Ideas to be forwarded to the club.

[dfc1883]

There's been a few good ideas on here recently about ways the club can make the most of what they've got regarding tickets, special offers, incentives etc etc.

I've decided to make this thread sticky so we can keep them all in the same place.

We'll go through them and pick out the sensible ones to forward to the club and try and get some response on them.

We know that people at the club are really busy, but we've all got the same desire for this club to succeed, so hopefully our ideas will be taken on board.

[dfc1883]

I'll start the ball rolling with one I posted the other day that has been lost down the board somewhere.

Tickets should be made available for £16 on matchdays right up until 2pm to encourage people to come early. They'll visit the bar earlier than usual to make the saving and probably spend that extra two pound in the bar anyway.

[we_8_poolie]

Bring back the schools half time penalty shootout competition. Get the kids involved and their parents might turn up too.

[Hilly]

Bring back the schools half time penalty shootout competition. Get the kids involved and their parents might turn up too.

Bring back the crossbar challenge! I miss it!

[Darlodave]

Give one more veg at the carvery. It's a winner.

[feethams]

Here are my ideas (as posted previously!)

The club to go back to letting school kids in for free. stick them in a block of their own in the north stand, let them spend £5 each on crisps, chocolate and fizzy pop and of course, allowing them to come to Darlo early, may prevent them from buying an Arsenal / Man Utd shirt from JJB at Xmas.

Other idea is the fact that in the club shop, there is virtually knack all for under a fiver. Why arent we stocking little things in the club shop that people can buy their kids, or kids themselves can buy which are affordable. Stuff like pens, pin badges, key rings, pencil cases, stickers, posters etc...

Back in the day at Feethams you could go into the old shop and buy a little post card with Daz Roberts on and a Darlo pen, stand down the front of the tinshed and shout him over during warm up to sign it for you.

Now, all we stock is kits, bedroom furniture and pics of the Arena. Same with old programmes from games gone by, you cant buy any of them either...

What frustrating about the above is that for a living i deal in this kinda stuff, pin badges, small postcards etc... buying it and selling it. I know the money involved and there is a decent profit to be made, especially when you have no competition!

[feethams]

Oh yeah, my other idea which I posted on Rivals a bit back (and was mentioned by a few different people aswell) is the improving atmosphere / matchday experience in the ground.

The idea of blocking off the back 10 rows of the East, West and possibly North stand, thus encouraging people to sit closer together and then generate a better atmosphere.

Doing this with "boarding", similar size and structure to the big screen would also give us additional advertising space for local businesses etc... If the next to back row, or next to 2 back rows were cut off with the commonly used "black netting" this would prevent idiots from battering on the boarding.

The boarding would deflect the sound made from both sets of supporters instead of it just dying within the huge space in the arena.

Coupled with sticking a block of free school tickets in the north stand would mean all 4 sides of the ground would be occupied, all closer together.

I honestly believe, that if going to see Darlo was seen once again as a decent afternoon out, regardless of the performance and result, then more people would come along. I know for sure I would, and I live in Leeds.

[Makka Pakka]

There needs to be some homework done on this one because I haven't done any...

IF most people only buy one replica shirt (home OR away), why not try to entice them into buying both by giving a discount when buying home and away together.

Of course if most people buy both anyway then you sell the same number of shirts for less money. Even so, if there is a need to shift stock early it might be worth considering.

[darlogav]

Bit ambitious this one but bear with me...

I'm guessing from the club shutting one stand last season that this saved a considerable amount of money in one form or another? Well why not condense the fans into 2 stands.

The home fans stand behind the goal (West Stand??? - I always get confused) could surely accomodate the away fans aswell, could it not? With the odd exceptions of clubs with very big followings that stand could easily be half darlo half away.

A small barrier down the seats and a gate downstairs for segregation wouldn't cost much at all (I'm thinking of the south stand at the riverside if anyone's ever been). My old man counted 38 stewards the other night surely this would be enough to work within the 2 stands.

Noticed the other night that there is a mid point in the stand where you would get a stall on each side and a ladies and gents also. The pies and beer would then be next to each other which would be a small bonus, less staff would be needed also due to the closure of the other stand. With us not having draught anymore this makes it even easier.

The banter with away fans would be back, people being closer together would generate a better atmosphere and a general matchday feeling again which I think would maybe persuade the odd floating fan to come to a few more games.

