| I couldn't get to 07:55 - Oct 24 with 2843 views | DySporting |
The game at spotland last night but took in the game at cardiff, yet again sendings off and penalties at a match.
Watfords number 39 nathaniel Chalobah has to go down as one of the more stupid players in football. Your team down to ten men just conceded a harsh penalty and already on a yellow card what do you do? Yes lash the ball into the stand when you give away a free kick and then look outraged when you're sent off. Congratulations you were an idiot.
Cardiff though had two initiatives running to get the fans in, the normal kids for a quid with a paying adult. They also have the Tuesday night ticket - you can buy two Tuesday night games for thirty quid which means One match full price £27 plus the other for three pounds. Speaking to a couple of the fans they match up games they know will be poorly attended or have poor away followings and do double deals to get bums on seats.
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| I couldn't get to on 09:41 - Oct 24 with 2311 views | aleanddale |
Brilliant idea.
I am printing this thread off and hand delivering to the club.
I will print this at 10.00am tomorrow - Thursday 25th October.
If any poster wants to add or contribute then please do so up to this time / date.
Please try and keep positive and maybe we will see some light and the club actually promotes us to the town / lapsed support in a more positive manner.
Cardiff though had two initiatives running to get the fans in, the normal kids for a quid with a paying adult. They also have the Tuesday night ticket - you can buy two Tuesday night games for thirty quid which means One match full price £27 plus the other for three pounds. Speaking to a couple of the fans they match up games they know will be poorly attended or have poor away followings and do double deals to get bums on seats.
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| I couldn't get to on 09:52 - Oct 24 with 2293 views | R17ALE |
You might as well print this off and give it them again! Put a highlighter pen over the 2nd line as this penny refuses to drop!
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ADVERTISING AND MARKETING A FOOTBALL CLUB, IN THIS CASE, ROCHDALE AFC.
The Think Tank has met monthly since Sept 2011 to discuss various ideas to retain and increase customer loyalty and our main findings are:
1) We need to adopt a "Brand" that the club promotes themselves on. Tesco and their "Every little helps" go hand in hand. We need something similar to this as a strapline to each time the Dale badge is used.
2) We need to embrace modern technology and make it work for the good of the club. The club need to actively take on board the likes of facebook, twitter, SMS voting, Bluetooth etc. We live in an interactive world, and this is what the next generation want. They expect information to find them. This also embraces the need to capture personal data of supporters and potential customers.
3) We need to engage the current fanbase by improving the matchday experience at Spotland, and by pulling out all the stops to ensure that the current fanbase is retained at all costs. This above anything is a priority.
4) We need to become professional at self promotion for anything which might bring money into the club, whether that is tickets for games, or merchandise for sale. The status quo, where supporters are continually left in the dark must end.
5) We need to accept that winning football or League One on their own, are not sufficient to attract supporters to the club. This will have the biggest effect on the income of the football club and should be the biggest off the field focus of the club. Besides which, those that are attracted by a winning team are the first to stop attending when the team is losing!
6) We need a generation of young people in Rochdale to have experienced football at Rochdale, and to associate it as something that they feel part of. Ideally, every child in the Borough needs to have visited Spotland at least once, by the time they reach 11.
Since the Think Tank meetings commenced in September 2011, the rest of this report is a fair reflection on the conclusions reached, coupled together with a few ideas and general direction the club could pursue.
It is widely accepted amongst the fans on the committee, that the Dale does not do enough to engage with the local population, to enthuse it, and to actually tell them what is happening.
At the start of this process, everybody was issued with a blueprint spirited to us by an employee of the company which invented the Tesco Clubcard. In it, are the secrets of how to run a football club as though it were a supermarket. How to
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increase loyalty and win a greater “wallet share” and interact with customers. CG has a copy for anyone wishing to read this paper.
3.
1) The Branding of the Club
Advertising, branding and marketing are all totally separate sciences which are nearly always mistakenly lumped in together.
The first stumbling block we discovered is: What exactly is the Brand of Rochdale AFC? We don’t have one! What image do we convey to the general public? No-one can answer these questions, as the questions simply have never been asked. Early on we agreed that there needs to be a strapline attached to Rochdale AFC, even going as far as incorporating it into the crest replacing “The Dale” on the blue circle which encircles the coat of arms. “Bringing families together” or “where kids go free” were our two front runners.
Branding is very important in positioning yourself in the market place. Does anyone really believe that 9 out of 10 cats said they preferred Whiskas when reaching for a tin? Is Dale bringing families together? Probably not, but it creates an image/brand that so many other things can be tied under this umbrella which, sub-consciously, is suggesting that Dale is the premier day out for the whole family in Rochdale.
