JUSTINS CRY FOR HELP

[Trek]

New comers simply won't come at those prices. 1500 to break even at £17 = £25,500. If you lowered prices to £10 you would only need an extra 1000 fans (1700 based on recent figures).

Your calculation is far too simplistic. You have failed to recognise that the gate attendance is made up of season ticket holder and there are lower rates for Under 8's (free), under 16's, concessions and trust members and from all gross revenue the Club has to hand over 20% VAT.

I agree, however, that pay on day terrace price is far too high but this is being addressed for next season.

[BartonRaz]

Sorry, but if anyone thinks adults should be paying less than £15 to watch football at Nene Park they've lost their mind. If we were playing at Hayden Road or somewhere as barbaric (for BSP level) and the team was shite, then i'd agree, but it's not the case. We've got the best facilities in the league, it's safe and a great environment to watch football, and we're a decent side with promotion aspirations.

I've just clicked on some rubbish clubs in this league to see how much they charge:

Histon - £15 to sit in the 'Grandstand', £14 to stand anywhere else.
Eastbourne - £14
Hayes & Yeading - £16 to sit, £14 to stand.
Barrow - £14 to sit, £13 to stand.
K*ttering - £15, possibly rising to £17 depending on the club they're playing.
Bath - £14 to sit, £13 to stand.

Why should be be offering the same, or possibly less, than those teams? The facilities are miles better, our team is much better, and therefore the value for money is greatly increased. If we were on par with these teams than I could understand people wanting to drop the price, but we're not.

[coolcuts]

You post is spot on Barton . It needs to be put up in the high street or something lol. Most people in rushden or wherever just laugh at the price to come to diamonds. Most of my mates do. Do they think the players are that shit that there on £100 a wk? Lol

[wynocki]

Zippy - my R&D life story reads exactly the same as yours, I chuckled away at your story about drumming up support in your workplace but usually met with sympathetic smiles!

I now live in Derby and for many years draped my scarf around my monitor and wore me diamonds shirt on casual dress says. It always got people talking and drew respect for supporting my 'local' non-league team. BUT R&D became everyone's second favourite team and people always looked for our results on final score.....

anyway, enough of memory lane and back to attendances.

It's been done to death but price is defo a factor and is a vicious circle. A sudden drop in price isn't going to bring hoards of people straight back as the public will want to see sustained lower prices and value for money. The club will see a sliding scale of people returning, probably be the best part of a season before a more larger fan base is a regular occurrence. The problem being to drop prices with little short term attendance improvement is not financially viable.

I've posted before about how increasing the 'value' of your ticket could be a solution, free parking, free drink, +1 attendee etc as posted before is a solution but it's still centred around the football match and probably won't be sufficient on their own.

Another thought i had was about getting local business involved with the ASDA and Waitrose immediately springing to mind. Spend £50+ on your shopping and get discounts on tickets? Perhaps the check out staff can issue/sell tickets? Say £50+ spent and you get can a ticket for a tenner? I haven't thought this through in detail but on the surface i can see this working.

Your match ticket entitles you to a free gym pass (local gym required!), round of golf/bowling/snooker etc. These need to be given some thought to also provide incentives to each business but again i'm sure it can be mutually beneficial.

For example - this weeks match ticket allows 1 free bowling game....10% of people may use the discount and go bowling, 50% of these people will by an additional game of bowling and therefore benefit that business. This can be applied to 9 holes of golf... paid to increase to 18. 1 game of snooker....paid for another 3 etc.

There are lots of similar partnerships that could be drummed up.

VW

[Mad Dog]

Sorry, but if anyone thinks adults should be paying less than £15 to watch football at Nene Park they've lost their mind. If we were playing at Hayden Road or somewhere as barbaric (for BSP level) and the team was shite, then i'd agree, but it's not the case. We've got the best facilities in the league, it's safe and a great environment to watch football, and we're a decent side with promotion aspirations.

I've just clicked on some rubbish clubs in this league to see how much they charge:

Histon - £15 to sit in the 'Grandstand', £14 to stand anywhere else.
Eastbourne - £14
Hayes & Yeading - £16 to sit, £14 to stand.
Barrow - £14 to sit, £13 to stand.
K*ttering - £15, possibly rising to £17 depending on the club they're playing.
Bath - £14 to sit, £13 to stand.

Why should be be offering the same, or possibly less, than those teams? The facilities are miles better, our team is much better, and therefore the value for money is greatly increased. If we were on par with these teams than I could understand people wanting to drop the price, but we're not.

Great post.

I think people are still associating non league as being part time football against village teams (and a your post show, they're charging the same prices!). Whilst that is true in part in some cases, we know that thanks to bottleneck created by only one automatic promotion place, there are now a hell of a lot of full time sides that would more than hold their own in League Two. As sush it's far more competitive when it was just £10 a match and the football one could argue is better because there are bigger sides down here that can afford better players.

The only thing League Two have is the fact it's in the League and it's less physical. That's it pretty much.

