Our average attendance this year is the lowest since 1997/1998. This includes an almost packed Valley against Millwall, football for a fiver which was near on a sell-out, and some jaded figures as to the attendances as so many ST holders aren't attending now in comparison to other years.
Operation 20k will never even get close, it should be operation stop it from dropping - as that in itself will be a task. We have no reason to gain new fans, and we have all the reasons to lose our current ones.
Wasting our time a) helping RD & KM build attendances and b) fighting a lost battle - the football on the pitch brings the punters.
Completely agree. Remember when we were first back at The Valley and thrilled when we sold out the 8,032 (always remember that number!) every week. The with the Premier League years we got excellent numbers and did brilliantly to hold on to them. All that because of football. No gimmicks, just good football. Gimmicks are what you get when you give people with marketing backgrounds and no souls a job to do.
Not gimmicks but it wasn't just "football".
Kids for a quid, Valley express. Remember them?
Accept that, yes, but remember at the time we had been out of the area for seven years and had to tap into a fan base that had not grown up with the club. That was more about getting them in to watch and fall in love. The gimmicks now seem to lack any real purpose other than get some brief publicity for non-football events.
Our average attendance this year is the lowest since 1997/1998. This includes an almost packed Valley against Millwall, football for a fiver which was near on a sell-out, and some jaded figures as to the attendances as so many ST holders aren't attending now in comparison to other years.
Operation 20k will never even get close, it should be operation stop it from dropping - as that in itself will be a task. We have no reason to gain new fans, and we have all the reasons to lose our current ones.
Wasting our time a) helping RD & KM build attendances and b) fighting a lost battle - the football on the pitch brings the punters.
Completely agree. Remember when we were first back at The Valley and thrilled when we sold out the 8,032 (always remember that number!) every week. The with the Premier League years we got excellent numbers and did brilliantly to hold on to them. All that because of football. No gimmicks, just good football. Gimmicks are what you get when you give people with marketing backgrounds and no souls a job to do.
Not gimmicks but it wasn't just "football".
Kids for a quid, Valley express. Remember them?
Accept that, yes, but remember at the time we had been out of the area for seven years and had to tap into a fan base that had not grown up with the club. That was more about getting them in to watch and fall in love. The gimmicks now seem to lack any real purpose other than get some brief publicity for non-football events.
I agree completely aboout the sofa and other gimmicks.
I'm not suggesting gimmicks.
I'm suggesting some long term thought out marketing to attract people to come to games and since the club's idea consist of silly gimmicks and crossing their fingers that we win a few games they clearly could do with some help.
I agree completely aboout the sofa and other gimmicks.
I'm not suggesting gimmicks.
I'm suggesting some long term thought out marketing to attract people to come to games and since the club's idea consist of silly gimmicks and crossing their fingers that we win a few games they clearly could do with some help.
Absolutely, but, as you say, I think,like most of the 'plans' KM spoke about, there is too much depending on a few lucky breaks and some wins. I suspect Blackpool had a similar vision last season. We need a realistic and thought-out marketing plan.
I agree completely aboout the sofa and other gimmicks.
I'm not suggesting gimmicks.
I'm suggesting some long term thought out marketing to attract people to come to games and since the club's idea consist of silly gimmicks and crossing their fingers that we win a few games they clearly could do with some help.
Absolutely, but, as you say, I think,like most of the 'plans' KM spoke about, there is too much depending on a few lucky breaks and some wins. I suspect Blackpool had a similar vision last season. We need a realistic and thought-out marketing plan.
Agree totally. And since we have a lot of marketing people in the fan base they can help draw that up and test out ideas before launch. It's really an extra resource for the club.
Lots of businesses have customer groups that help them test new products and services. It's good practice. Most small businesses can't afford it. Charlton are a small business and they have "customers" with relevant experience offering to help free of charge.
Most companies would be rearranging the following words in to a well known phrase: Hand Off Bite Your
I agree completely aboout the sofa and other gimmicks.
I'm not suggesting gimmicks.
