[cite]Posted By: WhenIwasLittleBoy[/cite]It will start with this route and then slowly other routes will get chopped back,
Well if they are running half full, of course they will be cut back. Why continue with something that consistently losses money ?
The club have tried to make things easier for supporters to get to the game, at cost price, you can't expect them to continue it if there are not enough supporters.
At £5 per person it was always going to be heavily subsidised, shame, but economic facts. Look at Plymouth away last week, £15 return, where else would you get to Plymouth and back for £15.
Have you written to the club to express your thoughts about the coach service? As the coach service is going out of service for next season, perhaps now is the time to rally up some support between now and august to see if the club could put the service back on for those fans who need it/ even if the arrangement is more expensive, or a small coach etc?
Lets stop with the "grammar snipings".
its silly talking about in the olden days, as the club offer something to help people out and when its taken away people complain. in the 'olden' days, the club didn't have such promotions, the people came, so its completely different in comparison on many levels. the players probably don't even know that the club run coaches to bus people in from here there and everywhere!
Lets also stop harping back to the past- right or wrongly, it's a different world now so players aren't going to pay and fans aren't going to fork out to by a player.
It's a commercial world so if you feel you have a way to save the route, why not email the club with it, unlike many clubs you can be sure that it will be considered.
Perhaps some of our fans don't know either - after the inital promotion a couple of years ago, it may now have gone quiet.
Example: Heath Hero said on here that he didn't know there was a Rickshaw from Leatherhead.
How many other fans, especially non-ST's, didn't know either?
A fiver return is dirt cheap these days to go anywhere so no real reason the club couldn't raise the price to cover costs.
Perhaps offering multi-journey travel cards - say 4 journeys for £30 or something, or a Valley Express ST may get sufficient revenue in up front to guarantee a particular VE service/route for an entire season?
If the revenue is already in, it won't matter if some trips there are only 20 people on the bus - and it could still run.
Just trying to be constructive.
It'd be a shame for the club to lose the goodwill already built up.
I am recommending to the directors that we discontinue the Hampshire coach because it has lost £7k over the course of the season to bring in an average of 25 people. That's a subsidy of £280 per passenger over the year.
All the Valley Express coaches are subsidised by the club from ticket revenue and on average the coaches are 90 per cent full, but the Hants coach has always been a special case because it is isolated from the rest of the service. The regulars know we have tried really hard to keep it going, but there just aren't enough of them.
We have publicised the Leatherhead and other pick-ups in virtually every programme this season and on the website.
Even so, the final decision is being referred to the board so they can consider the views of passengers, especially those who will no longer be able to come to matches. Somed of the current passengers come from much further afield than Hants.
I can say that the board has already indicated that it wishes to run Valley Express next season and as far as I am concerned all other routes will continue - indeed we are looking at adding extra pick-ups in Kent.
PersonallY I think it's a disgrace that the club don't lay on subsidised flights from Canada, I know of about 6 of us over here in the Western provinces alone - a little Cesena is all we ask for.
the trouble is the club has made such a huge publicity drive regarding valley express which they have to be commended for that if they were to drop it,a load of egg would be left on faces.
[cite]Posted By: northstandsteve[/cite]the trouble is the club has made such a huge publicity drive regarding valley express which they have to be commended for that if they were to drop it,a load of egg would be left on faces.
agreed not a lot on this route i was talkin about if they ever stopped the whole thing.Anyway couldn't you give them a backy when your grifter is up and running again.
[cite]Posted By: northstandsteve[/cite]the trouble is the club has made such a huge publicity drive regarding valley express which they have to be commended for that if they were to drop it,a load of egg would be left on faces.
If provide a service for your fans of taday and potential fans of tomorrow for a £7k outlay is bad business, then what is signing the players we have done over the past three years with the huge weekly wages, what is that? Are u Nick Leason in disguise, no business sense what so ever
If we're looking at Charlton as a business and us a customer then i don't think i've ever been given £280 worth of something free of charge from another company whilst experiencing low prices and discounts for their other products...
[cite]Posted By: WhenIwasLittleBoy[/cite]If provide a service for your fans of taday and potential fans of tomorrow for a £7k outlay is bad business, then what is signing the players we have done over the past three years with the huge weekly wages, what is that? Are u Nick Leason in disguise, no business sense what so ever
The two elements are completely different, even if they do involve footbal clubs spending money.
Clubs have to take a punt on a player- sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
Spending 7k on a subsidy to transport 25 or so fans would be a great gesture but at this time not pruent financially
Dont forget fans were responsible in generating funds to get where they are today. Valley Gold, fund raising, ten year season tickets, the club should look to generate funds, get companies to sponser the coaches in which means they will get exposure, off set the out goings, is really that hard, do we have a sales and marketing team down there,
[cite]Posted By: WhenIwasLittleBoy[/cite]Dont forget fans were responsible in generating funds to get where they are today. Valley Gold, fund raising, ten year season tickets, the club should look to generate funds, get companies to sponser the coaches in which means they will get exposure, off set the out goings, is really that hard, do we have a sales and marketing team down there,
You should be the sales and marketing team, surely? Shouldn't your cheery smile be spreading the good word about Charlton, persuading people that we're just a hop on a coach away?
