Engaging new and current supporters

[smokin_ape]

I have to respectfully disagree, I followed no team until 1988 when, after the FA cup final between Liverpool and Wimbledon, my Grandma rang and asked me if I'd watched the football, I said yes and she asked me which team I support, the only team I knew who played in Red where Man Utd so I said them. I supported Man Utd then until 1992 when y dad finally took me to a vale game.

 

Home against Leicester we lost 2-1 (if I remember correctly) and I have been hooked since then.

 

I think that if you say you support a team as a child (ie Man Utd) but have never been to a match, you could quite easily be swayed to Port Vale by attending matches.

[JohnJames]

We could also have miserable ******* of the week competitions

[Howjy04]

Scoring a goal every now and then would be a good way of getting fans interested...

 

I am led to understand there is more chance of us scoring further down ,from the ground ,on Hamil Road.I have no proof though.

[valiant steve]

We all need to focus all our attention and effort on getting rid of the fat blue parasite.

The new owners will do a much better job of re-engaging supporters and building a team to entice fans, young and old, back to the club.

The only chance we have of a future is getting rid of NS quickly now.

Enough is enough. Get out of our club.

[Howjy04]

I have to respectfully disagree, I followed no team until 1988 when, after the FA cup final between Liverpool and Wimbledon, my Grandma rang and asked me if I'd watched the football, I said yes and she asked me which team I support, the only team I knew who played in Red where Man Utd so I said them. I supported Man Utd then until 1992 when y dad finally took me to a vale game.

 

Home against Leicester we lost 2-1 (if I remember correctly) and I have been hooked since then.

 

I think that if you say you support a team as a child (ie Man Utd) but have never been to a match, you could quite easily be swayed to Port Vale by attending matches.

Chinese burns maybe?

[smokin_ape]

I agree, get rid of Smurf. What i don't understand though is how he's flipped it up so badly.

 

Look after the club, live within our means, hire the best manager you can, don't sign players because you want to play football manager for real, engage fans, don't rape the club of cash to make yourself money.

 

It's not rocket science.

 

If you need to make money from a football club, then be patient, invest sensibly, wait 10 odd years and maybe theres a profit there. (or strip mine it to the conference and ask for £5million)

[bycars bootboy]

We could also have miserable ******* of the week competitions

 

I agree, get rid of Smurf. What i don't understand though is how he's flipped it up so badly.

 

Look after the club, live within our means, hire the best manager you can, don't sign players because you want to play football manager for real, engage fans, don't rape the club of cash to make yourself money.

 

It's not rocket science.

 

If you need to make money from a football club, then be patient, invest sensibly, wait 10 odd years and maybe theres a profit there. (or strip mine it to the conference and ask for £5million)

 

Well said that Valiant from Tenby.Great to have you onboard,keep the faith.

[geosname]

It's something that should have been an on going process for many seasons

[man in the pub]

Scoring a goal every now and then would be a good way of getting fans interested...

 

All good ideas. One major problem we have is Dads who are lifelong Vale fans are stopping going. It's usually your Dad who takes you to your first game.

[Upfromnowhere]

I notice many clubs at our level have 'fans' days/matches with a real assortment of deals and offers, which range from free entry to U18's or if accompanied by an adult, free entry to OAP's, entry for £1, entry for £5 but get a free drink and meal (when I say meal clealy a Burger/Pie etc) and whilst, I accept, it may not generate extra match day income, certainly on that day, it generates extra crowd numbers.

 

Though it's hard to firmly equate, but if only some of those, even a small proportion of the extra numbers became half regulars, regulars or even season ticket holders the gesture is more than financially justified even without the other benefits they provide.

 

One doesn't offer it for all games, but certainly selected matches. It appears that normally it's either against teams that are poorly followed, or in our case, being in a relegation dog fight against some of your rivals at the bottom with us and is done to in a designed attampt, and when support is most needed, to generate extra noise and atmosphere.

I think NC did similarly against Cambridge recently and got a huge crowd and am sure next weeks Hosts at Mansfield have recently done so.

 

In fact with those reasons, why don't we try similar at one of our remaining home matches, we sure as hell have nothing to lose. What is clear, is when clubs do offer these community days their attendances go through the roof and if nothing else shops take a huge chunk of readies in drinks and choccie bars, not to mention the club shop!

 

The secret though is getting the news out there, so one utilises the local FA, the local education authorities and of course all varieties of local and social media. The players get involved, I think it's simply networking!

