Dear Mr Smurf....about this 2-for-£30 offer!!

[smithie]

First and foremost, it's good to see some offers like this being made. Anything that gets people through the gates is good by me. But (there's always a but)......I can't see this being taken up by many adults who wouldn't otherwise come, as Tuesdays are good for some people and not for others.

 

Which got me to think whether this could be promoted as a "Family Night Out" offer/theme. This could be promoted via schools/websites/local press etc, and could include

 

- activities from 4/5/6pm onwards, enabling the kids & parents to come straight from school/work

- possibly do a deal on something to eat pre-match

- signing of any shirts bought via the deal (I know it's a matchday but something could be done)

- offer parking in the deal, as I'm sure neither Crawley or Oldham will bring significant paying parkers

- possibly a free-to-join in training session on the astro-turf pitches

- a tour of the ground

- a "lap of honour" around the perimeter of the pitch

 

Not all of these would require any outlay, and using these 2 games for such initiatives may give an indicator as to their viability for future occasions.

 

I hope you take this as a constructive suggestion, as that's all it is. I run a business probably 0.5% the size of yours but one aspect in common is .....we've both got something to sell, and sometimes you have to be imaginative in how you sell it!

 

Best wishes

 

Smithie-in-Birmingham

[kevin_struggles]

I certainly dont wish to dampen your enthusiasm and I am sure it would be a great evening out but I suspect a lot of it would be difficult to organise on a match day when there is much to do already.

 

The two for £30 quid offer is an excellent idea and I applaud smurf for his continued efforts.

 

Get us playing the joyful football we enjoyed under King Rudgie and they will flock back

[cpade]

I certainly dont wish to dampen your enthusiasm and I am sure it would be a great evening out but I suspect a lot of it would be difficult to organise on a match day when there is much to do already.

 

The two for £30 quid offer is an excellent idea and I applaud smurf for his continued efforts.

 

Get us playing the joyful football we enjoyed under King Rudgie and they will flock back

 

Why ?

[kevin_struggles]

Why ?

 

Why what?

 

Your go!

[jimbo57]

sitting in VP for 4 hours or so is a bit cold at this time of year

[smithie]

sitting in VP for 4 hours or so is a bit cold at this time of year

 

Indeed it is....that's why they'd be running around playing football, doing activities in the Academy building or having food in the Lorne St function rooms.

[OakhillDave]

I've just had an email from groupon, Stoke ticket and £5 spend for £12. Hull and Everton game. Can we compete with this?

[Yukon]

sitting in VP for 4 hours or so is a bit cold at this time of year

 

Why would you be there for 4 hours?

 

Cold is a bit of a wimpy excuse

[fairportnick]

I've just had an email from groupon, Stoke ticket and £5 spend for £12. Hull and Everton game. Can we compete with this?

 

That sounds desperate!

[smithie]

That sounds desperate!

 

If it means football being affordable for people, I wouldn't care how it sounds.

 

In any case, Premier League clubs could let people in for free and still be awash with cash.

[Birches Head Fred]

In any case, Premier League clubs could let people in for free and still be awash with cash.

 

And thereby lies our problem. The Premier League simply want rid of us small-fry and wish all football fans to either go and watch a Premier League game, or alternately sit at home watching one on Sky.

The Football League are powerless to resist.

 

What I can't understand is why don't the BBC (or channel 4/5) strike a deal with the Football League for sole rights and more live games and a t.v. show showing highlights at a more reasonable time. They could even run to the Conference too.

[smithie]

I'd love to see the Championship, Leagues 1 & 2 and the Conference form a new structure that makes the Championship the top of that pyramid.

 

The Premier League clubs are utterly self-serving, so leave them to it. See how they enjoy no new clubs coming in, and playing the same old fixtures year in year out. Let them have all the silly kick-off times, plastic fans and endless hype. Reclaim the game as a traditional and affordable pastime played at 3 o'clock on Saturdays.

 

We can all dream!

[cpade]

Why what?

 

Your go!

 

Why would it be too difficult to organise ?

[bycarspete]

I'd love to see the Championship, Leagues 1 & 2 and the Conference form a new structure that makes the Championship the top of that pyramid.

 

The Premier League clubs are utterly self-serving, so leave them to it. See how they enjoy no new clubs coming in, and playing the same old fixtures year in year out. Let them have all the silly kick-off times, plastic fans and endless hype. Reclaim the game as a traditional and affordable pastime played at 3 o'clock on Saturdays.

 

We can all dream!

 

And many more football league supporters feel the same, but seems our leader have sold our soles to the premier league. (but with a bit of luck maybe sky have shot themselves in the foot with this latest deal.

[davidatpreston]

I'd love to see the Championship, Leagues 1 & 2 and the Conference form a new structure that makes the Championship the top of that pyramid.

 

The Premier League clubs are utterly self-serving, so leave them to it. See how they enjoy no new clubs coming in, and playing the same old fixtures year in year out. Let them have all the silly kick-off times, plastic fans and endless hype. Reclaim the game as a traditional and affordable pastime played at 3 o'clock on Saturdays.

 

We can all dream!

 

I love these ideas, and wish this could come true.

 

But would you get Championship clubs that have realistic ambitions of getting in the Prem on board, especially ones that have been there in the last 10 years or so, who may see themselves as temporarily outside the top flight.

 

I'm thinking of teams like Derby, Middlesbrough, Forest, possibly Ipswich, Leeds, Norwich, even Wigan and Charlton - possibly about half the Championship clubs and maybe one or two L1 big boys like Sheffield United, who would be giving up their chance of the greedy cut for ever - would they do it ? I suspect maybe not.

 

We need Sky to go broke to put a stop to this, or possibly tax them into submission, the only other possibility is the general public boycotting Sky but I don't have confidence in that - too many people only interested in whether they are ok and if they support a Prem club, they wont care if the rest go to the wall.