The only possible stumbling block I can think of is season ticket holders having to move a bit. With what I've talked about I would be one of those in question but to be honest I wouldn't give a s***.

[wylam_rangers]

What I would like to see is some sort of membership scheme to give a discount to those supporters who can't attend regularly and for whom a season ticket is not cost effective.

Something along the lines of pay £20 for a membership card which saves you the £2 matchday premium and also waives you the £2 carvery premium in the RG when you book the meal.

A lot of clubs offer a membership which gives access to discounts but pitched below the benefits of a season ticket. It all helps the more casual supporter to feel involved.

[darlotoon]

What I would like to see is some sort of membership scheme to give a discount to those supporters who can't attend regularly and for whom a season ticket is not cost effective.

Something along the lines of pay £20 for a membership card which saves you the £2 matchday premium and also waives you the £2 carvery premium in the RG when you book the meal.

A lot of clubs offer a membership which gives access to discounts but pitched below the benefits of a season ticket. It all helps the more casual supporter to feel involved.

Don't agree with the £2 carvery waiver for the membership scheme (don't agree with the £2 fee for booking a carvery full stop!) , but definitely the £2 off matchday ticket purchases sounds a really good idea .

[dfc1883]

Some good ideas there so far. Keep them coming.

The other night as the Crewe game, and also the Bury game it was noticable how deserted the car park has become, and I do feel that that is one of the areas that could be addressed by the club.

Anything that makes things easier for fans to get to the ground is surely a good thing?

Maybe free parking can be offered if a car full of people turn up? (parking stewards could hand out the tickets on seeing the full car), the club then foots the £5 bill for the parking space (does anyone from the council actually check figures anyway?). If it gets the car full of 4 people paying £18 each to get in then spending money in the ground, surely that's better than those 4 maybe not coming at all?

[RenoRaines]

It is wise to assume that crowds are not going to jump from 1800 to 4500 overnight. That will hopefully happen over a period of time where the club is run proffessionally.

1800 people made the trip to the ground on Tuesday and straight after the game most of them left the ground. Once these 1800 people have made the trip to the stadium they need to be captured and gleened of as much money as possible. This is where DFC has lost the plot. They need to have incentives to get people to go earlier and incentives to keep people after the game - what I always say is that the "Match Day Experience" is more important than the actual game. It is a social thing. At the moment we are not being offered anything or being told that things will change so it is no wonder people spend money elsewhere.

This situation has developed over a period of 5 years or so by people being treat like sh*t or like fools. If the new guys in charge are serious about making DFC a success and getting money in the tills they have to start giving out positive messages and signals.

All of the recent Chairmen have said the same thing "Attendances need to improve" or "I have done everything its up to the town now". That is absolute bullshit and shows a lack of knowledge of what exactly it takes to run a football club. It is "entertainment", people want to be entertained and to feel good. It seems that the be all and end all to the club surviving is "attendances" yet you can double the income to the club with the same attendance just by treating people with some respect and giving them facilities that keep them at the club. The sooner the people in charge realise this then the crowds will come back and we may survive.

The club could learn a lot from how Durham Cricket is run. The attendances are not much more than ours but the bars are full before and after games and the spirit among the supporters is friendly and positive - regardless of what happens on the pitch.

Reno.

[RenoRaines]

I think it is quite funny that someone who is obviously challenged in the brain cell area has the nerve to post an abusive message calling me thick!

My message was purely pointing out where the club is losing revenue. By providing ways of capturing people before and after games (especially as they are at the ground already for the football) there is an additional revenue stream which is currently being neglected.

However, that may be over some peoples heads as it involves using your brain.

[DL5]

I think it is quite funny that someone who is obviously challenged in the brain cell area has the nerve to post an abusive message calling me thick!

My message was purely pointing out where the club is losing revenue. By providing ways of capturing people before and after games (especially as they are at the ground already for the football) there is an additional revenue stream which is currently being neglected.

However, that may be over some peoples heads as it involves using your brain.

I think a culling is due

[dfc1883]

Reno, you're absolutely correct about the club - in previous regimes they've not done their utmost to make it easy for you to depart with your money.

I went to a Yankees game a few weeks ago, and man the americans have got it right!, you've bearly got time to breathe without someone selling you something. And they bring it right to your seat with the ushers working on commission.