The shopping habits of the country have changed beyond all recognition in the last ten years. The internet is the Number One tool in building a brand and selling products off the back of that brand. The club’s website could/should be the first to appear in any google search when words like “kids” “families” “things to do in” and “Rochdale” are entered into a search engine.*
The website should then be geared up to direct incoming traffic to certain parts of the website. ie families, kids, ex-Premiership fans, ex-Dale fans and so on, with the web journey taking them on a voyage which ends with them purchasing a ticket — indeed choosing a seat by a virtual tour of the ground. To produce a website of the quality required, is an expensive undertaking but the website (not the Rochdale Observer) will probably be the first port of call for any potential new fan. Visit www.redimps.com to see how much better non-league clubs are than us at coping with a ptv network!
Back to the branding however, this is something that can only be achieved when it is decided what is going to be the official brand of the club. It then needs to be advertised heavily — billboards, local publications like Norden Delivered, Rochdale on-line, official website, club crest, and so on. You never know, James Alexander Gordon might even add it to Rochdale “bringing families together” 0! Everton have mastered the art of this and you should already know the words “the people’s club”. Manchester City also recently rebranded themselves with their “This is your City” campaign. The club with millions in the bank still thought it was worthwhile to spend a few grand positioning themselves as the club to which Mancunians should look towards as their club.
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Branding and image rights are important. The old and decaying fixture advert hoarding on the corner of Willbutts and Sandy Lane does not really show the club in a modern light. Truth be told, it is a very accurate depiction of the state of the club off the pitch. It was great when it went up in the 80’s, but surely a digital screen should operate there, so night time traffic can also see the advertisement. At this time of year, more people pass that sign when it is dark than when it is light.
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2) Embracing New Technology for the good of the club
The club can have as many initiatives as it likes, but getting the message out is proving to be something of a stumbling block. Gone are the days of Ceefax, the Rochdale Observer etc. Now are the days of Social Networking, messageboards, and Bluetooth.
Ricky Sercombe is producing a separate paper, arguing for the club to invest in Bluetoothing every person in the Borough, advertising every fixture, every event plus anything else the club wants to publicise via this media which represents excellent value if measured by pence per hit.
One advertising model worth examining is the FCUM one where fans run an internet radio site (presumably as volunteers) promoting all things FCUM. We are certain media students at Hopwood Hall would gladly run this as part of their ongoing coursework. Or, a handful of younger Dale supporters might want to take up the cudgels voluntarily.
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3) Engaging the Current Fanbase
Loyalty is the key word. Football clubs usually make the mistake of expecting it. Once a brand is established it is paramount to exploit the brand and encourage loyalty towards it. The Yeovil match and the Twelve days of Christmas run by the club was a small, but significant step, in the right direction.
We established early on, that the club never talks to its current fanbase. We have no idea about their trends and habits, and in order to understand them, we have to get to know them. Why do some fans pick and choose their games? Why have we lost around a third of our fanbase since the Centenary season? What can be done to encourage these people to get back into the habit? Market research is a key element and will probably need outside, and professional, assistance as this is also another entirely separate science.
It was also agreed that varying projects need to be managed in the short, medium and long term. The Yeovil match, for example, was a short term initiative. The medium term initiative could be to get to know the fan base, and the long term view has got to be to establish a day out at Dale as the premier family day activity in the Borough. In other words each match is seen as an event, and therefore increases loyalty.
It is clear that any attempts to increase numbers should not lose sight of retaining the existing numbers. You wouldn’t run a bath without first putting the plug in was an early sound bite in the first September meeting. This brings us back once again to researching the fanbase, but early indications from general chat amongst our peers, is that there is a requirement to improve the matchday experience. Atmosphere cannot be artificially produced but it can be encouraged. Currently, fans drift away after a match and by the time they get home they have no memories of the day out. The Yeovil match ended in a dour 0-0 draw, but 400+ fans will fondly remember the day as the day they sat in Willbutts Lane. The Think Tank accepts that the ground layout and economics make wholesale change virtually impossible, but there may exist a few opportunities in selected matches to change things round. A couple of examples to create a different matchday experience could be:
1. For the Sheffield games give the Sandy Lane to the visitors as well as Willbutts, and make Pearl Street £15 for the day.
2. Engage with local bands and allow them to do a gig pre-match. Give Band members a ticket to stay and watch the match and band members will bring their families and we’re back to our brand again! And if one of these bands do one day ‘make it’, the potential spin offs for the club could be sizeable.
3. Select a fixture where U16’s can come for free. Don’t inconvenience them by insisting they have to have a ticket. U16’s should be able to roll up and go
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through a designated turnstile for free on the day. Again, this sits in with the family brand as many will bring a parent.
4. Build up a database of supporter’s mobile phone numbers. One way of doing this is asking fans to Text their man of the match to a 33345 type number from 4.30pm. One fan will receive the matchday shirt of the player if they select the winning candidate. Bournemouth do this successfully. We tried it out last October at our 1-1 draw at Dean Court. By the time we got home, we’d had two texts advertising other events at the club including their next home fixture versus Bury which, co-incidentally, was also their designated family day.
It’s not just the matchday experience however that retains loyalty. Fans want to feel included by the club. There are several simple ways this can be done — on-line surveys are the easiest, but next season’s kit design could be a competition. This is another way to engage fans, in particular, the younger ones.
