What would make you attend the vale?

[valiant_593]

A simple question to those who arent turning up. What is that defining factor of why you dont come anymore and what would make you return.

[brookersleftboot]

A simple question to those who arent turning up. What is that defining factor of why you dont come anymore and what would make you return.

 

3yes ago my financial situation changed, times are tough & i personslly cannot afford the gate price. I have a 3yr old boy who i would love to bring along to a game or two but its out of my reach financially.

 

What i would say to smurf is this....if people arent paying the current prices, what makes you think they will suddenly pay a higher price??

 

Lowering prices for midweek games isnt enough. Id like to see a scheme over the summer where if x amount pledge to buy an ST it will be one price but if a bigger x amount pledge then the overall cost comes down....christ even the thick as pig **** V2001 got this one & we sold a decent amount!

 

I personally dont give a crap if we are in L1, L2 etc if i can afford i will attend....but right now & certainly the foreseeable its out of reach....thats not just a pvfc thing....its all over football.

[valeblue]

While we are in the lower leagues andStoke are in the prem the kids and neutrals are going to want to watch your Man Us , Chelsea's Arsenals etc .we only got bigger crowds in the 90s because we were in the same league if not better. Than the lardies.

[Valiant Steve 78]

I do turn up when ever work commitments allow. I think Smurf is doing a wonderful job and really appreciate what he has done but in all honesty think we miss what Paul Wildes brought to the club. It is evident that Smurf is not an expert when it comes to PR and it is much easier to push people away by saying things in the heat of the moment then it is to get them to return. Obviously there was issues between Smurf and Wildes but i really do think that the buzz around the Vale when they first arrived came from Wildes excellant interviews and the way he promoted games which helped lead to the crowds seen against Burton and Northampton.

[butt lane vale fan]

Would it help more fans if the under 12's were free again. Not sure what income is generated in this age bracket, but what we loose, may be made up x times over by more adults being able to attend.

[Bald Eagle]

Would it help more fans if the under 12's were free again. Not sure what income is generated in this age bracket, but what we loose, may be made up x times over by more adults being able to attend.

 

I commented similar when the season ticket prices were launched. For the average family of 4 you are looking at the thick end of 1000, and where the offer of a free programme x 4 is not a great incentive. Surely families are what we want to attract as secures the next generation, so I would make it more of a combined price rather than just free for an age range. Say 1 free u16 with 2 full price adults, and not just restricted to the family paddock?

[Jinkin John Jeffers]

The reality is that we have 3500 to 5000 core support. The objective should be to keep what we have firstly and then aim to add a percentage on top to that figure. The downside is that the budget will have to be adjusted accordingly. Smurf can't be expected to bridge the gap forever.

[brookersleftboot]

The reality is that we have 3500 to 5000 core support. The objective should be to keep what we have firstly and then aim to add a percentage on top to that figure. The downside is that the budget will have to be adjusted accordingly. Smurf can't be expected to bridge the gap forever.

 

Unfortunately smurf has two choices as owner, if we arent covering costs, then he either bridges that gap or looksto move on.

 

As for tickets....we need to start again with the fanbase, make all under 16's free...they must register at ticket office & provide DOB evidence. Then they can have 1 x league ticket free with every paying adult....the benefit here is that money will bemade on secondary spend.....as they will generally have a program or food n drink.

 

The adult benefit is that its 1 paying adult but two people going....so keeps cost down, then for each game attended the u16's can acrue points for discounts on cup games or for use on their first ST post 16.

 

Thats just one way of trying to engage the next generation, & thus build the fanbase, it can be done but takes a long term plan, long term investment i to a scheme & tbh.....GUTS to get out there in the community & promote such a scheme.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Unfortunately smurf has two choices as owner, if we arent covering costs, then he either bridges that gap or looksto move on.

 

As for tickets....we need to start again with the fanbase, make all under 16's free...they must register at ticket office & provide DOB evidence. Then they can have 1 x league ticket free with every paying adult....the benefit here is that money will bemade on secondary spend.....as they will generally have a program or food n drink.

 

The adult benefit is that its 1 paying adult but two people going....so keeps cost down, then for each game attended the u16's can acrue points for discounts on cup games or for use on their first ST post 16.

 

Thats just one way of trying to engage the next generation, & thus build the fanbase, it can be done but takes a long term plan, long term investment i to a scheme & tbh.....GUTS to get out there in the community & promote such a scheme.