We're also forgetting inflation over the last 10 years. I'd like to see what £10 in 2001 would be worth now. I bet it's not far off £15. If that's the case, you're paying the same as 10 years ago, taking into account inflation.

[wynocki]

Sorry, but if anyone thinks adults should be paying less than £15 to watch football at Nene Park they've lost their mind. If we were playing at Hayden Road or somewhere as barbaric (for BSP level) and the team was shite, then i'd agree, but it's not the case. We've got the best facilities in the league, it's safe and a great environment to watch football, and we're a decent side with promotion aspirations.

I've just clicked on some rubbish clubs in this league to see how much they charge:

Histon - £15 to sit in the 'Grandstand', £14 to stand anywhere else.
Eastbourne - £14
Hayes & Yeading - £16 to sit, £14 to stand.
Barrow - £14 to sit, £13 to stand.
K*ttering - £15, possibly rising to £17 depending on the club they're playing.
Bath - £14 to sit, £13 to stand.

Why should be be offering the same, or possibly less, than those teams? The facilities are miles better, our team is much better, and therefore the value for money is greatly increased. If we were on par with these teams than I could understand people wanting to drop the price, but we're not.

Great post.

I think people are still associating non league as being part time football against village teams (and a your post show, they're charging the same prices!). Whilst that is true in part in some cases, we know that thanks to bottleneck created by only one automatic promotion place, there are now a hell of a lot of full time sides that would more than hold their own in League Two. As sush it's far more competitive when it was just £10 a match and the football one could argue is better because there are bigger sides down here that can afford better players.

The only thing League Two have is the fact it's in the League and it's less physical. That's it pretty much.

We're also forgetting inflation over the last 10 years. I'd like to see what £10 in 2001 would be worth now. I bet it's not far off £15. If that's the case, you're paying the same as 10 years ago, taking into account inflation.

£12.40 but that doesn't really help us out i know. Our club today has to be run like a business with profit and loss the most important issue (sadly).

Mr.Griggs we love you but it wasn't run the same in them days and the break even point was more of an afterthought.

We paid £10 but that wouldn't have been the true cost of a ticket (to the club)

[SouthRushdenJFC]

Aside from the prices there does seem to be a lot that could be done but isn't. Obviously the cuts that had to be made in off the field personnel have made it harder but not everything takes time and money.

As you will see from my username I'm involved in kids football, our club has over 150 kids and dads who spend most of the weekends near a football. We've had no contact from the club in nearly two seasons. We like football, we like playing it, we like watching it. When the England age groups play at Nene Park or Sixfields or Stadium:MK we snap the tickets up, we go in a group and we have a great time. It doesn't cost us anything for the tickets but every child wants a programme and every child wants a drink and a burger, they usually get them as it's not cost anything to get in.

Looking at the club website, and I had to look hard, it seems that there is a 50/50 scheme running. I can't say for certain that it's still running as the page hasn't been updated for nearly a year.

On the subject of the website it does the club no favours, it's full of adverts and a lot of the pages have not been updated in years, it looks like it's a defunct website.

To my eyes there is so much potential around the football club that's not being tapped into and I don't think it's totally a question of not enough hours in the day or pennies in the piggy bank. Things like reviving the Diamonds Cup for junior clubs, Club of the Day, penalty shoot out competitions at half-time (this may be done) are relatively time and cost light and would spread the word across the area.

I do also think that having a ticket office/club shop in Rushden High Street could increase both ticket sales and revenue.

On the plus side I do understand that the Football in the Community Scheme is being re-introduced, although again there's nothing on the website I can find

[Rushdenjim]

I do also think that having a ticket office/club shop in Rushden High Street could increase both ticket sales and revenue.

I did sit last night thinking about this, and I have to agree, Nene Park isnt in Rushden and Im afraid to say that if you walked down Rushden High Street you would even know we had a football club. Forget about attracting the floating fans from North Bedfordshire, What about looking closer to home and attracting people from our own town! Rushden has 40,000 people in it, you only need to 5% of the town to turn out and you have 2,000 right there. I think its a sin not to be more involved in Rushden as a town! People take pride in their town and if they take pride in their town maybe they should take pride in the football club that carries their name.

Cost-wise, I obviously have no idea how much is costs to rent a unit in the high street but it would only need to be small, with a small selection of kits etc etc and the option to buy your matchday tickets from there, saves people travelling down to the ground! and I'm sure many people down go because of this reason and probably dont know you can just get your ticket on the day if you turn up. I'm sure enough people could be found to man the shop for nothing, I for one would be open to doing it!!

I Know many years ago, we did have a shop in the centre at Wellingbrough but it was really out the way and I dont think faired too well! I really think if we can start engaging with the people of Rushden then they will starting coming to games!

[Rushdenjim]

Just having a quick look, a Unit in Rushden High street are in the region of £6,000-£10,000 PA

[The Godfather]

We used to have a bus that picked up people from Skinners Hill for home games. Does this still run?

Stuart