JUSTINS CRY FOR HELP

[wynocki]

Good ideas by all - what's needed now is feedback on how viable these ideas are and whether or not they can be implemented. Without resolution on each idea we'll constantly be wondering why nothing is being done.

Also as a last point, any business has to invest to progress and this doesn't necessarily mean cash. By doing nothing/very little around the community you will always result in a slow decrease in interest/attendance. To maintain attendances you need to invest, to increase attendances you need to work bloody hard.

Sadly with all the cuts over the years the investment in community will always de-prioritised and thus you see a steady decline.

I remember how a lot of local support was generated through a 'feel good factor'. There was so much going on and around the club, constant local media coverage and great community work that people wanted to attend who weren't necessarily avid football fans.

There was always a sense of occasion when we played at home and a real town spirit - what we need is to get this back, and everyone's suggestions are a step in the right direction.

VW

[Zippy]

guys guys guys,
i'm not going to post and quote to each response to my post from Sunday evening but what I will say is........

I broke a trend in usually just reading posts without commenting to give my own opinion of why I don't come to as many games as I could and used to which is backed up by the same reasons the rest of my group don't come anywhere near as often. Yes that's only about 8 people but we are pretty run of the mill blokes and guess we're not too different to the average local guy lol.

I wasn't looking for people to agree, I just saw that a number of you guys were asking why the fan base has dropped so far and where are they now so gave my own personal reasons and views. If you think thats rubbish then fine but I know what me and my mates reasons are and so there they were for reading.

Yes my calculation was simplistic but without the clubs accounts thats all I can produce and can only go by a figure given by the board as "an average of 1500" which in itself doesn't consider concessions, OAP's etc and is after all "an average". Of course the board will have sat down and looked at how many are concessions etc but we don't have that to view so my figure was a very rough figure based on an avaerage that doesn't have to be over complicated. I'm sure if we got within a couple of hundred fans to that point we'd be pretty pleased right now wouldn't we?

With regards to ticket prices at other clubs, a lot of bigger clubs have come down since we were last in the Conference and would have kept their prices as high as possible having fallen from the league and the cost implications that brings, a lot of the bigger clubs come from bigger towns/cities and will still command a very healthy fan base for this level. The smaller clubs will in turn raise prices to be closer to that as they can get away with it when the bigger clubs are already charging £17/£18.

Don't get me wrong from the original post, a team with such a low budget in comparison to those around us, thats young and gelling is doing extremely well. My point was that £17 to watch the mediocre, inconsistent performances that lacked passion are not going to draw those "missing" fans back on a regular basis.

I also think that a lot of the old fan base from the Griggs era were following Rushden as their "2nd team" or their "local team" as it was good to watch and good value. Of course, people will gladly go and watch a winning team, especially if they play good football and its fairly cheap to get in and travel to, which it was. As prices rise, the football isn't as good, which stems right back to previous management (maybe even to when Griggs pulled out and the top players departed) and they are no longer watching "a winning side" those fans will look elsewhere and will end up at MK Dons or Northampton (at some point, maybe not now). Right now Peterborough are scoring goals for fun, Leicester are going well for not a lot more for a ticket and isn't far up the road. Those that used to come here as their 2nd team may well have gone there. I know it would be diffcult to find but I wonder how many of 7/800 regulars are hardcore Rushden through and through that have Rushden as their main team and how many follow bigger clubs but come here as their local team. Same as the by gone days when crowds were between 3/4000 regularly, how many were die hard and how many came for those reasons above? I expect a large number were not die hard so were always going to watch elsewhere once the fairy tale came to an end.

All in all, I hope my earlier points helps thosed puzzled why some of the regulars have slipped away.

