Real fans

simonh · Jan 11, 2017

Hi all,

There's been a lot of debate in social media about who are real fans of Argyle and who are not. There's also been a lot of debate about why we don't have bigger crowds. I think the two are related.

Our goal for Argyle is to have a Club whose greater success on the pitch is sustainable.
That means that we need greater revenues to support greater spending on the team.
Greater revenues means we need more people coming to watch (or higher prices for those who are going to come at almost any price).

More people coming to watch implies we need to reach beyond the diehards who come every week.

That implies we need to make people who don't want to come every week believe that
a. They are going to have a good experience on match day at Home Park;
b. Get value for money;
c. Be made welcome.

If we could get roughly ten percent of the area's population to come to roughly four home games a year, we'd roughly double our attendances.

The Board and the Club can work towards some of these, but will need your help. Abusing spectators because they only want to come to big games, or because they only care about the entertainment is going to undermine our efforts to make this Club successful, on the pitch as well as off it.

Simon Hallett

Andy Holland · Jan 11, 2017

Hello Simon - thanks for posting and for what you've recently done for the club.

I think most reasonable people would completely agree with you - I think there's just a worry about people who can only go when they're able being crowded out by people for whom the Liverpool game will be their one visit to Home Park this decade.

Personally, the only entertainment I ever need to is to see Argyle win (or grind out a 0-0 away to one of the biggest clubs in the world).

It's a difficult situation to police, for my money the club got it completely right for the Anfield tickets.

metroace · Jan 11, 2017

Well said, Sir.

Steve Evans · Jan 11, 2017

dear simon.always great to be an argyle fan but really exciting at the moment for obvious reasons.back in the 1960's my dad took me to matches and i was hooked.has the board considered re-introducing quid a kid for under 16 year olds if accompanied by full price paying adult?every club needs young eyes to perpetuate the support.

up the line · Jan 11, 2017

Personally I reserve the right to be a little bit peeved at people who turn up once in a blue moon and turf the 'diehards' (who keep the club afloat during the bad times) out of their seats when a glamour game comes along.

Argyleloyal · Jan 11, 2017

Steve Evans":2bw5in1f said:
dear simon.always great to be an argyle fan but really exciting at the moment for obvious reasons.back in the 1960's my dad took me to matches and i was hooked.has the board considered re-introducing quid a kid for under 16 year olds if accompanied by full price paying adult?every club needs young eyes to perpetuate the support.

Been saying the should do this again for ages

Knarf Reprah · Jan 11, 2017

up_the_line":1dwi1h3i said:
Personally I reserve the right to be a little bit peeved at people who turn up once in a blue moon and turf the 'diehards' (who keep the club afloat during the bad times) out of their seats when a glamour game comes along.

Agreed

Green83 · Jan 11, 2017

up_the_line":1ln19s6e said:
Personally I reserve the right to be a little bit peeved at people who turn up once in a blue moon and turf the 'diehards' (who keep the club afloat during the bad times) out of their seats when a glamour game comes along.

Hard to disagree with that, but hopefully the ticketing criteria will mean that the regulars DO get the pick of the seats first. In spite of the awful administration of the Anfield ticketing, i do think that those that went there were those that were deserving. I of course count myself among the deserving.

Coopertupac · Jan 11, 2017

Totally agree the ticketing criteria put in place should eliminate most issues regards who gets first choice of tickets so maybe the only ones moaning on here don't fit the criteria and have to battle with the rest to get tickets

Game on !!

PlymOdi · Jan 11, 2017

But Seasons ticket holders and members have been given priority...& then people who have been to recent games? Personally I'd have set the bar higher than 5, but that's me. Also the season ticket holders selling tickets on are causing an issue, lets call them not real fans too since they're stopping other real fans from getting in, right? Let's face it there are some on here who actively want to find a reason to moan and feel superior to other fans and always will.

Simon is correct, and it's common sense really. Berating someone for not being in your eyes a good enough fan, may not be enough to stop people from wanting to come, but it certainly wont encourage them either.

