BFC- What we DO want

Ok, I've done my fair share of moaning the past few days so I thought I'd start something about what, as fans, we do want from our club. The list is going to vary from one person to another but these are the things I want my club to provide.

Footballing DNA
I'm sure the owners when they came in were going on about having a team that played attacking football on the front foot and worked hard.
Yes! That's what I want. Regardless of how well we're doing in the league I want to see my team go out to attack, entertain and give their all. We had that under Stendel and Ismael who, though I hated the style, at least put out a team that played aggressively and attacked at every opportunity.
Mixed in with that, however, we've seen this season teams playing "patient" football, few shots, few chances, running out of energy after 70 minutes and being caught out.
I want to know that before setting out for the ground or switching on a live feed my team is going to try and get me off my seat.

Season Tickets/Pricing
I want to see us trying to sell to people who haven't had one before. Enlarge the fanbase not just protect what we have.
Make season tickets an unmissable opportunity in terms of price for the first season for anyone who hasn't had one before. Make matchday entry prices for non season ticket holders cheaper not more and more expensive.
Someone who hasn't followed us before decides to turn up to be presented with and entry fee of £25 and over for what will be one of the worst seats in the stadium. Give new customers, those who can't justify a season ticket an incentive to come for gods sake instead of pricing them out.

Community involvement
Being at a distance I'm maybe not tuned in to this that much but there has to be ways we can look at to get more families and kids into the ground. I was at St Patricks Athletic in Dublin the other week. At half time they had three kids eight a side games going on on the pitch. That's 48 kids all of whom would probably had parents/relations there to watch them. We have training pitches that are presumably quiet on weekday nights. Start leagues, kids leagues, five a side leagues. Get the players involved in mentoring the teams etc.
Barnsley Council. Get off your arses and start really plugging the club's place in the fabric of the town. Holding 50% of the ground is NOT enough. Everybody in the town should feel that the club is a part of the town and of relevance to them.

Stadium
Again, I think the Council are getting an easy ride on this. Just sitting on 50% ownership while the place slowly rots is not enough. Be proactive. Maybe they are being but I've no idea because I've never heard anyone from the Council pass comment on their involvement or desires for the future of the club.
I want the owners and the Council to sort themselves out, recognise that the club and the stadium are part of the heritage of the town and its people and start to work together to rejuvenate the stadium because at the moment it seems to be a tired, increasingly dangerous and sorry mess. This isn't the fans' fault or responsibility. It's the owners and the Council. Sort it out.

Recruitment
I fully appreciate and accept that the main driver of funding for the club has always been and will continue to be player sales. Let's get back to selecting a few genuine lower league prospects rather than bringing youngsters in by the handful and having them wasting their time in development leagues and eventually getting loaned out left right and centre.
But we have to change this manic obsession with youth at the expense of everything else. There has to be a backbone of reliability and experience within the team.

The PMG family
I think very few of us can see the supposed synergies that benefit being one of a largely failing group of clubs. Beyond farming out a few players to other teams for questionable benefit I can't see what we get out of it. So explain to us why you're doing it. Why do you want a collection of clubs? Especially as a Board that seems to be filled with people who arent interested in football. If they were we'd see them sitting in the Directors' Box every week.
Tell us why you're here and in Nancy and Thun and Ostende etc, etc. Tell us what's in it for you. Maybe we might say ok, fair enough but after four years neither I nor, I think, anyone else knows what you get out of owning us.
If there are values in owning a clutch of clubs to the clubs themselves then tell us. Strengthen the bond. Arrange friendlies, supporter exchanges etc. Get us enthused, not suspicious.

Communication
I don't and never have expected to be privy to everything that goes on in the Boardroom. What I do expect, however, is to be told of what's important about the future of the club and its aims and objectives. And I want what I'm told to be the truth, not a fudge or outright lies.


In short give us a team that, regardless of league, gets us excited at the prospect of watching them. At a price that is reasonable and geared to expand the support. And in a stadium we can be proud of rather than ashamed of. Give us the assurance by both words and actions that the owners have the best interests of the club at heart and get the fans onside as a result by treating them with respect.

Sorry, that's a long one. If anyone gas anything to add please fire away.

 

I fancy a crisp sarnie myself.

Great post though.

 

Who are the PMG Family?

 

All I want is a football club where the main aim is to win football matches and the owners don’t take money out.

I’m a relatively simple soul.

 

Pacific Media Group. Chien and the rest's umbrella group.

 

On the council front mate. The CEO/club was going to meet them yesterday.
I don't know the full ins and outs of the meeting before anyone asks.

 

PMG are Grace Hung and Paul Conway.

Chien Lee, NCC

Just one of the things that annoy me the most. Amount of people that say PMG but don't have a clue what that means amazes me.

Not having ago at you, just what I notice at games.......

 

Ok, well take it as the ownership group with my apologies. It was just a collective name plucked out of the air as a descriptor.

 

In terms of the stadium I believe that the responsibility for upkeep is with the tenant.

 

Similar to Archerfield. I think this period of ownership has certainly rinsed the fan base in a way it hasn't been before.

My first want is that it's just about the football. That our aim is to put out the best 11 for now in the aim of playing good football while winning as often as we can. And it does so in a way that means it breaks even. Sudden windfalls should be banked first and foremost and provide a buffer for future shocks (but obviously we have to get out of this mess first). And if we want to map our "DNA" then do it properly and actually stick to it.

And second, the club is sustainable environmentally and bases many of its decisions through the local area. Local suppliers, local trades, local companies, local food and drink. Benefit those who live in and around the town and help small businesses generate profit through the BFC family.

 

When do we want it?
NOW.

 

Yep, this keeps getting argued back and forth but nobody ever assumes responsibility or does anything about it.

 

At this point, can I volunteer to collate any information and discuss said details with Grace over a very leisurely dinner with copious amounts of wine .

 

Great post,got to agree with it,think we need more community endeavours. Also,as the council own 50% of the stadium grounds, that means every council tax payer, also owns the stadium too. They are stakeholders too but are never consulted about any ideas,suggestions of community involvement and investment.
Our town,our club,is literally true in the case of Bfc.

 

But if it's the tenants responsibility then it's up to them. Likewise if it was the councils, it would be up to them. Bear in mind, our owners could have bought 50% of the ground but chose not to.

 

Myself along with most fans who support the reds have always tried and encouraged new customers to Oakwell if not by getting season tickets but by getting them to buy a matchday ticket, but I have to say its a hard job getting folk to part with the amounts being asked in recent seasons.

Won`t be renewing myself this coming season, so that`s 2 ST`s gone and a advertising tool or should that be a tool for advertising.

Yes I am that tool.

 

Shorter opening posts.

 

Upkeep yes. But I think the west stand needs more than upkeep.

At some point you cross the line and end up with a Trigger’s broom approach to upkeep.

 

yes there’s no argument on that one. It’s clearly our responsibility and if we don’t maintain it now if we ever do end the lease will have to do it then (minus wear and tear)

 

This might make me a terrible fan, a traitor, lacking in ambition, a bad person, any other expletive or insult, but what I want is to have a team called Barnsley Football Club playing football at Oakwell, regardless of division, owners, players, whatever.