Re: Supporters Meeting Thursday 8th May 1900

by comrade powell Mon May 12, 2014 10:32 am

Roman Mike wrote:
Eddie Hitler wrote:Is there to be any 'official' record of the meeting and discussions held? Otherwise those supporters who were unable to attend (mainly due to the short notice in my case) have been given less information than the minority who did attend.

Surely somebody took a record of the topics discussed and actions / outcomes / decisions etc.
As I said above, I would be surprised if they were taken.
This drives me nuts. Just because I was working that evening and couldn't make it, I have no idea - other than the anecdotal stuff on here - what happened.
I believe the club monitors this forum and Shane, as a director and forum member, will always try to keep supporters informed. Like yourself and Eddie, I think the club need to be aware that calling this meeting at very short notice and with limited publicity (was it mentioned in last week's Chronicle, which I no longer buy?), will lead to frustrations amongst those who care about our club and want to get involved.
I am a relatively new supporter of (4/5 years) and I have to tell you my perception is that this club is almost impenetrable at times.
I mention this a) with the aim of improving this and b) because my experience is probably not unique and I am convinced there are many more like me who we fail to involve and therefore lose.
It never fails to amaze me that a club which had the benefit of a PR guru as chair for a over 2 years is still lacking on this front. All I would say is that those she left behind appear to be giving their all to turn things around and recognise the need to embrace its supporter base. But I hope they are noting yours and others' criticisms on this score.

I started off just wanting to watch and support local football with my son - as a bonding thing partly - and as an antidote to the monies and cheating of the PL. I am not a complete die-hard - 80% of home games / 3 away games this season. I didn't necessarily want to get attached to the club but now I find we plan our time around the fixtures, have a loyalty card, discuss the squads, decisions and players pros and cons, have replica shirts and club caps / hats etc. etc. We now care about the club. It feels like we have done this despite the clubs efforts. It feels almost impossible to feel a part of it - to get timely and accurate information.
You sound like exactly the sort of people the club should be aiming to attract and keep!

There will many more in my demographic who we will have lost in the last 4/5 years - because we never followed them up. There will be other deomgraphics which we fail too. We congratulate oursleves on a 1300 gate for the community day and because we had a incident packed game and 5 goals but where have the extra 800 gone? Who were they? Why did they not come back etc. etc.
You've reminded me of another point made by someone attending Thursday's meeting - while the Community Day was deemed a success, it was followed by just a couple more home matches and then at least 3 months with no football. better to hold one earlier in the season and build on any success. As it was explained, avoiding the winter months with possible postponements/dreadful weather is advisable - maybe the next will be held sept/oct time.

So if you got this far you will realise that this is part venting but there is a serious gap here which we need to plug to get extra revenue to improve the squad to get more success on the field - the classic virtuous circle.

Thoughts

by Marc Monitor Mon May 12, 2014 12:08 pm

Interestingly, RM, I am a recent convert as well, possibly a couple years longer, and, as everyone will know, I bang on ad nauseum about the same issues. Maybe it comes from having experience of supporting other clubs or, like you say, from realising that we (along with incoming Uni students and young kids) are the demographic that should be being courted and, so far, aren't successfully.

I have a hope that, after the last regime and the attention diversion that was an improbable late-season play-off drive, the board would start to look at marketing, publicity and communication with supporters and potential supporters. As you say, not producing a report for this meeting does seem an early shot in the foot. I have to say that it seemed an odd time for a meeting. Pre-season seems more apt.

by Marc Monitor Mon May 12, 2014 12:10 pm

I agree with holding the Community Day earlier in the season when optimism is rife and, also, it could coincide with a push to get Uni Freshers interested. With this in mind, I would say it would have to be in September.

by 2weirdtown Mon May 12, 2014 3:06 pm

I brought up this very subject at the meeting. Paul Williams thinks that March would be a good time as less chance of the weather intervening. I replied that Sept would be best in my view and it was left at that. I think the organising of a Sept date would mean too much work needed when folks are on their hols.

by comrade powell Mon May 12, 2014 3:58 pm

It would certainly be too early for schools' involvement, but a suitable Saturday home fixture in October which doesn't clash with a cup date should be ok. The trouble is we are at the mercy of the fixtures and waiting for them to be released - last October didn't have a single home league fixture.

by Marc Monitor Mon May 12, 2014 5:26 pm

Well, the season starts on 9th August which leaves 7 Saturdays until the end of September, 4 of them being after school starts. The universities' Freshers weeks start week beginning 22nd September which doesn't leave much time but could work in our favour if there is a home game at the end of the week. Get stalls up the Fresher weeks with flyers for that weekend and some student offers and you are going to get them before they are introduced to the more, erm, nocturnal attractions of Bath. Even if there isn't a home game the weekend after, you may still get a lot flying up there for the weekend after.

