Matchday Experience / Marketing etc..

My main gripe is that the club are desperate to attract bigger crowds to help develop financially.. Yet the matchday experience is quite simply pathetic.. A bit of music, a half time draw and a kick a ball into net exercise for 2 children plus the odd dance troop. Lets see some imagination...

I have emailed the club making suggestions (none that are going to break the bank) of what could be implemented at half time etc, plus incentives which would be financially insignificant to the club yet of great appeal to supporters. Did I even get a reply?? No. Poor from any business, should at least acknowledge peoples emails...

Marketing and PR within the club needs to be much more agile. Hardly any sponsor interaction other than advertising boards, how about getting some of these sponsors down to the ground, can they do deals with sponsorship to replace paid services etc... So many ways...

Look to the fan base for a voluntary contribution of a bit of time and skills.. One example could be Web developers etc to improve online offering and promotion.. A true fan would surely give a little to see funds spent on the playing side rather than something we could do in house..

 

Yeah but all that would involve the Don doing something constructive and forward thinking.

 

What is people's obsession with the match day experience? I'm sick of all the blasting music and inane prattle. It does my fcking head in. Half time has traditionally been for quietly reflecting on how crap we were in the first 45 minutes. That's why they have half time, what's wrong with that?

 

I think it's do with when you go to the away grounds and the TVs have Sky Sports News on or the lunchtime match - not switched off completley or a camera on the centre circle. Also some of the half time entertainment at other clubs can be quite funny...not watching 2 kids have a penalty shootout. Also at other grounds when it gets near to kick off, the music shuts up to allow the fans to be heard, not to be drowned out with a Bon Jovi song like at Oakwell.

So perhaps some are seeing what other clubs do and think why can't we have that? Especially if you've paid £28 to get or over £300 for a season ticket.

 

Got to agree music goes deafening when we need to be heard. Plans afoot to bring in alcohol, sky, etc.

Be interested to hear what you proposed at half time as you don't say here

 

We need to get Derren brown at front of ponty and Paul McKenna in the east stand just at kick off to hypnotise us into thinking were 5 nil up and get a bit of atmosphere going. There's no better feeling than the ponty in full voice I'm not bothered about half time entertainment or wether Bon jovi is playing when we run out. We need to make the atmosphere and entertainment ourselves.

 

The games changed, try taking a young un and keeping them interested these days, its not like the Clarke/Hunter/Collins era now where young un's were happy just watching the match stood on a milk crate and getting an orange for xmas.

 

Personally I am outside the side of the East stand having a *** at half time so any chnage they make wouldn't affect me. But in general terms, although I would be happy for them to do something with the TVs etc, I don't think it would affect the attendance one little bit. Surely no one goes to a game because the half time entertainment is not bad. They go to the match because the football on offer in entertaining and we are winning. You could have TVs for every person in the ground, free tots of whisky, dancing girls and a 500 piece brass band on the pitch but if we are crap and losing every game 3-0 then no one is going to be tempted to come.

 

Most are just interested in the football, but we need summat at half time for the kids we are trying to turn into lifelong fans. Toby does his bit and aint been a bad marketing tool over the years but more needs to be done to keep the family unit coming to the games and with what it costs for a family putting a little extra cash wise or even just extra thought into making the day much more than just football is IMO much needed at a time when we are seeing fans drift away.

The armed forces day was good but more of these type of one offs before or at half time just give that bit extra to the customer. The downside is the shootout thing with youngsters just seems so poor and if it`s just put on for those in the boxes.

The TV thing in the Ponty this was a Ridsdale idea, i think, but I can only ever recall the one nearest me showing old footage on 2/3 occasions and the centre circle on numerous occasions and not being on at all the majority of the time.

 

TOTALLY AGREE , little things can all help the matchday experience i myself need very little tbh as i get in the ground virtually on kick off but i may come a bit earlier and spend some money if there was, say televions working, a scoreboard giving information etc, the half time entertainment is ok only for those directly involved or 5hose that can see what the f... is actually going on. the music is totally bazaar and is only directed at a few sections of the fanbase imo

 

To be fair Dons the bean counter.

Wouldn't you suggest the finger of blame gets pointed towards mark stokes and Rachael hearne is it? Whom are in charge of media communications commercial and marketing between them.

 

Rachel the one who at meetings just says no to every discussion?

 

That's Sharon she's dons assistant.

 

Completely agree, MDG. I have emailed Mark Stokes in the past with ideas and, to be fair, he has responded straightaway. In term of matchday experience- there is a lot that the club can offer, but they don't. What happened to that brass band that played outside the club reception on some matchdays? Face painters, Kestrel performances during the game etc.

Of course, success on the pitch is the primary factor that influences people to come to the game. However the club can do more to influence people buying a ticket. A few years ago you would see queues of fans outside the turnstiles waiting to go in just before kick off- now there are only a handful who queue!

I think that the club should really try to adress this issue. How about setting up a fans poll on the BFC Facebook page which encourages sensible ideas and shows that the fans want to see change?

Come on you reds

 

I go to Oakwell to watch LIVE football not television. Neither would I need a youtube stream while attending a concert. It's all our fault, we've bred a generation of zombies with an attention span of a senile gnat.

 

You ought to apply for a job at Oakwell.....you'd fit right in

 

The matchday experience when I was a little kid was running around the terraces with my mates, or scoring for Barnsley with a crushed can of Top Deck whilst me dad and uncles leaned on those metal things in the Ponty and the large portions of the match happened somewhere above my head. That's one big difference these days, there's no space for kids or families or beered up mates to move about or hang about except inside the stands

 

I wouldn't say no to a bit of Radio 4 gently wafting around the upper west stand.

 

Apparently Mido is a karaoke King. How'd that grab yer?

 

Dont bands spend an absolute fortune on staging? Almost every concert has a light show going on, a big screen behind them or dancers in the background.

Why are you so against improving the experience and facilities at oakwell?

I go to alton towers to go on a scary ride but theyve spent millions on the whole experience and making the park look nice. Go to meadowhall to shop but theyve spent millions making it look nice.