And for the older end — what should the club do with Studds for example? Give the fans the opportunity to create the ground and matchday experience they want!
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4) If we can’t promote ourselves, then who will?
An untapped large group of people are the Goldbond members. The club have an army of agents who visit around 8000 homes per week where the householder must have at least a fleeting interest in the club. Giving out result sheets is outdated (although probably still essential in a very small percentage of cases).
The club should therefore, seek to possess the email address of every Goldbond member under the guise of “we will email you the Goldbond results sheet every Monday”. The club then emails them a link to the club’s website every Monday. This then also doubles up as an advert for the club, as users invariably may browse other stories on the website. This form of advertising will save the club money due to not printing anywhere as near as many result sheets, and the database (unlike our Wembley one) should always be bang up to date. It is also an obvious way to recruit the collectors and canvassers of the future. As an example, David Clough recently retired leaving around 7 rounds to fill. How much easier would it have been, to be able to email every member on that round asking them if they want to take it over?
Given the massive rise in people having Smart Phones these days, this has to be part of the strategy. Using twitter and facebook means that we have the ability to directly contact hundreds / thousands of people in an instant with no financial implication for the club. Doing so via SMS would cost us loads. Look at clubs like Walsall which advertised their facebook and twitter accounts pitchside, in the programme and around the ground. They do not see these things purely as an afterthought.
Look at what works. TVOS contributor Girlonaterrace has built up a following on Twitter where she has built up a following where anything she does is read by over 6,000 people — a following she has built up in less than a year. Lessons learned from people like her would allow us to reach many, many more people than we currently do.
Facebook can be used to push events and promote things in a similar way to Twitter. “Tag Yourself” in the crowd recently saw the number of followers on RochdaleAFC.com’s facebook page double in the space of a week. It makes people far more involved if they could tag their faces in crowd shots.
Other free club medias also exist. The tannoy at matches, plus the matchday programme. As an example of how we slip up, not one club shop product line has been advertised in the matchday programme this season. The club shop must be the heartbeat of the whole operation as this is where customers go to further
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demonstrate their loyalty to the brand, and they also pay you for the privilege! Every item purchased is then a visible advert to anyone who sees it and it further increases the bond between fan and club.
Any forward thinking organisation as well as looking at increasing its customer base, looks to try and increase the revenue from each existing customer. Look at Sky — you take out the subscription with them, and then they are on at you to take out extra channels, HD, 3D tv, broadband, phone services etc. We want supporters not just paying their admission fees — we want them buying programmes, pies, stuff in the club shop — United push for the out of town supporters because they know these fans will be more likely to visit their megastore than your average Salford Joe. But we cannot assume our fans will visit the club shop just to have a nosey, especially given how much confidence has been lost since the introduction of Carbrini. It is criminal that we have things for sale in there that have not been advertised in either TVOS, the official website, emails, facebook, twitter etc.
Another free and easy way to advertise shop products is to get players and coaching staff wearing the new training top or whatever item that needs selling. Fans will identify with Gary Jones warming up in product x, and they will then want to buy it. This is precisely why replica shirts are always the biggest selling item at every club. If the Chairman is being interviewed for the official website for example, this is where a Dale mug/calendar/tie etc should all be on display. Advertising is possibly one of the hardest sciences to evaluate a decent return on your outlay, but when so many opportunities exist to do it for free, they have to be grasped — especially if the end result increases customer loyalty.
The club must put together a Modus Operandi for publicising all matches/events. The build up to each match should begin on the Monday with interviews, stories etc from key personnel like the Physio, Captain and Manager. This costs nothing, should increase Dale World subscriptions, and includes everybody more fully into what is happening up at Spotland. The “closed door approach” has been a reoccurring grumble amongst fans on the terraces for a good few years now.
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5) Winning Football is not enough
Just as a starter, ask yourselves the following questions:
- How many supporters didn't renew their season ticket last season?
- What percentage of supporters do we lose when a supporter goes from U16 price to the Adult rate?
- What is the difference to the % of U-16's attending a home game depending on whether it’s an afternoon or evening kick off?
- What is the impact of a midweek home game clashing with a Champions League game?
- How many home games per season does the average supporter attend?
- Which games during a season does a ticket promotion have the biggest impact on? Higher profile games or the hum drum matches?
- How many of the 16000+ who went to Wembley have been to Spotland since?
- How many of the 8000 Goldbond households have never been to Spotland?
- How many supporters after a tickets promotion will attend the next game?
It goes without saying that we don’t know the answers to any of the above questions. But a forward thinking football club that doesn’t take the attendance of a single supporter for granted, would consider each of the above (and more beyond it) and ensure that some sort of marketing strategy is put in place with this criteria in mind.