I am a sales director of a leading worldwide publishing co. Its all about creating value, and having a statergy,short and long term. It does frustrate me as a fan when i can see the club losing revenue and not exploiting revenues in generating such much needed money to give to relevent the departments to make it a more stabile and succesful club. There is huge potential within that club, a massive catchment area,
[cite]Posted By: WhenIwasLittleBoy[/cite]Steve you can take the boy out of South London but you cant take the South London out the boy, if people are more concerned about grammer and that they couldnt give a monkies for their fellow then so be it, as we both know we are to the core, and knew this club when they had nothing, walking round at holf time to raise £10k to buy Ronnie Moore,if you look what some of them players are on a week and they have no love for the club, people that rely on a service are haveing it taken away, lets see the players give something back, if each of them donated say £20 a week from there £8k a week then that would the problem
if even a third of them are on £8k a week then I'd want a stewards enquiry !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why have contracts not yet be renewed?????????is this down to the fact high percentage are still on premiership money, i would imagian we have one of the highest wage bills in this league
if you chop the coach altogether then you risk losing season tickets, its a business decision of course, you could always hire a cheaper smaller coach first or charge more.
[cite]Posted By: WhenIwasLittleBoy[/cite]Why have contracts not yet be renewed?????????is this down to the fact high percentage are still on premiership money, i would imagian we have one of the highest wage bills in this league
because the club dont' know what league they're in, therefore if they are offered a contract for say 3 years, when we could be in the prem in two, and the money be deemed out of date, so maybe players wouldn't want to sign. there is plenty of time for all that surely after the season finishes, between then and august. they should be concentrating on winning matches not working out how much money they can get out of the club surely!?
[quote][cite]Posted By: Elthamaddick[/cite] just how did you get your 'sales director of a worldwide leading publishing co' job ?[/quote]
What are u suggesting............alot of it is self taught, i.e reading books,working late nights but more importantly having the motivation and goals to do well.............i used to have a crap job in a warehouse live in a nasty flat one bedroom flat and was going down hill fast, and i then said to myself i wanted to be someone and achieve things in life tha twould make my parents,wife and kids proud of me, but everyday you must have a reason to go the extra mile, i get alot of pleasure bringing new people in, moulding them and then in a couple of tears time they are making a few quid.....
say nothing agaisnt the club,we all sing from the same hymnn sheet...we must obey these rules,learn from this wiwlb,everything charlton is great,the stepford fans.lol
Comments
At £5 per person it was always going to be heavily subsidised, shame, but economic facts. Look at Plymouth away last week, £15 return, where else would you get to Plymouth and back for £15.
Lets stop with the "grammar snipings".
its silly talking about in the olden days, as the club offer something to help people out and when its taken away people complain. in the 'olden' days, the club didn't have such promotions, the people came, so its completely different in comparison on many levels. the players probably don't even know that the club run coaches to bus people in from here there and everywhere!
Lets also stop harping back to the past- right or wrongly, it's a different world now so players aren't going to pay and fans aren't going to fork out to by a player.
It's a commercial world so if you feel you have a way to save the route, why not email the club with it, unlike many clubs you can be sure that it will be considered.
Example: Heath Hero said on here that he didn't know there was a Rickshaw from Leatherhead.
How many other fans, especially non-ST's, didn't know either?
A fiver return is dirt cheap these days to go anywhere so no real reason the club couldn't raise the price to cover costs.
Perhaps offering multi-journey travel cards - say 4 journeys for £30 or something, or a Valley Express ST may get sufficient revenue in up front to guarantee a particular VE service/route for an entire season?
If the revenue is already in, it won't matter if some trips there are only 20 people on the bus - and it could still run.
Just trying to be constructive.
It'd be a shame for the club to lose the goodwill already built up.
All the Valley Express coaches are subsidised by the club from ticket revenue and on average the coaches are 90 per cent full, but the Hants coach has always been a special case because it is isolated from the rest of the service. The regulars know we have tried really hard to keep it going, but there just aren't enough of them.
We have publicised the Leatherhead and other pick-ups in virtually every programme this season and on the website.
Even so, the final decision is being referred to the board so they can consider the views of passengers, especially those who will no longer be able to come to matches. Somed of the current passengers come from much further afield than Hants.
I can say that the board has already indicated that it wishes to run Valley Express next season and as far as I am concerned all other routes will continue - indeed we are looking at adding extra pick-ups in Kent.
losing £7k is bad business though
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was bad business.
The two elements are completely different, even if they do involve footbal clubs spending money.
Clubs have to take a punt on a player- sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
Spending 7k on a subsidy to transport 25 or so fans would be a great gesture but at this time not pruent financially
Thanks AB for your post BTW!
You should be the sales and marketing team, surely? Shouldn't your cheery smile be spreading the good word about Charlton, persuading people that we're just a hop on a coach away?
if even a third of them are on £8k a week then I'd want a stewards enquiry !!!!!!!!!!!!!
just how did you get your 'sales director of a worldwide leading publishing co' job ?
because the club dont' know what league they're in, therefore if they are offered a contract for say 3 years, when we could be in the prem in two, and the money be deemed out of date, so maybe players wouldn't want to sign. there is plenty of time for all that surely after the season finishes, between then and august. they should be concentrating on winning matches not working out how much money they can get out of the club surely!?
just how did you get your 'sales director of a worldwide leading publishing co' job ?[/quote]
What are u suggesting............alot of it is self taught, i.e reading books,working late nights but more importantly having the motivation and goals to do well.............i used to have a crap job in a warehouse live in a nasty flat one bedroom flat and was going down hill fast, and i then said to myself i wanted to be someone and achieve things in life tha twould make my parents,wife and kids proud of me, but everyday you must have a reason to go the extra mile, i get alot of pleasure bringing new people in, moulding them and then in a couple of tears time they are making a few quid.....
hmm I'm not casting judgement, but can you at least expand on your argument on what the club should be doing?