I'm suggesting some long term thought out marketing to attract people to come to games and since the club's idea consist of silly gimmicks and crossing their fingers that we win a few games they clearly could do with some help.
Absolutely, but, as you say, I think,like most of the 'plans' KM spoke about, there is too much depending on a few lucky breaks and some wins. I suspect Blackpool had a similar vision last season. We need a realistic and thought-out marketing plan.
Agree totally. And since we have a lot of marketing people in the fan base they can help draw that up and test out ideas before launch. It's really an extra resource for the club.
Lots of businesses have customer groups that help them test new products and services. It's good practice. Most small businesses can't afford it. Charlton are a small business and they have "customers" with relevant experience offering to help free of charge.
Most companies would be rearranging the following words in to a well known phrase: Hand Off Bite Your
I think the difference at Charlton is that the ideas have traditionally come from supporters to the club, rather than the club to supporters (although accepting that became complicated by supporters being on the staff as well).
I want the opposite. I want their team to lose, the team to be relegated and attendances to plummet until they have gone. Not every ones cup of tea I know but I don't see how you can want them out but at the same time support their team and help them grow. But I think I am in a minority on wanting them gone. The majority just want a few wins, whilst others have their own aims such as personal involvement.
Does she and everyone else for that matter really believe that a break even club with cheap managers and a football target of championship mid table is really going to attract 20000!?And to that matter that off the pitch fun will help make up for a poor team to bring in 7000 new people!? Lots want to believe it I know but come on!
What's the fuss about? We're heading in the right direction. Season ticket sales were up on last year by 1100!
Not what she said, I think. She said they were up and that there were 1,100 new holders - there is always significant churn. I don't think she was saying the total was up 1,100 - or that it is.
Our average attendance this year is the lowest since 1997/1998. This includes an almost packed Valley against Millwall, football for a fiver which was near on a sell-out, and some jaded figures as to the attendances as so many ST holders aren't attending now in comparison to other years.
Operation 20k will never even get close, it should be operation stop it from dropping - as that in itself will be a task. We have no reason to gain new fans, and we have all the reasons to lose our current ones.
Wasting our time a) helping RD & KM build attendances and b) fighting a lost battle - the football on the pitch brings the punters.
Completely agree. Remember when we were first back at The Valley and thrilled when we sold out the 8,032 (always remember that number!) every week. The with the Premier League years we got excellent numbers and did brilliantly to hold on to them. All that because of football. No gimmicks, just good football. Gimmicks are what you get when you give people with marketing backgrounds and no souls a job to do.
Not gimmicks but it wasn't just "football".
Kids for a quid, Valley express. Remember them?
Accept that, yes, but remember at the time we had been out of the area for seven years and had to tap into a fan base that had not grown up with the club. That was more about getting them in to watch and fall in love. The gimmicks now seem to lack any real purpose other than get some brief publicity for non-football events.
I agree completely aboout the sofa and other gimmicks.
I'm not suggesting gimmicks.
I'm suggesting some long term thought out marketing to attract people to come to games and since the club's idea consist of silly gimmicks and crossing their fingers that we win a few games they clearly could do with some help.
As good some of those ideas were, what really helped keep supporters coming back was the fact that we had a good team and a good manager making steady progress on the pitch. There only so many weirdos like me who would start attending at times like this (in my case it was the Selhurst years) and fall in love with the current rabble. Even in the Selhurst years we had a team you could somewhat hang your hat on, first valiantly fighting for top flight survival and then being top half in the old old Div 2. After that we had the sense of building something with the back to the Valley stuff that somewhat took your mind off the fact team was treading water a bit between 92 (ish) and 96 (ish).
There isn't really a 'bigger picture' aspect to it at the moment that fans can identify with like the back to the Valley years had. Perhaps the grand plan of youth development can become part of our identity like it is for the other CAFC but t hat will take time to ingrain into the club. Fundamentally, we need a decent team playing decent football if we want new or lapsed punters that come in for football for a fiver, or whatever other scheme, to keep coming back.
