more fans???

[campdave]

I did make all the Polish families welcome when I first took over but since then my dealings with them have been to chuck them out for harrasing girls and attempting to steal my beer glasses - I know Morecambe folk are as bad as this sometimes but I just get a wall of silence when I catch them out and ask for an explanation. BTW if you want to see loads of Child benefit going back to Poland just go and stand in the que in Lloyds any day of the week.

Maybe you would like to carry on this conversation in the local pub near the railway bridge sometime and I can show you the street where we DO get trouble from our Polish community.

And the English have such a great track record integrating into local communities on the Costa De Sol

[sgt major]

I did make all the Polish families welcome when I first took over but since then my dealings with them have been to chuck them out for harrasing girls and attempting to steal my beer glasses - I know Morecambe folk are as bad as this sometimes but I just get a wall of silence when I catch them out and ask for an explanation. BTW if you want to see loads of Child benefit going back to Poland just go and stand in the que in Lloyds any day of the week.

Maybe you would like to carry on this conversation in the local pub near the railway bridge sometime and I can show you the street where we DO get trouble from our Polish community.

And the English have such a great track record integrating into local communities on the Costa De Sol

My daughter lives in Spain, in a local community, has bought a car in the local community, pays local taxes and gets on well with all the locals she comes into contact with. I myself have worked worldwide for years putting lots of my wages into the local economies I have lived in. Dont tar all the Brits with the same brush. On the other hand so have lots of brave Polish war veterans who came to live in our community in the 40's. It's just now the whole of Europe sees us as a soft touch, something I personally dont like - some call it racist I call it being patriotic to my country.

[BLS BOY]

some call it racist I call it being patriotic to my country.

here, here...still doesn't answer the question of how to get more fans in though!

[campdave]

Dont tar all the Brits with the same brush.

You seem to be doing a fair bit of tarring of Poles?

[Number 1]

Dont tar all the Brits with the same brush.

You seem to be doing a fair bit of tarring of Poles?

That's not correct CD. Sgt Major has simply outlined his personal experiences and said it how it is. There is nothing tarring about that. Tarring would be saying that all Poles are the same, which he isn't saying.

[heysham_mfc]

I have noticed that most of the poles in the local area are not all that bothered about Morecambe most of them would rather watch the latest man utd game on TV

[james456]

I have noticed that most of the poles in the local area are not all that bothered about Morecambe most of them would rather watch the latest man utd game on TV

What obligation do they have to Morecambe FC?

[Keith]

I have noticed that most of the poles in the local area are not all that bothered about Morecambe most of them would rather watch the latest man utd game on TV

Which is where marketing comes in. It's up to the club and its stakeholders to expand in to a new market, not to sit back and wonder why they don't come to us, then complain because they don't!

[sgt major]

It was stated last night - Morecambe is a small pin prick on the map and decent players dont want to come here - we have a population that deserted the team in the late 70's early 80's when we went through a bad patch and too many people who now are glory hunters with Premiership teams. Add to that those that watch illegally broadcasted Premier League Football in certain licenced establishments at 3pm on a Saturday we are on a hiding to nothing.

Nothing short of winning every game and progressing to to the Premier League would get more folk through the gates and making the effort to support the team away.

Until then we will have to suffer the low gates.

I honestly dont think the club can now do any more - it's really up to the honest hard working team and management who are at times playing against far superior teams - the efforts at Rochdale were fantastic in comparison to the good team we were palying against.

[Keith]

...we have a population that deserted the team in the late 70's early 80's when we went through a bad patch and too many people who now are glory hunters...

...Nothing short of winning every game and progressing to to the Premier League would get more folk through the gates and making the effort to support the team away.

Until then we will have to suffer the low gates.

12 years ago, that is exactly the type of comments heard from the doom-sayers regarding promotion from the Northern Premier League to the Conference. National travel costs but more fans won't come... we're better off staying still

We have two or three untapped groups of people who, as far as I can see, we haven't made a special effort to reach out to. If we have marketed ourselves to those groups and failed, then so be it (why not let us hear about it? Find out what was done?)

Alternatively if nothing has been done, and we are sitting on our thumbs saying 'nothing will work'...

How about the club starts planning now for a pre-season tour of Poland? A fortnight trip playing four matches. Advertise it ASAP so fans can book time off and start saving up.

* Use it as a team building exercise

* Gain publicity from it

* Hold 'trials'/scout for players

* Raise interest in the local Polish community

Simple, relatively cheap for the club and potentially positive outcomes.

[CASS]

POLES and FOOTBALL a small sample ...still seems to be 1970 over there,a bit like Grange over Sands
http://www.skyoneonline.co.uk/rosskempg ... land1.html
No doubt this is not the whole picture but disturbing all the same.