Whatever the Club’s Board of Directors chooses to do, they will need someone to run it. Back in September it was stressed by all those present that we were happy to meet and brainstorm, but we would not be willing to execute ideas in our own spare time. We felt there was an opportunity for the club to recruit, say a Fan’s Liaison Officer, who would report to the Think Tank and would have their job description written by the Think Tank. Part of the pay should be performance based with the sort of targets that would operate in any other business — things like having specific targets for season ticket sales, average attendance, new supporters, developing the customer fanbase (in fact all club employees should be operating under such specific targets). Such an employee could also actively spend time looking at the work undertaken by other clubs and seeing what ideas we can poach for ourselves.
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Any such move has to be done professionally, and we cannot exclusively rely on volunteers from well meaning supporters, nor can something of this size be issued as additional duties for a current employee. It might even be worth copying Bury, who not too long ago, recruited a Marketing man to their Board of Directors to run that side of the club. He’s called Mark Caitlin and the buckets speak very highly of him so he must be good! The type of work undertaken would be to address the answers to the sort of questions above.
6) The Next Generation of Dale Supporters
Children are essential to the long term planning.
Several ideas have been floated in the meetings. These are:
1. Adopt a different primary school for each match. This is something Notts County do very well. The Trust are currently on the verge of launching Junior Dale which, once done, needs to be run by the club. The principal of adopting a school for the day could be an educational one. Children arrive in the morning and are given an education on the history of Rochdale. The Co-op may have a part to play. They are then given an education on the history of the football club, with use of promotional dvd’s. A tour of the ground plus lunch and by 3pm, they should be on the edge of their seats in anticipation! A half time kick about can be incorporated into the day along with a ticket for the next home match. This fits in with the new brand.
2. The mascot package needs to be re-thought. At circa £175, it is unrealistic to expect a mascot at every home fixture. As with international matches, why not one mascot per player? It’s free to any child who has bought the full strip from the club shop and buys one adult ticket for the match. Again, this sits nicely in with the new brand. When a parent is in the shop buying a Junior shirt they can be made aware by staff, that if they also buy the shorts and socks, their child can have a free mascot package. This is tremendous PR (worthy of the National Media who will spin it as Dale give away 253 — 23x11 - mascot packages) and will most likely ensure that child’s loyalty remains for life.
3. Any supporter who buys an adult season ticket, is automatically given a free U11’s season ticket. Most of us started watching when going with a mate’s Dad, or a neighbour. Use the current fan base to seek out (and hook) the children in.
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4. Make all U16’s entry free of charge, or a token admission price. One off promotions won’t have the long term effect that is wanted, so lets develop a culture where young supporters have been going week in week out for years, and friendships developed where going to Spotland is part of that friendship. The social side of football is often underplayed, and such a bold move would be groundbreaking in football, easy to market, but more importantly, it would develop the habit forming of attending games. I don’t know what the figure is that the club receives for junior admission over a season, but consideration should be made to the extra benefits such a move would bring. This could be pitched as free season tickets to allow the club to charge away supporters for kids, and allow a bit more “product” to such a package rather than just a free turnstile, whilst collecting in supporter information at the same time for the club database.
In addition
*Here is a copy and paste of the results for a Google search of “Family day out in Rochdale. What appears below is part of the competition!
1. Family Days Out and Places to Visit Near Rochdale Great Britain ...
www.distance-calculator.co.uk/familydayout-near-rochdale-great%2...
Showing Family Type Days out nearest to rochdale - Zoom in Or Out on the map to view more - Family Days Out Near Rochdale other Things to Do Near ...
2. Rochdale family day out
www.gomy.co.uk/search/Lancashire/Rochdale/family-day-out
Find the best family day out in Rochdale on gomy.co.uk. Get phone numbers, addressess, maps, reviews and more.
3. Days Out Guide For Rochdale
www.ents24.com/web/daysout/Rochdale.html
Days out in Rochdaleand the surrounding area. ... galleries, culture and hertiage sites, theme parks, sporting events, exhibitions, family ... My Location Rochdale ...
4. Half price days out vouchers in Rochdale. Discount codes in ...
toptowndeals.com/rochdale/days-out
Big discounts on local Rochdale restaurants, spa days, shops, salons and more. ...Save 50% A £56 voucher for a great family day out, for just £28! £28 ...
5. Rochdale Things To Do | Find Things To Do in Rochdale
www.locallife.co.uk/rochdale/things-to-do.asp
Find Things To Do in Rochdale at Locallife.co.uk. Online ... 31 Toad Lane RochdaleOL12 0NUCategory: MuseumsWebsite: ... Rochdale Outdoor Days Out ...
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6. Family Days Out in Rochdale Bury - Netmums
www.netmums.com/rochdale-bury/places-to-go/family-days-out
There are plenty of places you can go near you for days out. ... First aid may seem boring, but sadly if your own family needs it in an emergency, it is the… ...
7. Touchstones Rochdale - Days Out In The North West - Places To Go ...
www.babiesinthecity.co.uk/view-reviews/?ID=55&catID=8
Touchstones Rochdale, The Esplanade, RochdaleOL16 1AQ ... We offer parents andfamilies the best restaurants for little ones, events in Manchester, parks and ...
