| Scores 09:00 - Aug 18 with 10509 views | itsallaboutthedale |
Busy queues at the bars and kiosks good to see money being put back into the Dale. Shame tvs are not showing scores while waiting it would help pass the time. Also a suggestion for speakers throughout near kiosks/toilets at half time so can hear announcements, went to Boston and was good to hear other scores at half time. |  | | |  |
| Scores on 10:27 - Aug 19 with 2940 views | 442Dale |
| Scores on 09:46 - Aug 19 by isitme |
A few issues from Saturday:
1. There were only two turnstyles open at the club shop end of the Pearl Street and the process of getting into the ground was really slow as many people had trouble scanning their ticket from their phone. I would have thought that one of the stewards/someone could have had a hand held scanner to assist those who were struggling which would have allieviated the problem. If crowds increase, especially with with first time/infrequent supporters this issue could get worse and/or put people off attending.
2. The chairs in the Pearl Street were filthy. Again, not very appealing to new supporters, or even existing ones. My seat was also broken.
3. There were no reserved stickers on season ticket holders seats. This caused a bit of an issue when a group of supporters were sat in a block of reserved seats and their solution was to move to the row in front, which were also seats of season ticket holders! Thankfully they did see sense and moved, but this issue could have been avoided.
To give George Delves credit I emailed him this morning about the stickers and broken seat and within five minutes he had replied and copied in two other people to my original email saying that the staidum staff will look at prior to Saturday.
A few small things that should not cost a lot of money can just help to improve the match day experience. |
There are also things there which supporters could, and have in the past, help with. The seat cleaning/ground tidy up that took place last season should be an annual thing. In the summer holidays when people look for something to do it’s an easy win. It certainly was a year ago.
What we are seeing is the need for a clear plan of action where fans can see what is happening, what’s on the agenda and what part they can play. |  |
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| Scores on 13:07 - Aug 19 with 2689 views | 49thseason |
| Scores on 10:27 - Aug 19 by 442Dale |
There are also things there which supporters could, and have in the past, help with. The seat cleaning/ground tidy up that took place last season should be an annual thing. In the summer holidays when people look for something to do it’s an easy win. It certainly was a year ago.
What we are seeing is the need for a clear plan of action where fans can see what is happening, what’s on the agenda and what part they can play. |
So, essentially, we are agreed that the staff need to be empowered to be responsible for their relationships with their customers.. the people who sell the tickets need to be sure the seats are clean and clearly marked and not simply assume someone else has done it , or worse, not be bothered...
Deming would say that the whole staff should walk the building and its surroundings and make a list of what can be improved.. everything from weeds to toilets and light bulbs to carpets... we have a lot to learn from truely customer focused comapanies, its something we haven't fully grasped in the UK but the rewards for those that do are huge.
Once you have a (plan), you(do)it, then (study) the results and en(act) any chanes needed.. PDSA....
The cycle begins with the Plan step. This involves identifying a goal or purpose, formulating a theory, defining success metrics and putting a plan into action. These activities are followed by the Do step, in which the components of the plan are implemented, such as making a product. Next comes the Study step, where outcomes are monitored to test the validity of the plan for signs of progress and success, or problems and areas for improvement. The Act step closes the cycle, integrating the learning generated by the entire process, which can be used to adjust the goal, change methods, reformulate a theory altogether, or broaden the learning – improvement cycle from a small-scale experiment to a larger implementation Plan. These four steps can be repeated over and over as part of a never-ending cycle of continual learning and improvement. |  | | |
| Scores on 13:34 - Aug 19 with 2635 views | 442Dale |
| Scores on 13:07 - Aug 19 by 49thseason |
So, essentially, we are agreed that the staff need to be empowered to be responsible for their relationships with their customers.. the people who sell the tickets need to be sure the seats are clean and clearly marked and not simply assume someone else has done it , or worse, not be bothered...
Deming would say that the whole staff should walk the building and its surroundings and make a list of what can be improved.. everything from weeds to toilets and light bulbs to carpets... we have a lot to learn from truely customer focused comapanies, its something we haven't fully grasped in the UK but the rewards for those that do are huge.