[shrimper]

The Poles are her to earn money and save it, spending as little as they can in the process. They will have some income to dispose while they're here but I reckon they'd see even our modest admission charges as a bit expensive. I may be wrong.

I think the vast army of Lancaster students may be a better pool to fish in but you'd have to take a view on reduced admission for students, which would allow our existing student fans a big discount as well.

Always worth looking at new ways of attracting fans, especially with the opportunity of the new stadium, but - as others have said - it's the economic climate and the way the team performs on the pitch that will always be the main factors.

[marky No.1]

The answer would be to try a Pole in the team (similar to the Chinese connection with JS Park).
Maybe give Ebi Smolarek a ring from Racing Santander who is currently on loan at Bolton.

Would be funny to see the interview with Sammy

[Posh]

I did make all the Polish families welcome when I first took over but since then my dealings with them have been to chuck them out for harrasing girls and attempting to steal my beer glasses - I know Morecambe folk are as bad as this sometimes but I just get a wall of silence when I catch them out and ask for an explanation. BTW if you want to see loads of Child benefit going back to Poland just go and stand in the que in Lloyds any day of the week.

Maybe you would like to carry on this conversation in the local pub near the railway bridge sometime and I can show you the street where we DO get trouble from our Polish community.

And the English have such a great track record integrating into local communities on the Costa De Sol

My daughter lives in Spain, in a local community, has bought a car in the local community, pays local taxes and gets on well with all the locals she comes into contact with. I myself have worked worldwide for years putting lots of my wages into the local economies I have lived in. Dont tar all the Brits with the same brush. On the other hand so have lots of brave Polish war veterans who came to live in our community in the 40's. It's just now the whole of Europe sees us as a soft touch, something I personally dont like - some call it racist I call it being patriotic to my country.

So do we Britains see Australia and Canada as a "soft touch", which is why so many go there (as of course do other nationalities including the ones you don't seem to care for? And what is a "soft touch"? Would it be the freely available, poorly paid jobs that some of our own irresponsible, bone-idle, young, British people can't be arsed to do? It can't be the benefits system because they pay significantly more in Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Finally what's being "patriotic to my country" seeing through why the naughty foreign-types are really coming to live here? If it is then you need to take off the Union Jack blinkers.

[BLS BOY]

is this posh having a posh rant!?

[slackAlice]

.. But ..IF the Polish started coming to the matches would they feel that welcome ? If they stood / sat together talking in their native tongue ; how would that go down [with some regulars] ?
Its not so much attracting 'new' supporters or welcoming back old ones ; there needs to be an effort to keep them coming - its NO GOOD saying we want your money so come to the game. Success of course attracts more folk coming , but the 'Newbies' or 'Glory Hunters' diminish in numbers gradually WHY ???

I don't know if there's work behind the scenes to increase the gates , maybe its just a case of hoping things will 'pick up' when we move to the new place ...who knows. But 'gate receipts' must be a serious concern and the novelty of a new stadium will quickly wear off ..it needs serious marketing and innovation to boost numbers.

I mean I'll admit Morecambe FC wasn't my first love [Football wise] and as the team I followed as a 'young un' became almost inaccessible[Not MAN U] I've started going to see my local club Morecambe regular since they joined the League - no shame in that. By any definition I'm whats called a 'newbie' I can live with that - I cannot recollect memorable matches at Leigh RMI or Telford - I wasn't there ! But it doesn't spoil me and my lads enjoyment of watching Morecambe now.

I used to go to 6-12 home games prior to that. I've met a lot of Morecambe fans who have only ever supported Morecambe and thats great stuff - the vast majority of these welcome you with open arms. But is there enough effort by the club et al to retain the 'newbies' and casual fans ? Its not just going to happen naturally - even with success on the pitch it will only increase gradually - its what you do to make people want to keep coming.

[Abbo]

I get sick and tired of seeing stuff about giving discounts for studends for this discounts for students for that, i have my mortgage, council tax, gas electric and water bills to pay for, food to buy, car to run plus every day living costs. I work full time, pay tax, insurance etc etc, do i get % off clothes % off getting my hair cut % off drinks. no i dont !!!!! Go in Lancaster on a saturday night and probably 75% off people are students, so its obvious they have the money. So why should i have to pay the full admission price for myself and my son when students would get in for less, i would be a bit naffed off to say the least !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marky No.1]

slightly o/t but how about this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ire ... 71.stm?lss

[shrimper]

I get sick and tired of seeing stuff about giving discounts for studends for this discounts for students for that, i have my mortgage, council tax, gas electric and water bills to pay for, food to buy, car to run plus every day living costs. I work full time, pay tax, insurance etc etc, do i get % off clothes % off getting my hair cut % off drinks. no i dont !!!!! Go in Lancaster on a saturday night and probably 75% off people are students, so its obvious they have the money. So why should i have to pay the full admission price for myself and my son when students would get in for less, i would be a bit naffed off to say the least !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was suggesting it as a way of attracting more fans, not to give students something for nothing. As I say, you'd have to look at the students who are already fans (who would also qualify) and see if you'd actually be losing money by offering discounts. I just think it's a bigger and more likely 'pool' of people to try to tap into.

