29 replies to this topic

[Baaarrow]

Plenty of good ideas on this thread! Over to you Mr Sear!

[red box]

Let me think - advertise on the Bay and in the Westmoreland Gazette to reach out to Grange and Kendal - oh yes, done that - no improved results.
Free tickets - done regularly ( and at my insistence Milom were included the season before last -cannot speak for last season)
Back page and front page of the Evening Mail - how often? And per game played it is far, far in excess of what the AFC get.
Radio Cumbria /The Bay- emails of everything - PROVIDING it is brought to my notice and they both support us very well.
Posters - can help but due to the sheer number of them nowadays people take little notice of them.
Junior Season tickets at £30 - work that out at cost per match.
If anyone wants to go and tap up a local coach firm for subsidised or free travel for fans from outside the area feel free to do so - in the present economic climate I won't be holding my breath.
I presume the lad who posted on here about the American not even knowing we had a rugby team has been downloading the posters from here and putting them round the school? He obviopusly doesn't read the local press or listen to the local radio station so how do you suggest we reach him? And we regularly have players in various schools - which have included out towards Grange to spread the word.
Ticket offers are down to the Board but remember they cannot undercut the value of season tickets.

So in short - if you have anything innovative to say please do so - but don't think the Board or myself have not not already tried or considered them.

One way to increase attendances is to have the fixtures on a regular home and away basis with no long gaps, you don't have to be a fan of the AFC to know that if they are away this week they will, apart from the foibles of cup ties, be at home next week. So get onto the RFL site, fill in the survey and have your say.

Will continue when I have done my updates to the radio stations, Mail and written 850 words for Saturdays paper.

[Baaarrow]

Let me think - advertise on the Bay and in the Westmoreland Gazette to reach out to Grange and Kendal - oh yes, done that - no improved results.
Free tickets - done regularly ( and at my insistence Milom were included the season before last -cannot speak for last season)
Back page and front page of the Evening Mail - how often? And per game played it is far, far in excess of what the AFC get.
Radio Cumbria /The Bay- emails of everything - PROVIDING it is brought to my notice and they both support us very well.
Posters - can help but due to the sheer number of them nowadays people take little notice of them.
Junior Season tickets at £30 - work that out at cost per match.
If anyone wants to go and tap up a local coach firm for subsidised or free travel for fans from outside the area feel free to do so - in the present economic climate I won't be holding my breath.
I presume the lad who posted on here about the American not even knowing we had a rugby team has been downloading the posters from here and putting them round the school? He obviopusly doesn't read the local press or listen to the local radio station so how do you suggest we reach him? And we regularly have players in various schools - which have included out towards Grange to spread the word.
Ticket offers are down to the Board but remember they cannot undercut the value of season tickets.

So in short - if you have anything innovative to say please do so - but don't think the Board or myself have not not already tried or considered them.

Sorry Dave, was not meant as a dig or criticism, far from it !!!!
I know you do stirling work already on the PR side of things and your weekly column is excellent !
I was simply bringing the excellent ideas on this thread to the club's attention, so I apologise if I it sounded like a moan !
Like everybody, I would love to see bigger crowds !
It must be frustrating for the club, just as it is for the die-hard supporters like myself.
Roll on 2011 !!!

RP.

[Dave W]

What about grading fixtures by number of potential away fans and attractiveness of the fixture. Then aim for a minimum attendance target .....

GRADE A (3,000 target)
Featherstone
Halifax
Leigh
Widnes

GRADE B (2,300 target)
Dewsbury
Sheffield
York

GRADE C (2,100 target)
Toulouse
Hunslet
Batley


If the targets were hit, then the league average would be 2,520. Anything above would be a bonus.

The problem here, as I see it, is that SKY tends to pick the "Grade A" games for their Thursday night matches. I have no problem with the TV games, but there does seem to be an adverse effect on our gates.

It's a lot more difficult for away fans to get to these games without taking time off work, unless you live within an hour and a half's drive away from the away team: Widnes vs Leigh, or Featherstone v Halifax are always going to produce bigger crowds. Add to this the fact that Halifax and Widnes, or whoever, can allow their Super League neighbours' season ticket holders in for FREE to boost attendances, it can be seen that there isn't a level playing field.

Thus, the RFL's insistence on average crowds of 2500 is inherently unfair on clubs away from the M62 corridor, because the potential to maximise attendances in attractive fixtures can be unfairly skewed by circumstances beyond the home team's control ie SKY's scheduling.

[Sempur]

Let me think - advertise on the Bay and in the Westmoreland Gazette to reach out to Grange and Kendal - oh yes, done that - no improved results.
Free tickets - done regularly ( and at my insistence Milom were included the season before last -cannot speak for last season)
Back page and front page of the Evening Mail - how often? And per game played it is far, far in excess of what the AFC get.
Radio Cumbria /The Bay- emails of everything - PROVIDING it is brought to my notice and they both support us very well.
Posters - can help but due to the sheer number of them nowadays people take little notice of them.
Junior Season tickets at £30 - work that out at cost per match.
If anyone wants to go and tap up a local coach firm for subsidised or free travel for fans from outside the area feel free to do so - in the present economic climate I won't be holding my breath.
I presume the lad who posted on here about the American not even knowing we had a rugby team has been downloading the posters from here and putting them round the school? He obviopusly doesn't read the local press or listen to the local radio station so how do you suggest we reach him? And we regularly have players in various schools - which have included out towards Grange to spread the word.
Ticket offers are down to the Board but remember they cannot undercut the value of season tickets.

