| November 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"What a refreshing change" What Strongbow? No. The McCain Stadium, at Scarborough? No. A very highly respectable display against a Conference club? No. Penry, the mild mannered Janitor? Could be! No, the refreshing change for me was to visit a much bigger club than we are, being Scarborough, and finding that the price for children was half the cost that Hinckley charge. I have been saying on and off for a couple of seasons that in my opinion the entrance price for children to our football club is too expensive. When you think that it costs more for 2 children to gain entry to our ground than it does for 1 adult, you have to ask the question why are the Board surprised that we don't have big crowds with more children in them? If a Conference club like Scarborough, who spent over 10 seasons in the Nationwide League, can charge �2 for kids, then why can't we? I did a bit of background work (well it keeps me away from the kids) and searched for the prices for all the Conference teams. Of the 22 teams: 14 charge �4 or above for kids, with the most expensive being �6, the other 8 charged �3 or less, the cheapest being �2. From the 14 that charge over �4, 3 of these clubs have a family ticket where you could get in 2 kids with an adult for the equivalent of �3 each. Granted the adult prices are more expensive than ours are, but for the club to use that as an excuse would surely be implying 2 things. First: that our gates don't raise enough cash to cover the costs of match day. Second: that they are trying to make up the shortfall in costs by ripping off the kids. If the club do admit our gates don't generate enough to cover costs then that raises a further question: why do the club enable entrance to the ground at half time for no charge? This practice is a relic left over from the Midland Alliance days, but surely we are supposed to be a more professional club now. I don't know any other teams that are serious about their intent to progress through the Pyramid who do this. If someone only wants to watch half a match then a charge of at least a quarter of full price should be levied for adults, with kids still let in free. Here's an example to highlight the naivety (if that's a word?) of this policy. Could you imagine what the club would say if I tried to leave at half time and asked for a refund? Technically I would have only watched one half so under their half time policy would be entitled to do so for free! How can the first half be worth �7 but the second half be worthless? The statistics show we have scored over 60% of our goals in the second half this season, so if anything the second half should be worth more than the first! How many times have we looked around and thought there are more in attendance than the official gate? That's because they've all piled in at half time for free. In my opinion this is amateurish. We throw away money in one hand then try and grab it from the kids with the other. I for one would not begrudge an increase in adult entrance prices if it meant the kids cost less. Here's my suggestion for next season. (just in case there is a slight chance of any of the directors reading this.) Increase the adult prices to �8-9 and decrease the children's prices to �2, incorporate some kind of family ticket, maybe along the lines of 2 adults and 2 kids for �18, and if an adult wants to watch the second half only, then charge them �3. Children are the future, let's not lose them now. |
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| November Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A month of 2 halves! Negotiating the tricky tie at Rugby in the Trophy and then 3 league wins on the bounce including an incredible victory at home to Crawley. Then the month ended with a defeat to leaders Weymouth and an embarresing comeuppance at Gresley in the Trophy. After the Crawley game we went to Weymouth very confident and although we played well, they were that bit stronger. No shame in being beaten by better teams. Unlike the shame of Gresley where we were cruising at 2-0 and just completely underestimated their resolve. The players owe us one for that. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World of Football Stuff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Oh dear, short month for footy stories, apparently there's been a rugby world
cup or something. Anyway the papers have been full of Wilkinson or somebody,
though why they would be interested in a razor manufacturer I don't know.
Anyway I did manage to find this: Harald Wapenaar aims to become Portsmouth's answer to Beckham (by spraying his b*ll*cks with gold paint?) after having the names of his children stitched into his boots. The dutch keeper was forced to leave his kids in Holland with his estranged wife when he joined Pompey in the summer. Wapenaar has followed the example of Beckham by having both his lads names embroidered on the tongues of his boots. He said: "it gives me a lift during games. If I'm feeling down I just look down at my boots and think of my lads." Wapenaar made his Premiership debut in the 2-0 defeat at Fulham and then played in the 0-2 defeat by Leicester. (yeah we know why, too busy looking down at his feet to see the ball!) |
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| Coming next Month: payback away at Newport County for their 1-4 victory at Middlefield? How about winning by 7 goals away at Tiverton? Victorious Boxing Day derby at home to Nuneaton in front of what should be a full house! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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