Once you have a (plan), you(do)it, then (study) the results and en(act) any chanes needed.. PDSA....
The cycle begins with the Plan step. This involves identifying a goal or purpose, formulating a theory, defining success metrics and putting a plan into action. These activities are followed by the Do step, in which the components of the plan are implemented, such as making a product. Next comes the Study step, where outcomes are monitored to test the validity of the plan for signs of progress and success, or problems and areas for improvement. The Act step closes the cycle, integrating the learning generated by the entire process, which can be used to adjust the goal, change methods, reformulate a theory altogether, or broaden the learning – improvement cycle from a small-scale experiment to a larger implementation Plan. These four steps can be repeated over and over as part of a never-ending cycle of continual learning and improvement. |
It’s basics. Whilst appreciating the studies done by a plethora of academics and professionals across a multitude of sectors, RAFC have always required a simple, visible plan. One where supporters can see their own roles within it.
The rest is simply noise and leads to inactivity. As we’ve seen time and again over the years. | |
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| Scores on 14:21 - Aug 19 with 2515 views | Nerazzurri |
| Scores on 09:46 - Aug 19 by isitme |
A few issues from Saturday:
1. There were only two turnstyles open at the club shop end of the Pearl Street and the process of getting into the ground was really slow as many people had trouble scanning their ticket from their phone. I would have thought that one of the stewards/someone could have had a hand held scanner to assist those who were struggling which would have allieviated the problem. If crowds increase, especially with with first time/infrequent supporters this issue could get worse and/or put people off attending.
2. The chairs in the Pearl Street were filthy. Again, not very appealing to new supporters, or even existing ones. My seat was also broken.
3. There were no reserved stickers on season ticket holders seats. This caused a bit of an issue when a group of supporters were sat in a block of reserved seats and their solution was to move to the row in front, which were also seats of season ticket holders! Thankfully they did see sense and moved, but this issue could have been avoided.
To give George Delves credit I emailed him this morning about the stickers and broken seat and within five minutes he had replied and copied in two other people to my original email saying that the staidum staff will look at prior to Saturday.
A few small things that should not cost a lot of money can just help to improve the match day experience. |
There should have been someone around to assist as the queue was very very slow. I helped a few people put their screen to maximum brightness as I knew there had been issues with this before and they scanned first time then.
Also what's with the daft queuing system in Studds, it worked fine for over 20 years the way it was! |  |
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| Scores on 15:25 - Aug 19 with 2370 views | 442Dale |
We were having this discussion over the weekend, is the new digital method - either season card or via a phone - actually any more cost/time efficient and customer friendly on a matchday than the old season ticket books at a club like ours? Purchasing online is one thing, but the amount of fans having to go and see a steward at the Sandy turnstiles after not getting through the turnstiles needs monitoring. It was 4 in the two mins I queued on Saturday, and that’s when the queues were minimal.
Worth pointing out for the millionth time that having someone on the turnstiles at the Sandy as we do and not giving him a pile of tickets that can be sold for cash (adult ticket only) that only he can scan is a missed opportunity. | |
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| Scores on 15:39 - Aug 19 with 2334 views | DaleBars |
| Scores on 14:21 - Aug 19 by Nerazzurri |
There should have been someone around to assist as the queue was very very slow. I helped a few people put their screen to maximum brightness as I knew there had been issues with this before and they scanned first time then.
Also what's with the daft queuing system in Studds, it worked fine for over 20 years the way it was! |
Hi Nerazzurri
Queuing has consistently been an issue in Our Spot/Studds. The room is too small, leaving little space once halftime approaches. When bar staff are attempting to figure out who comes next, a single-line queue can be easier to manage and produce less tension. There is a 15-minute window to serve approximately 100-200 supporters, depending on the fixture.
The Ratcliffe bar is also at its busiest; at one point, there were four lines from the bar to the window. But there is also more room because there is no furniture.
I received reports that it was really busy on Saturday, with a line out the door. An additional member of staff was sent. I looked into CCTV footage today, and I've provided an overview below.