It's important that we have those schemes to try and get people who might not be regulars through the turnstiles in the first place, but they have to enjoy their visit if we want them to fall in love. With all the goodwill in the world, there are not many out there who will fall in love with watching a bunch of prematurely promoted youth players flounder to a 0-3 defeat vs Preston.
Have those who agreed to participate in this pulled out? It would be a great signal of intent that we are united as fans and not going to hold hands with those who want to watch our Club burn. We will re-build and aim for things such as Target 20k once this ownership has moved on.
If not I strongly advise those do pull out, and let KM know exactly why.
Target 20,000? Here's a suggestion Katrien. Don't just get the cheapest manager you know, and a bunch of under age 'possible future' youngsters and maybe you might beat Colchester. The result..... a home tie against Spurs or Leicester which may bring 20,000 plus through the turnstiles. But given you've branded fans as weird, probably better not to get increasing numbers to visit the place.
There has been a meeting (which I didn't attend as I was busy elsewhere) and tbh I'm glad I didn't. Minutes have been released to the group members and they should have been released on the official site the same day. Surprise surprise they haven't.
In all honesty, it is a pointless exercise (which we suspected anyway) and the minutes don't tell us anything. I'm not going to share them on here (for same reason Rich P is giving about the Valley Gold statement).
As the "Supporter Clubs Rep", which in itself is embarrassing as in no way did I request nor want to be seen as representing all members of all Supporters' Clubs, I am withdrawing from the Target 20k group due to my disgust and dismay at the actions of the board especially since the turn of the year. The final straw for me personally was the Hudds game however have been thinking about withdrawing ever since the Web summit video.
I hope you can understand why I won't share the minutes. As for videoing it, I literally have no idea but I'm going to assume no video was made. There are further meetings planned but I will not be a part of them.
Good on you @bellz2002 you gave it a try at least ( and walked out, which deserves praise). Util RD aacepts his plan doesn't work, nothing else matters.
Comments
I'm not suggesting gimmicks.
I'm suggesting some long term thought out marketing to attract people to come to games and since the club's idea consist of silly gimmicks and crossing their fingers that we win a few games they clearly could do with some help.
Lots of businesses have customer groups that help them test new products and services. It's good practice. Most small businesses can't afford it. Charlton are a small business and they have "customers" with relevant experience offering to help free of charge.
Most companies would be rearranging the following words in to a well known phrase: Hand Off Bite Your
This is probably still knocking around near Highbury - just needs KM to airbrush out any old fogeys in the picture...
There isn't really a 'bigger picture' aspect to it at the moment that fans can identify with like the back to the Valley years had. Perhaps the grand plan of youth development can become part of our identity like it is for the other CAFC but t hat will take time to ingrain into the club. Fundamentally, we need a decent team playing decent football if we want new or lapsed punters that come in for football for a fiver, or whatever other scheme, to keep coming back.
It's important that we have those schemes to try and get people who might not be regulars through the turnstiles in the first place, but they have to enjoy their visit if we want them to fall in love. With all the goodwill in the world, there are not many out there who will fall in love with watching a bunch of prematurely promoted youth players flounder to a 0-3 defeat vs Preston.
If not I strongly advise those do pull out, and let KM know exactly why.
But given you've branded fans as weird, probably better not to get increasing numbers to visit the place.
Does that count?
In all honesty, it is a pointless exercise (which we suspected anyway) and the minutes don't tell us anything. I'm not going to share them on here (for same reason Rich P is giving about the Valley Gold statement).
As the "Supporter Clubs Rep", which in itself is embarrassing as in no way did I request nor want to be seen as representing all members of all Supporters' Clubs, I am withdrawing from the Target 20k group due to my disgust and dismay at the actions of the board especially since the turn of the year. The final straw for me personally was the Hudds game however have been thinking about withdrawing ever since the Web summit video.
I hope you can understand why I won't share the minutes. As for videoing it, I literally have no idea but I'm going to assume no video was made. There are further meetings planned but I will not be a part of them.