8. Planet Play - Heywood Rochdale : Family Days Out Childrens Play ...
www.manchesterplayareas.co.uk/2009/06/planet-play.html
Manchester Childrens Play Areas - Family fun days out ideas around the Northwest, places to go for the best indoor entertainment, reviews and travel guides.
9. Tourist Information - Link4Life
www.link4life.org › ... › 4 Arts & Heritage › Tourist Information
Rochdale Tourist Information Centre, located in Touchstones Rochdale, ... out in the area, together with plenty of ideas for your next family holiday or days out. ...
10. Rochdale Visitor Attraction and days out guide
www.getoutguide.co.uk/gtrmanchester/rochattraction.htm
Your guide for interesting places to visit, days out and attractions in Rochdale. You'll find details of visitor and sports attractions.
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| I couldn't get to on 10:15 - Oct 24 with 2275 views | 442Dale |
Christmas Draw tickets/festive games:
Would it be too late to try and push sales by offering incentives if fans sell a certain amount? The Cheltenham game on the 21st Dec would be a good focus: sell £20 worth of tickets and you get a free ticket.
The last Friday before Christmas will either see people saving their money or spending it out in town at some bar.
Market Dale as the place to start your Christmas celebrations with opening the Ratcliffe earlier; stick on some turkey buttys and mince pies and mulled sodding wine if they want. Actively encourage those who get cheap/free tickets through the Xmas draw sales to give them to friends if they don't need them (thinking season ticket holders here who all get tickets to sell, and might put in that extra effort if they see an end goal), all of a sudden you can create an event which might not be the most profitable, but it can at least be memorable to supporters and the people they drag along.
On the night give out vouchers in the Ratcliffe for cheap drinks on New Years Day v Rotherham and a festive promotion is sorted.
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Increasing interest in the Man of the Match text voting:
leaflets on the tables in Ratcliffe/Studds and posters in the tea bars/toilets. Get everyone aware of the number. Use the one that was in the programme initially, that was very good.
Some follow up on the O/S with percentages of the top three from each game and a pic of the winner with a little trophy (which can be kept for a week by a player before he has to hand it on, so even they'll be very interested in who wins!) - all of which goes a long way to creating that awareness and making it a regular part of some fans matchdays. Another idea on top of displaying the top 3 on the website would be an ongoing MotM league table - players get points for finishing in 1st,2nd and 3rd. Again, creates interest not only for fans, but players too.
It can also be used for follow-up marketing (example as per TVOS):
"I texted Bournemouth's man of the match service when we were down there last October as an experiment to see what the follow up was from it.
I reckon I've had about a dozen texts from them over the last year promoting games and other events at the club."
[Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| I couldn't get to on 12:26 - Oct 24 with 2176 views | dingdangblue |
Winning football matches, playing brilliant football and being top of the league for 4 months and we couldnt get the stadium more than 1/3rd full of home supporters. What we are watching now - no matter how the club promote it - is going to get people in the ground for £18 a time. I know I wouldnt if I wasnt a regular. |  |
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| I couldn't get to on 12:50 - Oct 24 with 2154 views | TVOS1907 |
| I couldn't get to on 12:26 - Oct 24 by dingdangblue |
Winning football matches, playing brilliant football and being top of the league for 4 months and we couldnt get the stadium more than 1/3rd full of home supporters. What we are watching now - no matter how the club promote it - is going to get people in the ground for £18 a time. I know I wouldnt if I wasnt a regular. |
It doesn't mean the effort shouldn't be there to make changes/improvements every single day of every single week.
It's a bit like an off-field version of reacting to a defeat.
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| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| I couldn't get to on 12:56 - Oct 24 with 2143 views | aleanddale |
From 49th Season ( just to get on One Thread )
My sense is we are on a long, drawn out, journey to extinction.
Crowds are falling, the quality of players is falling because we can't pay top wages and therefore fewer people turn up to watch. And once people stop attending they often stop for ever.
We are in a downwards spiral commercially with only one way out: massive financial input.
The harsh fact is that league 2 football at £15-£20 is too expensive in Rochdale especially twice in a week. This should have been seen early and addressed by the board during the summer - Season ticket prices should have been slashed which would then give room to manoeuvre on turnstile prices. Rochdale will take years to come out of recession so the problem is present and ongoing.
Big reductions at the turnstiles would now enrage season ticket holders so we are locked-in on prices for another season and people are saving money by missing games which has the knock on effect of making the ground look empty which in turn spoils the atmosphere and encourages other people to stay away.
I believe the board have to take responsibility and grab the situation by the throat:
We have the better part of 8000 empty seats at every game so Mr Dunphy...
1. Reduce turnstile prices now (my suggestion would be £12 maximum) and offer existing season ticket holders a guaranteed reduction off next season as compensation.