So in short - if you have anything innovative to say please do so - but don't think the Board or myself have not not already tried or considered them.

One way to increase attendances is to have the fixtures on a regular home and away basis with no long gaps, you don't have to be a fan of the AFC to know that if they are away this week they will, apart from the foibles of cup ties, be at home next week. So get onto the RFL site, fill in the survey and have your say.

Will continue when I have done my updates to the radio stations, Mail and written 850 words for Saturdays paper.

Dave,

In 2009 we had a band on a few occasions which I thought was a brilliant idea and created a good atmosphere before the game. Don't know how it was financed.

Did I mention FREE BEER?

Sempur

[Baaarrow]

Dave,

In 2009 we had a band on a few occasions which I thought was a brilliant idea and created a good atmosphere before the game. Don't know how it was financed.

Did I mention FREE BEER?

Sempur

Slight problem here................the roof which the bands used to set-up under is now no more !

[mick wilson]

Let me think - advertise on the Bay and in the Westmoreland Gazette to reach out to Grange and Kendal - oh yes, done that - no improved results.
Free tickets - done regularly ( and at my insistence Milom were included the season before last -cannot speak for last season)
Back page and front page of the Evening Mail - how often? And per game played it is far, far in excess of what the AFC get.
Radio Cumbria /The Bay- emails of everything - PROVIDING it is brought to my notice and they both support us very well.
Posters - can help but due to the sheer number of them nowadays people take little notice of them.
Junior Season tickets at £30 - work that out at cost per match.
If anyone wants to go and tap up a local coach firm for subsidised or free travel for fans from outside the area feel free to do so - in the present economic climate I won't be holding my breath.
I presume the lad who posted on here about the American not even knowing we had a rugby team has been downloading the posters from here and putting them round the school? He obviopusly doesn't read the local press or listen to the local radio station so how do you suggest we reach him? And we regularly have players in various schools - which have included out towards Grange to spread the word.
Ticket offers are down to the Board but remember they cannot undercut the value of season tickets.

So in short - if you have anything innovative to say please do so - but don't think the Board or myself have not not already tried or considered them.

One way to increase attendances is to have the fixtures on a regular home and away basis with no long gaps, you don't have to be a fan of the AFC to know that if they are away this week they will, apart from the foibles of cup ties, be at home next week. So get onto the RFL site, fill in the survey and have your say.

Will continue when I have done my updates to the radio stations, Mail and written 850 words for Saturdays paper.

But have these campains been a prolonged effort or just a few weeks then stopped ?

Any advertising has to be long hual and backed up with something, yes it costs money but it can work and end up making money ( if its done right )

Would something like this work ? (example) the club aggresivley cajoled & invited the armed forces/ hospital staff/ glaxo any major employer , One companies staff & families to a game but rolled out the red carpet (if) we know were going to have an empty corparate box's put the firm's management in the box and rope of 75/100 seats directley in front of said box for the over spill.
Charge invited family say 10 quid, couples 6 singles 4 quid etc A hospitallity person looks after there every whim , have some freebies like lights snacks, tea coffee etc but charge for booze and good food.

When i,ve been on stuff like this you feel like putting something back as a thank you, so i always buy stuff from them.
Have a display showing our plans for the future with a donation box attatched.

If we could have the full time players/ coaches/ back room staff / commercial staff / friends of the club, who ever, into going to every school in the extended district once monthly to drum up support/give out tickets/ take sports training/ showcase our plans etc.

YES its very hard work but Eventually it will pay off as you create a vibe.

With our success on the field we have the product to keep many interested but you have to change peoples habits.

Invite sports clubs to do the same, H O Bs footy team club day out, Club x cricket club day out, RU club etc

Long haul hard work generally produces results.

[off the wall]

we are all rowing in the same boat here so all idea s are always welcome even if repeated time an again. what about having an executive membership with a least one match for a member in one of the boxes, a raffle of a shirt on the day signed by the players and a raffle for a meal for two in a local eaterie. we could limit the amount of members to say 200 and on that basis every member would get a box game. also we have quite a few cabbies who go to the games who might be tempted to have a magnetic sign promoting the weekend game on the cab for a week before? this would have to be checked out with the council but the buses have it so why not?

[red box]

The targeting of works etc. is standard rfl practice - as stated above you have to be careful how it impacts on the value of season tickets- we are already looking at one firm for a "cheap" day but there is a balance to be struck.
Please outline which player(s) you want to sell to finance any long term advertising campaigns(regardless of the benefits you still have to pay the bills that come in) - and no there are not the companies out there willing to fund it, it is hard enough to get match sponsors in the current climate althgough we have done better than a lot of other clubs.
The Board and myself spend hours trying to come up with different ways forward - ideas are cheap but finance is always a major obstacle when it comes to implementing them.

Winning matches in an attractive fashion is the best way forward.

[red box]

we are all rowing in the same boat here so all idea s are always welcome even if repeated time an again. what about having an executive membership with a least one match for a member in one of the boxes, a raffle of a shirt on the day signed by the players and a raffle for a meal for two in a local eaterie. we could limit the amount of members to say 200 and on that basis every member would get a box game. also we have quite a few cabbies who go to the games who might be tempted to have a magnetic sign promoting the weekend game on the cab for a week before? this would have to be checked out with the council but the buses have it so why not?

unless they have changed the local regulations taxis cannot carry any advertising