[RushdenTillIDie]

Sort of a joke but sort of not...was looking at the Erikkson looking to bring 'big' signing to the walkers article and it made me think...maybe getting an ex-premiership footballer in on loan or a famous face...someone to just help the club, not looking for wages, might draw in the crowds or some decent premier league friendlies next pre-season....just a thought

Becks in a diamonds shirt would deffo fill the stadium for games against the likes of Hayes and Forest green ;)

[Three of Diamonds]

Zippy, now I appreciate fans have slipped away for those reasons, but that is the PAST. Last season we made the play-offs with a fairly young team and scored 77 goals in the league, with one of the most talented footballers I've ever seen in Tomlin, and we still had poor attendances. How many times have you seen a Diamonds team win 9 - 0 and 8 - 0 in the same season? In 40 years I've NEVER seen it. In fact the 8 - 0 win at home is the best attacking football I've ever seen (and I include the great 4 league title winning sides since the merger in that). So to say that's why people are still staying away is baffling, cos the rubbish football (a la Hart and Hill) days are GONE. Unfortunately Max isn't here to be able to subsidise gate prices anymore, so people need to support the going rate or it goes altogether. The new people in charge deserve a chance, they're listening and acting accordingly by reducing on the gate prices for the average supporters.
We really do hope to see you and your friends back at Nene Park in the near future, things are improving but we need your support to push on.

[davealbon]

How many times have you seen a Diamonds team win 9 - 0 and 8 - 0 in the same season?

Never. They were in different seasons! ;)

[diamondphil]

How about this for an idea; and apologies if it's already been mentioned.

We have the LED notice board out the front of Nene Park don't we? How about somehow linking this to the scoreboard during games, but only showing the score when we're winning. therefore all the people passing by nene park whilst there's a game on would be compelled to look at said LED display, and everytime they look it would show as Diamonds winning............



Phil

[diamondal]

[quote="RushdenTillIDie"]Sort of a joke but sort of not...was looking at the Erikkson looking to bring 'big' signing to the walkers article and it made me think...maybe getting an ex-premiership footballer in on loan or a famous face...someone to just help the club, not looking for wages, might draw in the crowds or some decent premier league friendlies next pre-season....just a thought

Becks in a diamonds shirt would deffo fill the stadium for games against the likes of Hayes and Forest green ;)[/qu`````Not such a crazy idea really. Many years ago Bedford Town who in the 60s were acknowledged to be one of the best non league clubs in the country (the old Southern League) were having the same problems with poor crowds.They started bringing in top ex pro,s who were set to retire ,
Ronnie Rooke from Arsenal, Len Duquemin and Colin Brittain from Spurs,Alan Seeley from West Ham are some I can recall It added aprox 1500 to 2000 to attendances and no they did not demand big wages. Bedford Town did go broke later but that was alledgeley due to a bent board :roll:

[diamondal]

Sorry I messed up the last post, don,t know how to rectify it. Silly old git that I am :oops:

[The Godfather]

Sorry I messed up the last post, don,t know how to rectify it. Silly old git that I am :oops:

:lol: :lol:

We shouldn't have OAP's on this board! ;)

Stuart

[wewantourdarbyback]

Sort of a joke but sort of not...was looking at the Erikkson looking to bring 'big' signing to the walkers article and it made me think...maybe getting an ex-premiership footballer in on loan or a famous face...someone to just help the club, not looking for wages, might draw in the crowds or some decent premier league friendlies next pre-season....just a thought

Becks in a diamonds shirt would deffo fill the stadium for games against the likes of Hayes and Forest green ;)

Not such a crazy idea really. Many years ago Bedford Town who in the 60s were acknowledged to be one of the best non league clubs in the country (the old Southern League) were having the same problems with poor crowds.They started bringing in top ex pro,s who were set to retire ,
Ronnie Rooke from Arsenal, Len Duquemin and Colin Brittain from Spurs,Alan Seeley from West Ham are some I can recall It added aprox 1500 to 2000 to attendances and no they did not demand big wages. Bedford Town did go broke later but that was alledgeley due to a bent board :roll:

Fixed (ish)