2. Engage a marketing manager to sell the new prices as if his life depended on it 3. Shut the club shop and move all merchandise sales online and offer a town centre shop a franchise.( wages saved = marketing manager)
4. Develop an Email list of supporters and produce an Email newsletter at least a week ahead of each home game so there is no doubt about when games are to be played, when they start, what the Manager thinks, etc. (repeat the day prior to the match if necessary).
5. Start treating supporters like customers and make sure pie stands are open, stewards are pleasant, announcements are audible (and tell us stuff we need to know like when the next match is), kick for cash takes place at the other end occasionally, seats are cleaned and probably dozens of other things that annoy people are sorted out.
6. Stop assuming people will turn up as usual (they won't and they aren't).
7. Get out of the Directors seats and get into the crowd - find out what we think
8. Act on your findings or explain why you are not doing so.
And if you can't or won't do any of the above without good reasons and telling us what those reasons are...
9. Take a long hard look at you leadership of the club because the paying public has had a taste of success and is no longer prepared to put up with tin pot, half a*ssed, make do and mend attitudes at these prices.
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| I couldn't get to on 13:16 - Oct 24 with 2115 views | macro |
| I couldn't get to on 12:56 - Oct 24 by aleanddale |
From 49th Season ( just to get on One Thread )
My sense is we are on a long, drawn out, journey to extinction.
Crowds are falling, the quality of players is falling because we can't pay top wages and therefore fewer people turn up to watch. And once people stop attending they often stop for ever.
We are in a downwards spiral commercially with only one way out: massive financial input.
The harsh fact is that league 2 football at £15-£20 is too expensive in Rochdale especially twice in a week. This should have been seen early and addressed by the board during the summer - Season ticket prices should have been slashed which would then give room to manoeuvre on turnstile prices. Rochdale will take years to come out of recession so the problem is present and ongoing.
Big reductions at the turnstiles would now enrage season ticket holders so we are locked-in on prices for another season and people are saving money by missing games which has the knock on effect of making the ground look empty which in turn spoils the atmosphere and encourages other people to stay away.
I believe the board have to take responsibility and grab the situation by the throat:
We have the better part of 8000 empty seats at every game so Mr Dunphy...
1. Reduce turnstile prices now (my suggestion would be £12 maximum) and offer existing season ticket holders a guaranteed reduction off next season as compensation.
2. Engage a marketing manager to sell the new prices as if his life depended on it 3. Shut the club shop and move all merchandise sales online and offer a town centre shop a franchise.( wages saved = marketing manager)
4. Develop an Email list of supporters and produce an Email newsletter at least a week ahead of each home game so there is no doubt about when games are to be played, when they start, what the Manager thinks, etc. (repeat the day prior to the match if necessary).
5. Start treating supporters like customers and make sure pie stands are open, stewards are pleasant, announcements are audible (and tell us stuff we need to know like when the next match is), kick for cash takes place at the other end occasionally, seats are cleaned and probably dozens of other things that annoy people are sorted out.
6. Stop assuming people will turn up as usual (they won't and they aren't).
7. Get out of the Directors seats and get into the crowd - find out what we think
8. Act on your findings or explain why you are not doing so.
And if you can't or won't do any of the above without good reasons and telling us what those reasons are...
9. Take a long hard look at you leadership of the club because the paying public has had a taste of success and is no longer prepared to put up with tin pot, half a*ssed, make do and mend attitudes at these prices.
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You need a club shop at the club. What you need is a marketing/commercial/projects manager who is on a basic salary and earns a bonus from sales/profits |  | | |
| I couldn't get to on 13:23 - Oct 24 with 2102 views | crazyhorse |
| I couldn't get to on 12:26 - Oct 24 by dingdangblue |
Winning football matches, playing brilliant football and being top of the league for 4 months and we couldnt get the stadium more than 1/3rd full of home supporters. What we are watching now - no matter how the club promote it - is going to get people in the ground for £18 a time. I know I wouldnt if I wasnt a regular. |
Its this mindset which is killing off the club. 'can't..never,not,won't..Do nowt...whats the point?..we'll never get the support we need.....etc....etc
The club should stop using 'public apathy' as barrier, as an excuse to do sweet fa.
Its there duty to promote the club in the best way it can. To appoint Marketing Men, to promote and move the club forward, even if its only tiny steps. Its criminal to the Fans for the board to assume it'll probably end with the club folding, and possibly sell the ground to developers.
Get Marketing Man ON SOME SORT OF BONUS FOR GETTING BUMS ON SEATS! Rebrand..offer saver incentives like the one mentioned by DJ..get in the faces of Rochdale People through supermarket and local businesses.
IMO - The Club appear not to give a sh1t.
[Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| I couldn't get to on 13:30 - Oct 24 with 2085 views | dingdangblue |
| I couldn't get to on 12:50 - Oct 24 by TVOS1907 |
It doesn't mean the effort shouldn't be there to make changes/improvements every single day of every single week.
It's a bit like an off-field version of reacting to a defeat.