15:20 No supporters in the bar
15:30 No supporters in the bar
15:35 3 supporters
15:40 10 supporters
15:45 queue is at the door approx 50-60
15:50 queue is at the door approx 50-60
16:00 5 supporters
16:05 No supporters
All bar lines around the stadium were cleared by 16:10
Due to away supporters using Pearl Street, we only have one entry accessible for the upcoming game against Forest Green, and we anticipate a similar-sized queue. A discussion is underway to try get the live feed back on the screens; I believe this would help because you would not miss something regardless of whether you visited sooner or after the kickoff.
All bar lines around the stadium were cleared by 16:10
I can only apologise for the wait time, but I assure you that we constantly look for ways to shorten it so that we do not lose customers.
Anthony |  |
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| Scores on 15:54 - Aug 19 with 2285 views | jajadale |
| Scores on 15:39 - Aug 19 by DaleBars |
Hi Nerazzurri
Queuing has consistently been an issue in Our Spot/Studds. The room is too small, leaving little space once halftime approaches. When bar staff are attempting to figure out who comes next, a single-line queue can be easier to manage and produce less tension. There is a 15-minute window to serve approximately 100-200 supporters, depending on the fixture.
The Ratcliffe bar is also at its busiest; at one point, there were four lines from the bar to the window. But there is also more room because there is no furniture.
I received reports that it was really busy on Saturday, with a line out the door. An additional member of staff was sent. I looked into CCTV footage today, and I've provided an overview below.
15:20 No supporters in the bar
15:30 No supporters in the bar
15:35 3 supporters
15:40 10 supporters
15:45 queue is at the door approx 50-60
15:50 queue is at the door approx 50-60
16:00 5 supporters
16:05 No supporters
All bar lines around the stadium were cleared by 16:10
Due to away supporters using Pearl Street, we only have one entry accessible for the upcoming game against Forest Green, and we anticipate a similar-sized queue. A discussion is underway to try get the live feed back on the screens; I believe this would help because you would not miss something regardless of whether you visited sooner or after the kickoff.
All bar lines around the stadium were cleared by 16:10
I can only apologise for the wait time, but I assure you that we constantly look for ways to shorten it so that we do not lose customers.
Anthony |
Has a bottle bar in the far corner been considered for the Studds? I know that rather than queuing for a pint quite a few people would go over to quickly grab a couple of bottles of decent lager if it was available? Would certainly cut down on wait times. |  | | |
| Scores on 16:35 - Aug 19 with 2188 views | 49thseason |
Every theater in the land has the same problem.. they take orders before the show, and have them ready when the interval starts.. its a simple system and just needs a few shelves or tables around the room... why is there a problem?
Indeed, I remember the days when working mens clubs opened at 12.00 and had dozens if not 100s of pints pre-poured ready for the rush.. mind you it was a shilling a pint.... | | | |
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| Scores on 16:43 - Aug 19 with 2170 views | Dalenet |
| Scores on 20:40 - Aug 18 by TalkingSutty |
Yes I've met him and he seemed like a good bloke, easy to communicate with. He walked into the Dale Bar unannounced and introduced himself to a lot of fans, sat down and had a chat, he was very well received. The fear i have for him though is the enormity of the task in front of him, it sounds to me that he could become swamped under a mountain of work. His job spec seems to encompass everything, i hope it doesn't just become a case of pass it on to Andy he'll deal with it. That's how you lose good staff. Every fan I've spoken to seems to be keen on increasing their spend at the club this year, that's why it's important that everybody who attends games makes a financial contribution when entering the stadium. [Post edited 18 Aug 20:48]
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100% agree with that TS. Maybe, just maybe, Andy will embrace help from fans so that he doesn't personally get swamped. Fan groups can help with a whole host of initiatives once the club agree the activities need to be done. Like cleaning and labelling seats, staffing a fans zone pre-match - they seem to have abandoned the outside kisok thing they had by the Sandy entrance a few times last season. And who is selling the new Dale lottery? | | | |
| Scores on 17:10 - Aug 19 with 2104 views | itsallaboutthedale |
| Scores on 16:43 - Aug 19 by Dalenet |
100% agree with that TS. Maybe, just maybe, Andy will embrace help from fans so that he doesn't personally get swamped. Fan groups can help with a whole host of initiatives once the club agree the activities need to be done. Like cleaning and labelling seats, staffing a fans zone pre-match - they seem to have abandoned the outside kisok thing they had by the Sandy entrance a few times last season. And who is selling the new Dale lottery? |
Do you mean the pop up shop? I thought this was good idea last season, let’s hope it does come back,In response to the other guy I think the queues are to be expected in the bar, always going to be a rush at half time, credit to the bars they do well to get through the numbers as quickly as they do. | | | |
| Scores on 18:03 - Aug 19 with 2005 views | Plattyswrinklynuts |
| Scores on 16:35 - Aug 19 by 49thseason |
Every theater in the land has the same problem.. they take orders before the show, and have them ready when the interval starts.. its a simple system and just needs a few shelves or tables around the room... why is there a problem?
