have to care about, because when we get a big gate it is normally swelled by a big away support).

[2] People stay longer on the day, spend more in the bar etc. - so more revenue opportunities.

: Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:09 pm  

PTB wrote:

We get poor crowds.
We get poor crowds on a Sunday.
We get poor crowds on a Saturday.
On some Sundays we have had better crowds than some Saturdays, but they've still been poor.
On some Saturdays we have had better crowds than some Sundays, but they've still been poor.

Debating this is like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. It fails to address the real problem.

-Saturday's are clearly best for two reasons:
[1] It is more attractive for away fans (who we do have to care about, because when we get a big gate it is normally swelled by a big away support).

[2] People stay longer on the day, spend more in the bar etc. - so more revenue opportunities.

Yep. Plus travel is far better.

But no doubt the Gold Season ticket holders will be unhappy for some reason so they club should change it for them as they are throwing their toys about threatening to cancel their tickets because they can't be @rsed anymore

(Apologies if you are one of the sane Gold Season ticket holders).