My question though Simon, why haven't you added a clause such as making a Stevenage ticket a prerequisite to getting a Liverpool ticket? There was money to be made here.

Tongham89 · Jan 11, 2017

The criteria for the liverpool game was spot on IMO and i think it's something we should be thinking about going forward, It's a good way of encouraging fans. Glad i always book my tickets on the website after the last couple weeks.

Thank you for everything you have done aswell Simon.

Surrey Janner

Chip green · Jan 11, 2017

Hi Simon Appreciate your input but not sure about the timing of this. Many of us do not live locally any longer but support argyle by travelling to away games and get to as many home matches as possible. What is resented, rightly in my view, are those who treat argyle as the Odeon- we'll go if there is something worth watching! Many of us are passionate through the thin and thin and then if we miss out on the highlight events, it stinks. I take your point about the casuals but look at Liverpool last week, a lot of their 'fans' on Sunday were premier league tourists at their first game, buying into the premier hype and had no idea about the club, the city or probably the game. I don't want that for Argyle, we're a real club with real supporters and if the board could turn their mind to making our experience the best it could be with catering and stewarding , that would be a good place to start.

Gary Wills · Jan 11, 2017

Folk are being abused because they only care about the entertainment- that statement makes no sense?? What the hell else should anyone care about at a sports event?

As for the ten per cent 'thing' - trouble with half of them is that they're the ones with the long memories.

The diehards broadly represent the easily convinced, who may need the need to believe in something more than a sports club in actuality represents; so any old hot air will do, and they'll even pick the local litter up when the club wriggles out of taking care of basics.

The more discerning, the swing vote, may tend to see a bigger picture - so they'll want to see the 2020 mumbojumbo implemented before acting. They'll wince at what's still easily one of the most inexperienced boards of the whole 92; they'll remember the majority of the big games of the last six years or so for example, when Argyle have whimpered (owing to only getting access to the dregs of the pro resource pool because the club is still viewed further afield as an underfunded carcass of a club obvs well out the way); they'll recall the last thirty years of garbage promises regarding a fancy or non-fancy grandstand.

Create a relatively awe inspiring dedicated sports team worth seeing in a building befitting, and much of that being hard work beyond being gifted a cup raffle, and the more discerning can feel "safe" to return to the 'weekly product', the previous lack of belief can then be trumped though not forgotten.

Leeder · Jan 11, 2017

Have to agree, whilst we can all do our part to encourage our fanbase to grow, I think the matchday experience is far more likely to curtail willingness to attend regularly (outdated ticketing process, catering issues year after year, toilet facilities that would be frowned upon 50 years ago, to name but a few things that desperately need addressing), rather than a few disgruntled semi regulars who have been 'paying in' for a long time, daring to suggest they big game only attendees are only here for the 'glory'.

I applaude your openess with the fans and the momentum growing with the club to drag us kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, but I often feel the club could do with looking at themselves within, before pointing fingers at their very forgiving paying customers.

Lets start fixing the easy stuff asap (for example, surely it can't be that hard for Big Green Lottery members to have their membership recorded on the database, say as an additional privilege, so they could purchase their priority tickets online at the same time as Green and White members, instead of the unacceptable situation we currently have where they have to go in person to take advantage of this, which is maddness given the amount of exiles that support the club through the Big Green Lottery), whilst waiting for the bigger things to happen.

Since I Was 33 · Jan 11, 2017

Thanks Simon. I don't particularly have any beef with how the club has organised this and I was one of the ones who was given a raffle ticket to come back tomorrow.
What does concern me though is reports of non-members being able to buy tickets on-line outwith the guidelines and I'm wondering now if there will actually be any tickets left tomorrow.
I estimate I have only missed at most half a dozen home games in the last ten years, mostly for work reasons and have been a season ticket holder up to the end of last season. I couldn't renew my season ticket for work reasons this year but have still been to all the games. It will be galling in the extreme if I can't get a ticket yet there will be numerous individuals who will be at the game who may not return until the next big glamour game. That will be wrong. Anyway I will keep my fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Thank you for your contribution to the club

:scarf:

Real fans

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