 

He has a third and more sensible choice, to run the club within its own means which I hope he starts to do. We need to remember we've been in admin twice in recent years and for the good of the long term of the club it needs to be sustainable.

 

There's no way you'd get under 16s for free but I do like Bald Eagle's suggestion of free tickets for under 12's with every two full paying adults.

[bertiepee]

I

Unfortunately smurf has two choices as owner, if we arent covering costs, then he either bridges that gap or looksto move on.

 

As for tickets....we need to start again with the fanbase, make all under 16's free...they must register at ticket office & provide DOB evidence. Then they can have 1 x league ticket free with every paying adult....the benefit here is that money will bemade on secondary spend.....as they will generally have a program or food n drink.

 

The adult benefit is that its 1 paying adult but two people going....so keeps cost down, then for each game attended the u16's can acrue points for discounts on cup games or for use on their first ST post 16.

 

Thats just one way of trying to engage the next generation, & thus build the fanbase, it can be done but takes a long term plan, long term investment i to a scheme & tbh.....GUTS to get out there in the community & promote such a scheme.

From the age of 9to16 I used go matches with my mates so on your basis I would of being paying simply because I had no adult to go in with, lots of young teenagers go without adults

[Conrad]

I would attend anyway no matter how we are doing, it's in the blood for me, since the age of 13, we need to get it in the blood of other youngsters.

IMO the best way to do this would be to hand out free kids tickets at local primary and junior schools ,not high schools,then a few of them might like it and want to come again, after 3 or 4 games they start to get the bug.

The reason I said not high schools is the younger kids would probably need to bring a parent, so an extra paying customer.

[Valiant Haze]

What about the ones that do turn up, the ones that do back the club? are they not relevant unless the numbers add up to the preferred target?

 

If I've got the chairman saying that he's lowering expectations, because the crowds aren't to his desired level, then where is the buzz for me to go and renew my Season Ticket? I don't want to hear about budgets, how much this is, how much that is... I turn up with the hope that we can push up the league. If I'm now feeling deflated by the chairmans talk of lesser expectation and lowering of investment, then I worry where he's going to take us.

 

The attendance numbers will increase when the opposition are bigger names, that's what floating fans look at, along with cost, big games and sunshine. That's how it is. So to get those names, you need Championship minimum. Settle for less and you'll see further decline.

 

 

The chairman walked into this football club and said he could fund the journey to the Championship. The return of his investment will be when he gets us there, not on the way there.

[geosname]

A simple question to those who arent turning up. What is that defining factor of why you dont come anymore and what would make you return.

 

Nothing would or could make me return...

A change of life circumstances would allow me to return

[onestepatatime]

What about the ones that do turn up, the ones that do back the club? are they not relevant unless the numbers add up to the preferred target?

 

If I've got the chairman saying that he's lowering expectations, because the crowds aren't to his desired level, then where is the buzz for me to go and renew my Season Ticket? I don't want to hear about budgets, how much this is, how much that is... I turn up with the hope that we can push up the league. If I'm now feeling deflated by the chairmans talk of lesser expectation and lowering of investment, then I worry where he's going to take us.

 

The attendance numbers will increase when the opposition are bigger names, that's what floating fans look at, along with cost, big games and sunshine. That's how it is. So to get those names, you need Championship minimum. Settle for less and you'll see further decline.

 

 

The chairman walked into this football club and said he could fund the journey to the Championship. The return of his investment will be when he gets us there, not on the way there.

 

 

Absolute sense here. Well said, although I do honestly appreciate all Norm has done. There does seem an agenda at present where the 4,000 hard core fans are not considered or indeed valued. The current way of thought is centred wholly on how to attract other fans. Sentiment in that is agreed but do not alienate or give cause for the hardened few to question their support. Vale need us 4,000 or so to actually survive!

[Santa]

Looking historically at our attendances, especially when we've been a mid-table League One team, this is pretty much par for the course. Naturally when there is a bit of momentum, eg a League Two promotion race, there will be a few extra casual fans who turn up on the day but this is pretty much our core home attendance. We have to bear this in mind, cut our cloth accordingly and look at longer term ways of becoming more appealing, even if it won't bear fruit in the short term.

 

It's not about lowering expectations, as a well run club can punch above it's weight, especially if other revenue streams are run correctly.