Would anyone begrudge someone walking up and down the stairways selling pop and crisps, or even hotdogs like they used to sell in the concourse in the south stand?

[wylam_rangers]

Reno, you're absolutely correct about the club - in previous regimes they've not done their utmost to make it easy for you to depart with your money.

I went to a Yankees game a few weeks ago, and man the americans have got it right!, you've bearly got time to breathe without someone selling you something. And they bring it right to your seat with the ushers working on commission.

Would anyone begrudge someone walking up and down the stairways selling pop and crisps, or even hotdogs like they used to sell in the concourse in the south stand?

Some jobsworth twat would quote H&S

[were_going_up123]

to reduce prices of shits it's not as if their nike or adidas which would charge a fortune and i know they need to make money somewhere a long the line but lower the prices and this would induce more sales

also if they did this deal like at sunderland were if you buy an adult season ticket before august or something then you get a kids season ticket for £18!!!

and if you buy an adult ticket you get a free u16 ticket that would be good

btw how much are season tickets!

[fergies50yarder]

i think an idea would be to replace the bar managers, the administrators got rid of them, low and behold there back! iwent to the game last saturday went to the corner bar and couldnt get a drink as they called time at 5.20, then the bar manager was flustering about not really knowing what to do, app by the time the bar re-opened everyone had gone. the same woman was in charge of the carveries last season, she put everyone on the wrong tables, and so rumour has it even managed to upset ron greener who from what ive seen is one of the most mild mannered men you could meet. guess, what, shes now in charge of the bars! the club still havent learned from their past mistakes, the same people who from what ive seen couldnt get management jobs elsewhere suddenly re-appear in management positions, its crazy, whilst such people are still there i'll be going to matches when work permits, but i'll be drinking in cleveland club before/after the match as i simply wont pay 2 quid to drink in the ron greener suite, something i did every time i went last season each time i wrent (16 matches) my wife and i used to havbe a carvery plus she had a couple of wines, i had 4-5 pints- thats a lot of money i used to spend that i no longer will, due to incompentant staff and the club hiking the prices up - im sorry but its way i feel, i'll support the team but whilst incompetant staff arein management positions i wont a penny in the bars

[wylam_rangers]

to reduce prices of shits it's not as if their nike or adidas which would charge a fortune and i know they need to make money somewhere a long the line but lower the prices and this would induce more sales

also if they did this deal like at sunderland were if you buy an adult season ticket before august or something then you get a kids season ticket for £18!!!

and if you buy an adult ticket you get a free u16 ticket that would be good

btw how much are season tickets!

One thing we can't complain about at the arena - all SHITS are free!!

[DL5]

i think an idea would be to replace the bar managers, the administrators got rid of them, low and behold there back! iwent to the game last saturday went to the corner bar and couldnt get a drink as they called time at 5.20, then the bar manager was flustering about not really knowing what to do, app by the time the bar re-opened everyone had gone. the same woman was in charge of the carveries last season, she put everyone on the wrong tables, and so rumour has it even managed to upset ron greener who from what ive seen is one of the most mild mannered men you could meet. guess, what, shes now in charge of the bars! the club still havent learned from their past mistakes, the same people who from what ive seen couldnt get management jobs elsewhere suddenly re-appear in management positions, its crazy, whilst such people are still there i'll be going to matches when work permits, but i'll be drinking in cleveland club before/after the match as i simply wont pay 2 quid to drink in the ron greener suite, something i did every time i went last season each time i wrent (16 matches) my wife and i used to havbe a carvery plus she had a couple of wines, i had 4-5 pints- thats a lot of money i used to spend that i no longer will, due to incompentant staff and the club hiking the prices up - im sorry but its way i feel, i'll support the team but whilst incompetant staff arein management positions i wont a penny in the bars

On the topic of the bar I mentioned in another post about the Sports bar turning the pumps off at 7:15 on Tuesday, what was the point in that?

I'd hazard a guess that most fans turn up half an hour or less before KO and walk right past the bar. I'd also take a punt that some may wish to partake in a swift sherbert.

Need I say more?

[Hilly]

It is wise to assume that crowds are not going to jump from 1800 to 4500 overnight. That will hopefully happen over a period of time where the club is run proffessionally.

