Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Thu Jun 14, 2012 5:25 pm  

We put in lot of work into the players music and pre match music prior to the start of this season. All this work has been discarded clearly Dave and the powers at the club know better
Music used correctly was a key influencer in our successful period in the Cougarmania days. We psychologically beat teams before the game started.
Still what do I know, clearly the powers that be at the club know better.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:03 pm  

Cougarmikesmith wrote:

We put in lot of work into the players music and pre match music prior to the start of this season. All this work has been discarded clearly Dave and the powers at the club know better
Music used correctly was a key influencer in our successful period in the Cougarmania days. We psychologically beat teams before the game started.
Still what do I know, clearly the powers that be at the club know better.

Well said Mike !

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:22 pm  

It worked in Cougar mania days because that was a sign of the times. Times are different now. Any way ive tried giving constructive critisim but it has been taking the wrong way.

Keep up the good work and ill keep my opinions to my self. After all im only a fan!

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:28 pm  

captain_cougar wrote:

Keep up the good work and ill keep my opinions to my self.

If you have something to say, say it.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:02 pm  

As a fan and from what few games I sorted out from my time at the club match days for me surrounding the experience is flat and boring. We wonder why we have no young fans or families coming to the games, I am a young family man with 2 kids and if it wasn't for the fact that I love the club and have been going since a kid then after a first visit I wouldn't return.

Everything we organised was free also but it wasn't just aimed at singers, we had balloons for the kids, face painters, ice cream vans, local dance schools, local junior teams playing and plenty of fun activities going on. We also did promotional discount tickets to hand out as we were not allowed to fish out free tickets to schools which for me is a must, until we have 3-4000 fans every week then why not hand out tickets but at the same time it will only work if match days are made into an experience. I always explained like families coming to a show and from the minute they entered the gates to the minute they left they couldn't wait for the next game, yes its not as easy at it sounds but in my opinion not enough is been done regarding new fans.

It is clear to everyone on a matchday that you only have to look around to see that we have an ageing fan base with not many if any new blood coming through to support the club.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:54 pm  

On the terraces wrote:

It is clear to everyone on a matchday that you only have to look around to see that we have an ageing fan base with not many if any new blood coming through to support the club.

You've kind of hit on where in my opinion Rugby League is so badly marketed.

There's all this rubbish spouted about it being a family sport but exactly how many of these kids who came with their families as kids come to games when they are adolescent or young adults?

I'm a child of Cougarmania, now 6 weeks shy of my 31st birthday. How many fans do I see who are my age and the answer is not many.

What's being done to retain fans as opposed to getting new ones? Bouncy Castles and Face Painters are fine for 6 year olds but what about when they're 13, 14, 15 years old? They're much more discerning, and are more likely to follow the latest trends.

The fact is Rugby League is not a family game, it's a game for everyone, and difficult as it sounds the matchday experience as you put it should be designed to be inclusive of everyone. The key to the club's, indeed the entire sport's, survival is how successful it is at converting the child fans in to adult ones who'll be fans for life and eventually bring their children along.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:07 am  

Stealth Comic wrote:

You've kind of hit on where in my opinion Rugby League is so badly marketed.

There's all this rubbish spouted about it being a family sport but exactly how many of these kids who came with their families as kids come to games when they are adolescent or young adults?

I'm a child of Cougarmania, now 6 weeks shy of my 31st birthday. How many fans do I see who are my age and the answer is not many.

What's being done to retain fans as opposed to getting new ones? Bouncy Castles and Face Painters are fine for 6 year olds but what about when they're 13, 14, 15 years old? They're much more discerning, and are more likely to follow the latest trends.

The fact is Rugby League is not a family game, it's a game for everyone, and difficult as it sounds the matchday experience as you put it should be designed to be inclusive of everyone. The key to the club's, indeed the entire sport's, survival is how successful it is at converting the child fans in to adult ones who'll be fans for life and eventually bring their children along.

Some pretty fair comments there. The current theory, and practice of "if you can catch em young, they will stay" is not guaranteed without some further effort. If you stand in the South stand at Leeds, there is a much younger age range than Cougar park.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:48 am  

I have discarded nothing mike, the only thing dropped was 1 piece of music because the fans on these very forums said it was too cheesy and they didn't like it.

If any thing we have retained the ethos of cougar mania by all players having their own piece of music, something done by no other club in rugby league. To be fair lately it's the same 3 or 4 players scoring so people have not really had chance to listen to all the players music.

Getting singers to perform at cougar park is something I did off my own back, if you would rather I didn't then speak up now.

I will when I get chance make a post on here listing every player and their tune so you can all give your opinions. If it was down to certain people you would have a robot on the pa system.

I will not get drawn into an argument with mike smith because I have better things to do with my time.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:13 pm  

I think the bit of music Mike refers to is the Cougarillo tune.
I think I was the only person who liked it. Personally I thought it ok.

Some people I consider friends having heard it on a video I posted said they hated it.

Others off the forum put it a little stronger and I removed my video and I think Dave may have removed it from the play list for the same reason.

The knew music for coming out is good, I have heard nothing other than positives about that.

So many things are improving, Rome was not built in a day.

What was done in the 90s was so ahead of it's time it is untrue.

Without those great ideas Bradford Dulls would have nobody's ideas to steal.

I think some things have changed slightly and in particular our need for being
entertained as a crowd is different as is our disposable income.

It is a difficult balance between finding the thing which lifts the matchday experience
but at the same time not reinventing the wheel or becoming too cheesy.

I doubt we will get everything right first time, but with people like Mike Smith and others having an input and constructive and honest feedback then it can only continue to improve.

Re: Featherstone pre match entertainment - Northern Rail Cup : Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:05 pm  

Like Stealth, I was a child when Cougarmania was launched first time around. I will never forget that first game in 1993. I know we've all matured since then (well I hope so), but honestly something just seems to be missing and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it was new and innovative. I'm not sure what we are doing now is innovative and maybe we need to think out of the box so to speak.

I recall the back of last season bringing my two girls. Apart from the frustrations at the turnstile with having to go in separate to my two girls, once inside they got a balloon. Then they got a pencil case with goodies inside and they loved it. From the moment we walked in the ground it was buzzing and friendly. Now, some months on that doesn't seem to happen and it's flat from the start. I know the club can't give things away every week, but that's just an example of my experiences.