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London Broncos Moving Update


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Just now, M j M said:

Is it fair to say that lapsed fans would want a comprehensive clear out of the senior back office staff before being even willing to listen to this sort of stuff?

I don't think it needs to be that specific for most. Just some positive reasons to turn up that make it a step up from feeling like a duty or chore.

And, "Come look at this generic lower league football ground" really isn't the selling point that deluded Dons fans or the Broncos management seem to think it is.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

And, "Come look at this generic lower league football ground" really isn't the selling point that deluded Dons fans or the Broncos management seem to think it is.

It'll be a slow burn, a grower. The opposite of what RL often is, like PSG or Crusaders.

I think most fans can see Plough Lane offers a path back to being a club of significance in the London sporting landscape.

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David’s made many mistakes over the years, the biggest one being not really investing in marketing to build the crowds when we had our best shot at it (with the Quins re-brand), instead going with his heart and signing expensive late-career players. But let’s be honest, there’d be no Broncos without him, and God knows how much money his family have watched him chuck at this club. 
 

I read it as a heart-felt, honest letter and whilst I don’t agree with yet another relocation can understand the Hobson’s Choice he probably felt he had. I’ll turn up to the first game there I reckon. 

Apparently this site says I "won the day" here on 23rd Jan, 19th Jan, 9th Jan also 13th December, whatever any of that means. Anyway, 4 times in a few weeks? The forum must be going to the dogs - you people need to seriously up your game. Where's Dutoni when you need him?

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29 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

It'll be a slow burn, a grower.

I think one of those mixed metaphors is correct.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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42 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

It'll be a slow burn, a grower. The opposite of what RL often is, like PSG or Crusaders.

I think most fans can see Plough Lane offers a path back to being a club of significance in the London sporting landscape.

It seems the main target group is Dons fans. Experience, at Broncos and elsewhere, says that won't be slow burn.

Broncos will realistically only have two shots with them. The first time they target them and the second time they target them, post football season. ( To pick up those who won't / can't commit to sport on Saturday and Sunday in football season but will watch when there is no football on.) If there isn't a substantial conversion rate at those fixtures, history says it's unlikely to happen.

Edited to say if you build momentum in those two events you can then get a slow burn. Dons fan A says to Dons fan B / his mates that he's enjoying RL and do they want to try it. The critical bit is getting quick advocates.

Lapsed Broncos fans will be a slow burn.

The third strategy should be non Dons/Broncos sports fans locally but that's likely to be very slow burn and the club are right to target the other two first.

Without a substantial Dons fan base building up behind Broncos I struggle to see 5k in 3 years. They'll do well to get over 1k of the old support base back to my eyes. 

Can anyone think of a club who have gone from 300 ish to 5k in three seasons? Salford City perhaps but that was an exceptional set of circumstances.

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David Hughes is a good guy who has put a lot of money into the club to keep the flag flying. Unfortunately he is also very poorly advised. How the club is going to grow their fan base when they will massively struggle on the pitch is anyone's guess. If they get the match day experience right maybe... 

 

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Just now, Ivarr the Boneless said:

It seems the main target group is Dons fans. Experience, at Broncos and elsewhere, says that won't be slow burn.

Broncos will realistically only have two shots with them. The first time they target them and the second time they target them, post football season. ( To pick up those who won't / can't commit to sport on Saturday and Sunday in football season but will watch when there is no football on.) If there isn't a substantial conversion rate at those fixtures, history says it's unlikely to happen.

Lapsed Broncos fans will be a slow burn.

The third strategy should be non Dons/Broncos sports fans locally but that's likely to be very slow burn and the club are right to target the other two first.

Without a substantial Dons fan base building up behind Broncos I struggle to see 5k in 3 years. They'll do well to get over 1k of the old support base back to my eyes. 

Can anyone think of a club who have gone from 300 ish to 5k in three seasons? Salford City perhaps but that was an exceptional set of circumstances.

It may have escaped your attention but the Broncos have assigned three (well located) blocks in the West Stand as a community section.

So, it's not about mainly Dons fans. It's about the community. And the community for Plough Lane - as determined by AFC Wimbledon Foundation - are the boroughs of Merton, Wandsworth and Kingston. That is a combined population of more than 700,000. That is your new catchment area, chief.

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6 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

It may have escaped your attention but the Broncos have assigned three (well located) blocks in the West Stand as a community section.

So, it's not about mainly Dons fans. It's about the community. And the community for Plough Lane - as determined by AFC Wimbledon Foundation - are the boroughs of Merton, Wandsworth and Kingston. That is a combined population of more than 700,000. That is your new catchment area, chief.

No it hasn't. That's part three. That will be very slow burn.

Broncos need bums on seats fast - 300 at that stadium will be a dire experience. The most likely way to get fast conversions is Dons fans. The second is lapsed fans. The least likely is total outsiders.

There's plenty of studies on fan engagement to back this up.

 

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There is no conceivable pathway from where the club is now to crowds of 5k that doesn't involve a major overhaul of the way the club operates. Moving to a new stadium but operating the same business model isn't going to cut it. I really do feel for Hughes - and am ever so grateful to him - but I feel despair at the state of the pro game in London. Big rugby league games can attract 10s of thousands of London & SE fans but those same people won't buy this mix of decline and apathy.

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42 minutes ago, Ivarr the Boneless said:

No it hasn't. That's part three. That will be very slow burn.

Broncos need bums on seats fast - 300 at that stadium will be a dire experience. The most likely way to get fast conversions is Dons fans. The second is lapsed fans. The least likely is total outsiders.