Basically, you put a community day on either 27th Sept/4th October and it is a perfect storm of new students, school kids, early season optimism and nice weather or, at least, not much chance of cancellation. I have got an idea that the 27th is when we have an FA Cup match but that would only be an issue if we wanted to do it as "pay what you want". The club we are playing may actually not mind that if it means more people. If we got more gate money at last season's Community Day than we would normally, they may be happy.

by comrade powell Mon May 12, 2014 5:45 pm

it would become an issue if we were drawn away! and I don't think the FA allow clubs to mess around with admission charges to their matches.

As I mentioned above, the intention is to set up an action group to organise things. In my opinion, there is a need for fresh ideas and it would be great if yourself and Roman Mike signed up for it.

by stillmanjunior Mon May 12, 2014 5:46 pm

Perhaps another Community Day could be tied in with "Non-League Day" provided we're home? There's usually one in September/October.

Although going by this League Three nonsense I expect the FA have scrapped it.

by Marc Monitor Mon May 12, 2014 6:01 pm

Yes, I am definitely up for that, comrade.

by BenE Mon May 12, 2014 7:46 pm

My impression was that an improbable amount of time is devoted to concern over the weather. It seems eminently sensible to me to have the community day at the beginning of October but I suspect it will be March next year.

by Marc Monitor Mon May 12, 2014 9:41 pm

I agree about October. For a start, if you want to attract fans, why don't you attract them earlier in the year so that you get the knock on during the season.

by Ashley Mon May 12, 2014 9:45 pm

It also seemed odd that the discounted entry voucher wasn't for the next home game. I'm sure there was a reason for it but I'd have thought you want to keep people's interest not defer it for a couple of weeks.

by Grandma Gibbons Tue May 13, 2014 6:38 am

Something else that was mentioned at the meeting was that it costs £5 to gain entry to the presentation night on Saturday. I've not seen this anywhere else and it is not on the poster advertising the presentation night.

by BenE Tue May 13, 2014 9:06 am

The £5 includes £3 of betting chips for the horse racing. The racing will be interspersed by presentations and goal of the season. People will have a chance to predict goal of the season winner and there will be a prize for that too.

by Ian Jones Tue May 13, 2014 1:36 pm

Just a thought, hope you don't mind me joining in. It's 125 years. The historians out there should get there thinking caps on and look at significant events that either effected football or our beautiful city in August 1889, all the way through to April 1889.

This would gain interest from Media, if it was significant in Bath, the City would love it, it could also tie into a charity for more exposure and fundraising. As an example the NSPCC was founded in 1889.

There are also a few other clubs that established in 1889 - Sheffield United - maybe a double header, dressed in period sports wear, old leather ball and screened in Black & White might be of interest.

Just trying to think outside the box and hope it helps!

by BenE Tue May 13, 2014 2:26 pm

Both Adie Britton and Paul Williams said it is getting increasingly difficult to get league clubs to play us.

by comrade powell Tue May 13, 2014 10:10 pm

Why not invite our old friends, Trowbridge Town for a reinactment of our very 1st fixture, perhaps in period gear both on and off the pitch. After all we have a score to settle with them as they beat us 8 - 4 in that game.

by Luton Roman Tue May 13, 2014 10:20 pm

What about clubs who use the uni facilities pre season? Cant a game against us be part of a package?

by comrade powell Tue May 13, 2014 10:24 pm

Again, this was brought up and apparently no league club is booked in there for pre-season.

by pete mac Wed May 14, 2014 10:27 am

Great ideas from ian. Hope someone can pick up. I came up with the usual.....City 125 ale and a commem dvd.

by Ian Jones Wed May 14, 2014 1:20 pm

Thanks Pete, here's another, why not run a 3 tiered Centenary Poster competition. 4 - 7 year old, 8 - 11 and 11 - 15.

Every entry get's a free family pass for a game, the winner in each category gets a free game for the family, signed ball and programme presented at a match.

Posters to appear in marketing activity in schools, papers, online, .......throughout the season.

Could be run by the Chronicle, get's interest in schools, introduces a new audience get's some good media coverage, costs nothing!

by marquess of weston Mon May 19, 2014 10:34 pm

Thank you for all the suggestions on this thread. I will be starting a new thread. Bath City 125 Action Group. Please keep your suggestions coming on that thread

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