[Abbo]

I can see where your coming from Shrimper. but i dont think by knocking a couple of £s off the entrance fee would entice them

[slackAlice]

I get sick and tired of seeing stuff about giving discounts for studends for this discounts for students for that, i have my mortgage, council tax, gas electric and water bills to pay for, food to buy, car to run plus every day living costs. I work full time, pay tax, insurance etc etc, do i get % off clothes % off getting my hair cut % off drinks. no i dont !!!!! Go in Lancaster on a saturday night and probably 75% off people are students, so its obvious they have the money. So why should i have to pay the full admission price for myself and my son when students would get in for less, i would be a bit naffed off to say the least !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think you could make strong arguments against any 'discounted' group if you tried hard enough - why stop at students ? Pensioners ? Disabled ? Its NOT the 'students' fault they get discounts and I know its financially harder being a student now than it was when I did it ,the days of full grants etc. I know I was only to keen to take advantage of my NUS card everywhere & anywhere and YES I now pay my taxes and all the rest of it. Its too easy to bash students.
No surely the way forward in increasing attendances is to look at 'Who' might like to watch Morecambe FC -Market Research I think its called. Do students come in numbers ? Its a bit of a 'cliche' but its the young un's you need to get interested - whats the future for them in the football sense ? The occasional trip to Old Trafford or Anfield or watching a match on SKY ? How do you get them interested in going along ? I think Pre & Post match 'things' and possibly a half-time crowd participation regular event - you see cross bar challenges etc at other grounds. I'm sure this must be an area the club is looking at but it needs to be much more of an attraction for young people and family's.

[Curly]

I get sick and tired of seeing stuff about giving discounts for studends for this discounts for students for that, i have my mortgage, council tax, gas electric and water bills to pay for, food to buy, car to run plus every day living costs. I work full time, pay tax, insurance etc etc, do i get % off clothes % off getting my hair cut % off drinks. no i dont !!!!! Go in Lancaster on a saturday night and probably 75% off people are students, so its obvious they have the money. So why should i have to pay the full admission price for myself and my son when students would get in for less, i would be a bit naffed off to say the least !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think you could make strong arguments against any 'discounted' group if you tried hard enough - why stop at students ? Pensioners ? Disabled ? Its NOT the 'students' fault they get discounts and I know its financially harder being a student now than it was when I did it ,the days of full grants etc. I know I was only to keen to take advantage of my NUS card everywhere & anywhere and YES I now pay my taxes and all the rest of it. Its too easy to bash students.
No surely the way forward in increasing attendances is to look at 'Who' might like to watch Morecambe FC -Market Research I think its called. Do students come in numbers ? Its a bit of a 'cliche' but its the young un's you need to get interested - whats the future for them in the football sense ? The occasional trip to Old Trafford or Anfield or watching a match on SKY ? How do you get them interested in going along ? I think Pre & Post match 'things' and possibly a half-time crowd participation regular event - you see cross bar challenges etc at other grounds. I'm sure this must be an area the club is looking at but it needs to be much more of an attraction for young people and family's.

Well said mate,
Youth are the ultimate target for all the reasons you outlined and more.
I always remember a colleagues grandson telling his grandad and I about when they did a P.E. lesson at primary school and some of the morecambe team were coaching, it was "Garry Hunter said.... and Garry Hunter can..." all the way home, this eight year old lad then started pleading if he could to the football, and his family have brought him a few times with them also paying admission too.
Schemes can be useful, the family tickets are a great idea, because youth is where the future support lies.

[Abbo]

I think the fact of the matter is, unless the club arnt in the play off places or above we are not going to attract more supporters coming through the turnstiles, so it wont matter if the club give discounts to students, poles or anyone else, apart from the hard core support we get now this seasons gates will be the same for next season.

[campdave]

I think the fact of the matter is, unless the club arnt in the play off places or above we are not going to attract more supporters coming through the turnstiles, so it wont matter if the club give discounts to students, poles or anyone else, apart from the hard core support we get now this seasons gates will be the same for next season.

Cheery as always

[heysham_mfc]

O wonder if the club signed a polish player weather on not it would attract more of the poles in the area to come and watch