There's plenty of studies on fan engagement to back this up.

 

Have to say that for the most part football fans have no interest in RL. Most wouldn't even go if you offered them free tickets. It's hard enough converting Rugby Union fans to come and watch you never mind football fans. Broncos will need to make the match day experience an event to get people through the gate 

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1 hour ago, M j M said:

Is it fair to say that lapsed fans would want a comprehensive clear out of the senior back office staff before being even willing to listen to this sort of stuff?

On another forum some fans were discussing the possible reasons why they have not been receiving the few random emails the club bothers to send out. One of them asked the club directly and received a response from the commercial manager (who has hardly covered himself in glory previously) saying, effectively, "we've seen the comments you've made on social media and assumed you wouldn't be interested in renewing your season ticket".

I was one of those wondering why club emails were no longer arriving in my inbox, not that I have any intention of returning. I guess I have my answer.

Anyone expecting the club to perform some kind of outreach programme for lapsed fans (average attendance over 4,000 when Hughes took over, remember, so there are a lot of us) needs to look at the personnel involved and assess the likelihood of such an effort being undertaken. 

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."

Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

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5 minutes ago, nadera78 said:

On another forum some fans were discussing the possible reasons why they have not been receiving the few random emails the club bothers to send out. One of them asked the club directly and received a response from the commercial manager (who has hardly covered himself in glory previously) saying, effectively, "we've seen the comments you've made on social media and assumed you wouldn't be interested in renewing your season ticket".

I think that is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard a professional sports team say. 

I was born to run a club like this. Number 1, I do not spook easily, and those who think I do, are wasting their time, with their surprise attacks.

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6 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

Have to say that for the most part football fans have no interest in RL. Most wouldn't even go if you offered them free tickets. It's hard enough converting Rugby Union fans to come and watch you never mind football fans. Broncos will need to make the match day experience an event to get people through the gate 

A key part of the reason for that is that there is simply so much football. If your team isn't at home then you can either take the weekend off and watch lots of football on the TV or go to a nearby team's game. Football is so endemic in this country that anything not-football can feel a bit alien, certainly in terms of attending it.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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Just now, DI Keith Fowler said:

I think that is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard a professional sports team say. 

It's interesting that that's your response whereas I barely even noted it as out of the ordinary for London RL.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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6 minutes ago, nadera78 said:

On another forum some fans were discussing the possible reasons why they have not been receiving the few random emails the club bothers to send out. One of them asked the club directly and received a response from the commercial manager (who has hardly covered himself in glory previously) saying, effectively, "we've seen the comments you've made on social media and assumed you wouldn't be interested in renewing your season ticket".

I was one of those wondering why club emails were no longer arriving in my inbox, not that I have any intention of returning. I guess I have my answer.

Anyone expecting the club to perform some kind of outreach programme for lapsed fans (average attendance over 4,000 when Hughes took over, remember, so there are a lot of us) needs to look at the personnel involved and assess the likelihood of such an effort being undertaken. 

Seems shocking to me that Danny Ward was the person moved out when clearly the Broncos issues lie with senior executives at the club who've alienated fans and overseen years of decline 

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2 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

But surely this kind of short-termist idiocy is exactly the kind of thinking Hughes is trying to address?

Let me try to explain my point

I am expecting around 500-600 hopefully for the first game,owing to the novelty experience, and some Dons fans turning up to see what all this RL malarky is all about, hopefully with some special offers and good match day experience.

However if we lose several of the initial games by large scores, and get completely smashed, how many will be attending the widnes game on 30th Jan,  vs say the Thunder game on may 13th...

That will be the first marker to see if Dons fans and the local area really come to watch.. If we get 600 vs Widnes, then only 350 - 400 for Newcastle, then it will be obvious you will not be getting any where near 5k by 2030 let alone next three years.

You have to have success on the pitch to drive increased attendances. Having a squad losing 75% of the games will not acheive that

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14 minutes ago, crashmon said:

Let me try to explain my point

I am expecting around 500-600 hopefully for the first game,owing to the novelty experience, and some Dons fans turning up to see what all this RL malarky is all about, hopefully with some special offers and good match day experience.

However if we lose several of the initial games by large scores, and get completely smashed, how many will be attending the widnes game on 30th Jan,  vs say the Thunder game on may 13th...

That will be the first marker to see if Dons fans and the local area really come to watch.. If we get 600 vs Widnes, then only 350 - 400 for Newcastle, then it will be obvious you will not be getting any where near 5k by 2030 let alone next three years.

You have to have success on the pitch to drive increased attendances. Having a squad losing 75% of the games will not acheive that

Leaving aside you're potentially writing off a 10yr plan/3yr target after six games, I think you're being rather pessimistic by translating Ealing crowds to Plough Lane. 

If Widnes isn't a four-figure crowd, I'll eat my hat.

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1 minute ago, Man of Kent said:

Leaving aside you're potentially writing off a 10yr plan/3yr target after six games, I think you're being rather pessimistic by translating Ealing crowds to Plough Lane. 

If Widnes isn't a four-figure crowd, I'll eat my hat.

People are not going to turn up and watch a side get battered every week. If we have more fans in the final game of the 2022 season vs the 1st game of 2022, I'll eat my hat.

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If there aren't over 1,000 at the first properly marketed game - there may be an argument for a soft launch v Widnes to root out any teething problems - Broncos should urgently call in someone with a background in this stuff.

It'll cost but frankly the club can't afford not to.

As it happens, a prominent Dons fan markets himself as a fan engagement guru. Perhaps he's already involved?

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