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It was FREE entry to goldbond members last season for 1 game, 8000 members offered FREE entry! Think we got 200-300 extra if that? Pissing in the wind. | |
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| I couldn't get to on 13:40 - Oct 24 with 2071 views | 442Dale |
| I couldn't get to on 13:30 - Oct 24 by dingdangblue |
It was FREE entry to goldbond members last season for 1 game, 8000 members offered FREE entry! Think we got 200-300 extra if that? Pissing in the wind. |
So we accept crowds like last night with no focus on kids on half term and/or marketing the two home games as a package to families looking for stuff to do?
That attitude has to be driven out before we even have a chance of creating something worthwhile. | |
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| I couldn't get to on 13:54 - Oct 24 with 2052 views | crazyhorse |
| I couldn't get to on 13:40 - Oct 24 by 442Dale |
So we accept crowds like last night with no focus on kids on half term and/or marketing the two home games as a package to families looking for stuff to do?
That attitude has to be driven out before we even have a chance of creating something worthwhile. |
I'm with you on that..Whats the point in having the same attitude as some biscuit lover who's losing the battle against obesity; when the Co-op keep putting on bogoff promotions on the shelfs.. whats the point?..I'm not gonna try, fat kid forever. [Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| I couldn't get to on 14:00 - Oct 24 with 2038 views | phomem |
| I couldn't get to on 13:40 - Oct 24 by 442Dale |
So we accept crowds like last night with no focus on kids on half term and/or marketing the two home games as a package to families looking for stuff to do?
That attitude has to be driven out before we even have a chance of creating something worthwhile. |
Agreed no point at all. That's have the club being proactive |  | | |
| I couldn't get to on 14:00 - Oct 24 with 2038 views | TTNYear |
| I couldn't get to on 13:30 - Oct 24 by dingdangblue |
It was FREE entry to goldbond members last season for 1 game, 8000 members offered FREE entry! Think we got 200-300 extra if that? Pissing in the wind. |
Lets shut up shop now then ding dang... No point in doing anything then. |  |
| Anti-cliquism is the last refuge of the messageboard scoundrel - Copyright Dorset Dale productions |
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| I couldn't get to on 14:02 - Oct 24 with 2033 views | aleanddale |
This is going to CD tomorrow so keep it positive please.
Any more suggestions not already covered.
I think the general points are covered and that doing NOTHING is no longer an option for our football club. | | | |
| I couldn't get to on 14:17 - Oct 24 with 2014 views | Blameablerope82 |
Just something simple like PDF posters which could be downloaded and put round offices, town etc.
Remember going to grimsby once on a Friday night and they made it £10 all round the ground how about trying something similar when we play Cheltenham on a Friday night just before Christmas. Something like that needs to be tried. | | | |
| I couldn't get to on 14:55 - Oct 24 with 1985 views | TVOS1907 |
| I couldn't get to on 13:30 - Oct 24 by dingdangblue |
It was FREE entry to goldbond members last season for 1 game, 8000 members offered FREE entry! Think we got 200-300 extra if that? Pissing in the wind. |
What 442 said.
There at least has to be the impression or the intention that things are being tried. | |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| I couldn't get to on 15:23 - Oct 24 with 1947 views | R17ALE |
| I couldn't get to on 13:30 - Oct 24 by dingdangblue |
It was FREE entry to goldbond members last season for 1 game, 8000 members offered FREE entry! Think we got 200-300 extra if that? Pissing in the wind. |
I recall back in Feb or March 2008 the Trust led a campaign for a home match v Hereford which also fell on a Tuesday night in half term. It was the match where a Sherjil MacDonald inspired Hereford beat us 4-2 if I recall it right.
We played on the half term thing and dubbed it "Football under Floodlights". We put posters up and printed off 1000's of postcards which FITC dished out. It was also kids for a quid.
The nett result was our highest ever crowd for a home gate v Hereford of 2884 of which 2800 will have been home fans, almost double the amount we got last night. And this was before Wembley and promotion don't forget! [Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| I couldn't get to on 15:25 - Oct 24 with 1941 views | fermin |
| I couldn't get to on 14:17 - Oct 24 by Blameablerope82 |
Just something simple like PDF posters which could be downloaded and put round offices, town etc.
Remember going to grimsby once on a Friday night and they made it £10 all round the ground how about trying something similar when we play Cheltenham on a Friday night just before Christmas. Something like that needs to be tried. |
You mean like this on EvoStik Division 1 club Gresley's website (bottom of page)?
http://www.gresleyfc.com/ |  | | |
| I couldn't get to on 21:22 - Oct 24 with 1820 views | mikehunt |
I've mentioned this before: get the Regal Moon to sponsor a coach to take supporters to the ground. 2 or 3 trips. We might pick up some stray support and won't cost us. |  |
| The worm of time turns not for the cuckoo of circumstance. |
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| I couldn't get to on 21:26 - Oct 24 with 1809 views | mikehunt |
Town centre shop a must. Selling match tickets, kit, scratch cards and so on. | |
| The worm of time turns not for the cuckoo of circumstance. |
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| I couldn't get to on 10:09 - Oct 25 with 1735 views | aleanddale |
Ok Thread is printed.
some VERY VERY good initiatives here.