1800 people made the trip to the ground on Tuesday and straight after the game most of them left the ground. Once these 1800 people have made the trip to the stadium they need to be captured and gleened of as much money as possible. This is where DFC has lost the plot. They need to have incentives to get people to go earlier and incentives to keep people after the game - what I always say is that the "Match Day Experience" is more important than the actual game. It is a social thing. At the moment we are not being offered anything or being told that things will change so it is no wonder people spend money elsewhere.

This situation has developed over a period of 5 years or so by people being treat like sh*t or like fools. If the new guys in charge are serious about making DFC a success and getting money in the tills they have to start giving out positive messages and signals.

All of the recent Chairmen have said the same thing "Attendances need to improve" or "I have done everything its up to the town now". That is absolute bullshit and shows a lack of knowledge of what exactly it takes to run a football club. It is "entertainment", people want to be entertained and to feel good. It seems that the be all and end all to the club surviving is "attendances" yet you can double the income to the club with the same attendance just by treating people with some respect and giving them facilities that keep them at the club. The sooner the people in charge realise this then the crowds will come back and we may survive.

The club could learn a lot from how Durham Cricket is run. The attendances are not much more than ours but the bars are full before and after games and the spirit among the supporters is friendly and positive - regardless of what happens on the pitch.

Reno.

Stop knocking the club you thick fucka.

If anyone on this thread is a 'thick fucka' it's most certainly you. Wind your neck in.

[RenoRaines]

If anyone on this thread is a 'thick fucka' it's most certainly you.

Another person who has little brain capacity. Here is an idea - if you have an opinion why not give it? Heres the rub - try doing it without abusing anyone or swearing? People mght havesome respect for you then.

[Hilly]

If anyone on this thread is a 'thick fucka' it's most certainly you.

Another person who has little brain capacity. Here is an idea - if you have an opinion why not give it? Heres the rub - try doing it without abusing anyone or swearing? People mght havesome respect for you then.

Is that directed at me?

[darlodub]

If anyone on this thread is a 'thick fucka' it's most certainly you.

Another person who has little brain capacity. Here is an idea - if you have an opinion why not give it? Heres the rub - try doing it without abusing anyone or swearing? People mght havesome respect for you then.

Probably best not to go replying to messages when you're just back from the pub after having a few too many shandy's. If you look at what Hilly quoted, he was quoting Darlo Dave's comment of

Stop knocking the club you thick fucka.

and responded to that.....

[mikkyx]

A post which I've since deleted - can we get this thread back on track please?!

[knoxy5000]

On the topic of the bar I mentioned in another post about the Sports bar turning the pumps off at 7:15 on Tuesday,

I was in there about 7.40ish at managed to get a swift pint in before the game, i didnt get the ground till about 7.30

[DL5]

On the topic of the bar I mentioned in another post about the Sports bar turning the pumps off at 7:15 on Tuesday,

I was in there about 7.40ish at managed to get a swift pint in before the game, i didnt get the ground till about 7.30

Strange, I bought a pint around 7.10 then went for another at 7.30 and was told that the pumps had been turned of at 7.15. I had to settle for a bottle of plastic in the concourse.

[DIRTYDAVE]

to reduce prices of shits it's not as if their nike or adidas which would charge a fortune and i know they need to make money somewhere a long the line but lower the prices and this would induce more sales

also if they did this deal like at sunderland were if you buy an adult season ticket before august or something then you get a kids season ticket for £18!!!

and if you buy an adult ticket you get a free u16 ticket that would be good

btw how much are season tickets!

One thing we can't complain about at the arena - all SHITS are free!!

maybe we could put locks on the toilet doors that would put the smokers at haft time or we could charge by the size and weight of the droppings
having a discount card would be good ideal haft-season ticket or money off
when you buy both the shirt or discount card on the beer !

[botrash]

Inspired by

Tickets should be made available for £16 on matchdays right up until 2pm

and

Maybe free parking can be offered if a car full of people turn up? (parking stewards could hand out the tickets on seeing the full car), the club then foots the £5 bill for the parking space

What about discounted parking for turning up early? We won't be subsidising ticket income, but may encourage more people to park and use the bars. As a midday regular in the corner bar on matchdays, we would certainly benefit from having more customers than just my mate and me in there!!