 

Have a kids or family day, okay it's got to be when the weather is nice, and put on pre-match entertainment in and outside the ground. Speak to the shirt sponsors and see if as a one off we can sell shirts at cost, what a great advert for the brand and the club.

 

Have a pay what you want deal, and stick a minimum price on entry, if only a fiver or similar. I remember, I think it was FC United (a fans club not one owned by an avaricious skinflint)who did similarly with season ticket sales. Of course it was a gamble, but guess what, not only did numbers rise over and above previous season ticket sales, once they examined the average price paid, am sure the price was slightly up!

 

Invite schools en mass, free entry for kids and parents. Make sure you get their email addresses to add to your marketing list, and if nothing else your data base will be full up with people who have at least shown an interest.....then grow that interest.

 

Who knows, when doing so, it may enable us to put on more shows or functions upstairs, might make some, who perhaps are unaware that we hire out the function facilities, book it?

 

Offer free mascot packages for those who enroll in a Valiants junior club, give them more benefits for doing so. It's all about customer experience which at the moment (on and off the pitch) sucks, so guess what, just two choices, one either accepts it or do something about it.

 

Do the same for opposition fans, why not? Children free every match. What have we got to lose, if you attract an extra 20+ adults with kids at every match because of it, that gesture alone may well pay for a part time fitness coach!!

 

What we can't do.....is nothing!

[tommytunstall]

Some great ideas, most of them already done at most clubs. To do anything like that at Vale we need a change of ownership. A successful team helps to bring in fans both young and old. We have a set up akin to a non league, which is very near what we are. Get rid of the Fat Controller and hopefully we can attract more from the community

[geosname]

I notice many clubs at our level have 'fans' days/matches with a real assortment of deals and offers, which range from free entry to U18's or if accompanied by an adult, free entry to OAP's, entry for £1, entry for £5 but get a free drink and meal (when I say meal clealy a Burger/Pie etc) and whilst, I accept, it may not generate extra match day income, certainly on that day, it generates extra crowd numbers.

 

Though it's hard to firmly equate, but if only some of those, even a small proportion of the extra numbers became half regulars, regulars or even season ticket holders the gesture is more than financially justified even without the other benefits they provide.

 

One doesn't offer it for all games, but certainly selected matches. It appears that normally it's either against teams that are poorly followed, or in our case, being in a relegation dog fight against some of your rivals at the bottom with us and is done to in a designed attampt, and when support is most needed, to generate extra noise and atmosphere.

I think NC did similarly against Cambridge recently and got a huge crowd and am sure next weeks Hosts at Mansfield have recently done so.

 

In fact with those reasons, why don't we try similar at one of our remaining home matches, we sure as hell have nothing to lose. What is clear, is when clubs do offer these community days their attendances go through the roof and if nothing else shops take a huge chunk of readies in drinks and choccie bars, not to mention the club shop!

 

The secret though is getting the news out there, so one utilises the local FA, the local education authorities and of course all varieties of local and social media. The players get involved, I think it's simply networking!

 

Have a kids or family day, okay it's got to be when the weather is nice, and put on pre-match entertainment in and outside the ground. Speak to the shirt sponsors and see if as a one off we can sell shirts at cost, what a great advert for the brand and the club.

 

Have a pay what you want deal, and stick a minimum price on entry, if only a fiver or similar. I remember, I think it was FC United (a fans club not one owned by an avaricious skinflint)who did similarly with season ticket sales. Of course it was a gamble, but guess what, not only did numbers rise over and above previous season ticket sales, once they examined the average price paid, am sure the price was slightly up!

 

Invite schools en mass, free entry for kids and parents. Make sure you get their email addresses to add to your marketing list, and if nothing else your data base will be full up with people who have at least shown an interest.....then grow that interest.

 

Who knows, when doing so, it may enable us to put on more shows or functions upstairs, might make some, who perhaps are unaware that we hire out the function facilities, book it?

 

Offer free mascot packages for those who enroll in a Valiants junior club, give them more benefits for doing so. It's all about customer experience which at the moment (on and off the pitch) sucks, so guess what, just two choices, one either accepts it or do something about it.

 

Do the same for opposition fans, why not? Children free every match. What have we got to lose, if you attract an extra 20+ adults with kids at every match because of it, that gesture alone may well pay for a part time fitness coach!!

 

What we can't do.....is nothing!

 

Sadly that's what we probably will do.

[Heatwave]

We could also have miserable ******* of the week competitions

 

Plenty of contenders, but you could just keep it on here - there's enough of them.