If i get a response from the club i will post what that response is. | | | |
| I couldn't get to on 10:20 - Oct 25 with 1725 views | DaleAwaydayBot |
I'm still shocked nothing came of The International Break idea that's what we missed out on majorly i know local non-league club's who accommodated some of these fans on International break looking for a Football Fix all i gotta say is congratulations Rochdale for missing out on extra revenue |  |
| After 3457 forum posts, 11 news comments & 1 match report....The Rochdale Information Robot were Born!!! |
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| I couldn't get to on 10:48 - Oct 25 with 1712 views | aleanddale |
Lets see if we hear anything >>
Mr Dunphy,
As a Rochdale AFC supporter for over 30 years I was shocked at the attendance last Tuesday v Oxford at Spotland. It has been a fair few years since we have not attracted 1600 home fans for any given league game at Spotland.
Whilst there are circumstance that we all know about that undoubtedly affected the attendance, Champions league on TV — Money is tight at home — lack of home form etc, there is a worry amongst other long standing fans that there is nothing, or next to nothing happening by the club to address this worrying attendance trend.
I accept that there are financial restrictions on what can be done by the club but on a Half term week and 2 home games in the space of 5 days it seems like the club has missed an off the field, sales and marketing open net.
Is it wrong that as a group of supporters that are also concerned a thread was started on the message board with some simple ideas ( some quite brilliant at NO cost to the club ) to brain storm a solution to this lack of attendance?. The internet is a dangerous place and it is full of cyber chairmen and football experts. None of us are in full possession of all the facts and some of the following is speculation and wishful thinking. If however there are one or two diamond ideas amongst the coals that can be used to reverse the attendance trend then surely this letter and the printed off Thread I have included is of some use to you.
Can a plan of action by the board and the employed members of Staff at Rochdale AFC be published so we can share with you the vision on how the club propose to reverse this trend?.
A two or three year marketing plan to boost attendance numbers would be great to see / hear about. Small steps to start with but something that is visual to all the supporters so we can see the efforts and match them with our own. I know most Dale fans would do anything in their power to make the club as successful as we possibly can.
The general feeling is that to do nothing ( as this week ) is not an option and we would like to see more proactivity in the marketing and advertising of the club. It is more important NOW than when we were flying high at the top of the table in our promotion year.
There seems to be a real them and us feeling at the moment and to get back to an inclusive club that I feel part of would be welcome if that is possible.This letter wants to be positive and if you read the attached thread you can see there is a multitude of ideas and different things that can be tried. It just seems a crying shame that the off the field activity regarding HOW we promote the club appears to be virtually non-existent.
You have our support Mr Dunphy and your commitment and loyalty to Rochdale football club has never been in doubt or questioned. I really hope that this letter is firstly of interest to you and more importantly you are able to do something with it.
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| I couldn't get to on 09:54 - Oct 26 with 1612 views | 442Dale |
Some excellent points, aleanddale. How did it go handing it in, and when/how are you hoping to get feedback? | |
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| I couldn't get to on 10:52 - Oct 26 with 1588 views | pl56 |
| I couldn't get to on 13:23 - Oct 24 by crazyhorse |
Its this mindset which is killing off the club. 'can't..never,not,won't..Do nowt...whats the point?..we'll never get the support we need.....etc....etc
The club should stop using 'public apathy' as barrier, as an excuse to do sweet fa.
Its there duty to promote the club in the best way it can. To appoint Marketing Men, to promote and move the club forward, even if its only tiny steps. Its criminal to the Fans for the board to assume it'll probably end with the club folding, and possibly sell the ground to developers.
Get Marketing Man ON SOME SORT OF BONUS FOR GETTING BUMS ON SEATS! Rebrand..offer saver incentives like the one mentioned by DJ..get in the faces of Rochdale People through supermarket and local businesses.
IMO - The Club appear not to give a sh1t.
[Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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No argument on that from me . My only comment would be to ask what comes first , the lack of drive from the club , or the public apathy referred to ; its a question of cause and effect , and I believe the apathy stems from the example set from the top , as it does in most organisations good or bad . Re-reading R17ALE's excellent think tank paper makes me realise once more just how much simply isn't happening to engage and stimulate .
Incidentally , does anyone else think apathy has spread to this board now ; there are so few new football topics , simply because there is no interest generated from the club itself . In the Hill years there was always something "in the pipeline" with his "shape-shifting" , his comments/views etc that generated interest ; recently I've read more about Barnsley , West Brom , Bury , Accrington , Burnley , Blackburn , Bolton .......... etc club news than anything newsworthy emanating from our club ! Surely we can't be the only club in the leagues not interested in a single loan signing (tongue in cheek) .
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