Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:27 pm  

At Perpignan, Catalan make the game day an experience. Okay they have the weather and their culture is different to ours.
I do think that that has to be the way that the club should go to increase attendance. It may well not be an instant success and it may have to evolve, but I am sure it will work.

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:30 pm  

The success of The World Challenge Games at The Stoop, was much down to the link we made with Capital Radio! Very few clubs invest, St Helens at one time had posters for every match all around The Town and in shop windows, now nothing, they average around 9,5 except Wigan match. You have to invest, the Wimbledon FC programme two home games before ours! Local free newspaper with a completion to win family tickets for 4, do a promotion with the best local radio station, get them involved with pre match entertainment!

You only get out, how much you put in!

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:08 pm  

Jaybs you are right, you only get out what you put in.
A sign outside the church and a couple of posters on the back of a bus is not really enough.

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:58 am  

Loads of good ideas on here of how to swell the fan base for Wimbledon. Make it family friendly with things for the kids to look forward to. If the kids have a great time parents are happy and those same kids tell their friends all about it and then hopefully they will badger their parents to take them along as well. Make it known around the area, love the ideas for Toulouse game, again get the media involved with competitions for family tickets or group of friends tickets that's how we discovered LB 25 years ago. Have a monthly raffle where the prize is points towards either next seasons season ticket or towards the cost of a game ticket. Doesn't really cost the club much money in fact if advertised properly it wont cost anything as they will make more than they spend but brings in the funds. The club need to be proactive rather than reactive and dont shout down fans when they dont hold your thoughts for the future, listen and learn as some of those fans have been around RL a lot longer than any of the staff, some have 40 years plus watching RL We all see things in a different light and that can help the club if listened to

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:52 am  

itsmeagain wrote:

Loads of good ideas on here of how to swell the fan base for Wimbledon. Make it family friendly with things for the kids to look forward to. If the kids have a great time parents are happy and those same kids tell their friends all about it and then hopefully they will badger their parents to take them along as well. Make it known around the area, love the ideas for Toulouse game, again get the media involved with competitions for family tickets or group of friends tickets that's how we discovered LB 25 years ago. Have a monthly raffle where the prize is points towards either next seasons season ticket or towards the cost of a game ticket. Doesn't really cost the club much money in fact if advertised properly it wont cost anything as they will make more than they spend but brings in the funds. The club need to be proactive rather than reactive and dont shout down fans when they dont hold your thoughts for the future, listen and learn as some of those fans have been around RL a lot longer than any of the staff, some have 40 years plus watching RL We all see things in a different light and that can help the club if listened to

There are a lot of "ifs" in this but sounds reasonable to me.

When you consider how good the relationship between owners & fans were when Ron & Mo Snares then Gwen & Barry Warren were if you like a link between the two, it is hard to understand how it has become such a one ring circus.

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:55 am  

I was just coming to the end of my teens sat in the press box for the first Fulham game, for Radio City Liverpool, I could not believe the number of families in front in the stand, even Grandparent, their Children and Grandchildren, can we create that again?

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:03 am  

There is not much effort towards families by the club these days.

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:46 am  

Yes shame Barry walked away from the club. Whatever happened to the cup he donated in memory of his wife.

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 1:40 pm  

jaybs wrote:

I was just coming to the end of my teens sat in the press box for the first Fulham game, for Radio City Liverpool, I could not believe the number of families in front in the stand, even Grandparent, their Children and Grandchildren, can we create that again?

Doubt it jaybs, 1980 was a different time. It was new & there was a ton of newspaper coverage. I kept scrapbooks with newspaper match reports those fabulous first 4 years. Today you wouldn't know who's playing if you relied on the Evening Standard. There was not a lot of live sport on the box then but now you can sit in your armchair & watch any amount of football, league or Union so much less point to go given cost of travel, food & booze.

Maybe we might if we rebranded as AFC Wimbledon Broncos but doubt it. Nor the vibe of the Griffin's bbq pre game & watching the Cowgirls come down the outside stairs. Happy days.

Re: Back to Trailfinders. : Tue Mar 23, 2021 1:58 pm  

Leaving aside last year when lockdown impacted attendances, the UK has enjoyed steady year on year growth in sporting attendances in recent years. Attendance per capita is the largest in the world. However, only about 3% of attendance is to watch RL (a similar level to cricket). RL is a good product, many of us will having become hooked by seeing our first game. There are clearly problems in marketing the sport as a whole not just at club level.

Leaving aside last year when lockdown impacted attendances, the UK has enjoyed steady year on year growth in sporting attendances in recent years. Attendance per capita is the largest in the world. However, only about 3% of attendance is to watch RL (a similar level to cricket). RL is a good product, many of us will having become hooked by seeing our first game. There are clearly problems in marketing the sport as a whole not just at club level.