Indeed, I remember the days when working mens clubs opened at 12.00 and had dozens if not 100s of pints pre-poured ready for the rush.. mind you it was a shilling a pint.... |
Your last point is bang on 49th, me & my mates were saying exactly this on Sat.
The bars must know which the most popular drinks are, just pour say 10 pints of each one just to get things moving. |  | | |
| Scores on 18:15 - Aug 19 with 1977 views | judd |
From Facebook (direct approaches to solving problems)
Hi, I’m a Director at Curzon Ashton FC. Bit of a long one but could do with some feedback from the people of Ashton and Tameside.
Curzon Ashton have just started our 10th season in the NLN which is Step 6 of English football. We are competing in a league with some huge clubs with massive finances and fan bases. Last season we got the playoffs after a wonderful campaign.
We have the facilities, the team, the stadium what we don’t have is the fan base. Our crowds range generally from 200-400 but we are competing with teams that get 10 times that amount.
My questions is… what do you the community want from a football club? We are the best chance Tameside has of achieving a football club in the EFL but we can’t progress without you. We are and have always been affordable and are struggling to think of what more we can do.
Please give us a message if you can think of anything that will improve our supporter numbers and do give us a try if you can. 🔵⚪️ |  |
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| Scores on 18:30 - Aug 19 with 1916 views | 442Dale |
Looking at the calendar of events, the Trust have a meeting with the club planned next week. Maybe the subject can be brought up then. A simple starting point would be to arrange one of the supporters meetings we saw in April/May ‘23 and invite Andy Duff to attend.
This would possibly help reduce the work for the Trust and the Trust director continually needing to take things forward and see some projects that involve groups of fans alongside the club. | |
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| Scores on 21:51 - Aug 19 with 1608 views | TVOS1907 |
| Scores on 16:43 - Aug 19 by Dalenet |
100% agree with that TS. Maybe, just maybe, Andy will embrace help from fans so that he doesn't personally get swamped. Fan groups can help with a whole host of initiatives once the club agree the activities need to be done. Like cleaning and labelling seats, staffing a fans zone pre-match - they seem to have abandoned the outside kisok thing they had by the Sandy entrance a few times last season. And who is selling the new Dale lottery? |
The pop up shop hasn't been abandoned.
I believe the person who manned it last season wasn't available at the weekend, so it will hopefully be back on Saturday. |  |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| Scores on 22:15 - Aug 19 with 1506 views | seasidedale |
| Scores on 21:51 - Aug 19 by TVOS1907 |
The pop up shop hasn't been abandoned.
I believe the person who manned it last season wasn't available at the weekend, so it will hopefully be back on Saturday. |
Mind you they said that programmes were only being sold in the ground on Saturday but they were being sold in the car park | | | |
| Scores on 22:47 - Aug 19 with 1421 views | TVOS1907 |
| Scores on 22:15 - Aug 19 by seasidedale |
Mind you they said that programmes were only being sold in the ground on Saturday but they were being sold in the car park |
They didn't say that. They said they were only being sold in the shop and online, with a seller in the ground, but I believe that was an error and the website story was later amended.
https://rochdaleafc.co.uk/tvos-returns-for-24-25/
Subsequently, I asked about the seller on the car park. It was to cover for the pop-up shop person being unavailable. I've no idea what will be the case on Saturday, but I'll attempt to find out beforehand. [Post edited 20 Aug 7:41]
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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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