What a mess today.....we missed out on at least £200 seating charges-one 12 year old trying to manage hundreds of supporters- and the bar at the Erith end was not set up for the amount of supporters at half time.......very embarrassing and signifiacant revenue losses..... is it really that difficult ??
Probably the biggest gate of the season and we haven't got a clue.............
No problem in the stands at my end of the Welling stand. It's very difficult to estimate programme numbers. I heard so many different numbers of expected Dulwich followers.
There is definitely a problem with the £2 seating charge in the main stand. I sit just to the right of the home dug out and there are always some who just come through the gap by the pitch to the right hand side of the stand and walk straight into the stand without paying. It just needs a steward to stand there and that should stop it. Been like it since last season.
-- Edited by werwings on Saturday 4th of August 2018 08:44:06 PM
-- Edited by werwings on Saturday 4th of August 2018 08:45:52 PM
The reason we ran out of programmes was down to misinformation from Dulwich Hamlets chairman. When he was contacted on Wednesday he said he expected about 300 supporters to travel to Welling when in reality it was nearer 600.
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There is definitely a problem with the £2 seating charge in the main stand. I sit just to the right of the home dug out and there are always some who just come through the gap by the pitch to the right hand side of the stand and walk straight into the stand without paying. It just needs a steward to stand there and that should stop it. Been like it since last season.
-- Edited by werwings on Saturday 4th of August 2018 08:44:06 PM
-- Edited by werwings on Saturday 4th of August 2018 08:45:52 PM
Now Im in for trouble.
Too late for this season but should the club do what other clubs do and charge one admission price (with concessions) irrespective of where you wish to view the game from?
So...do you mean raise the price by a quid for everyone or potentially lose out on say 300 quid?
Said I would be in trouble, so when we segregate all games next season in the national put the price upto a realistic figure and forget about extra for sitting.
Thanks Davy but I think the word misinformation is implying it was done to cause you a problem. I know Danny Saines very well and was asked for an estimate, which I gave. Our fans are also not "traditional" in that programmes are not something many buy out of habit
In addition, our support does not normally grow so large early into the season.
If I had said there would be 600 rather than 300 then you would probably have complained I cost you money as well
My apologies that your club made a lot more money on the turnstiles and the bar than I estimated. I'm sure you will be happy to return the additional income to DHFC as a result of this mistske.
Finally, I'm s Director but not the chair of our football committee.
Good luck for the season and thanks for an enjoyable afternoon.
Thanks Davy but I think the word misinformation is implying it was done to cause you a problem. I know Danny Saines very well and was asked for an estimate, which I gave. Our fans are also not "traditional" in that programmes are not something many buy out of habit
In addition, our support does not normally grow so large early into the season.
If I had said there would be 600 rather than 300 then you would probably have complained I cost you money as well
My apologies that your club made a lot more money on the turnstiles and the bar than I estimated. I'm sure you will be happy to return the additional income to DHFC as a result of this mistske.
Finally, I'm s Director but not the chair of our football committee.
Good luck for the season and thanks for an enjoyable afternoon.
Knowing Davy I don't think he would imply that. It is difficult at the best of times, especially early in the season as our Dulwich guest stresses, to estimate travelling support - the weary WUSA coach organisers have experience of that. A fabulous turnout by DHFC fans, many acquaintances made (although none that L'ghoul would appreciate!) and a great atmosphere all round. We should nick the Dulwich marketing man if we have hopes of building up our fanbase! I don't know whether it is true, but apparently DHFC considered sharing with us. Incredibly, it is an easier journey for many of their fans than it is to Tooting. I wonder whether the E&B factor was a big influence.
Dont think I have ever heard away fans singing their hearts out after game had ended and they had lost. Those I met in the shop seemed to be a decent bunch, shame about Champion Hill and a pity they couldnt have shared at ours. Can imagine the local pubs would have loved that.
Thanks Davy but I think the word misinformation is implying it was done to cause you a problem. I know Danny Saines very well and was asked for an estimate, which I gave. Our fans are also not "traditional" in that programmes are not something many buy out of habit
In addition, our support does not normally grow so large early into the season.
If I had said there would be 600 rather than 300 then you would probably have complained I cost you money as well
My apologies that your club made a lot more money on the turnstiles and the bar than I estimated. I'm sure you will be happy to return the additional income to DHFC as a result of this mistske.
Finally, I'm s Director but not the chair of our football committee.
Good luck for the season and thanks for an enjoyable afternoon.
I don't think that this was meant as a dig. I was told different numbers ranging from 200 to 1,000 but it was only going to be a guess. I expected something at the higher end based on the fact that it's easier to get tp PVR from Dulwich than it is to Tooting. I could not start to guess how many would by programmes but maybe some were bought by people who would not normally do so for a souvenir from the first game in the National League South.
Financially, it was probably better to have printed 100 too few than 300 too many.
Thanks Davy but I think the word misinformation is implying it was done to cause you a problem. I know Danny Saines very well and was asked for an estimate, which I gave. Our fans are also not "traditional" in that programmes are not something many buy out of habit
In addition, our support does not normally grow so large early into the season.
If I had said there would be 600 rather than 300 then you would probably have complained I cost you money as well
My apologies that your club made a lot more money on the turnstiles and the bar than I estimated. I'm sure you will be happy to return the additional income to DHFC as a result of this mistske.
Finally, I'm s Director but not the chair of our football committee.
Good luck for the season and thanks for an enjoyable afternoon.
I don't think that this was meant as a dig. I was told different numbers ranging from 200 to 1,000 but it was only going to be a guess. I expected something at the higher end based on the fact that it's easier to get tp PVR from Dulwich than it is to Tooting. I could not start to guess how many would by programmes but maybe some were bought by people who would not normally do so for a souvenir from the first game in the National League South.
Financially, it was probably better to have printed 100 too few than 300 too many.
It's been a problem for years - when we expect a gate of over 1000 we always run out of programmes early. I guess you are right though and it makes financial sense to print less and if the club were told less were travelling than did (no idea how they know) then it makes sense to be cautious
-- Edited by J on Sunday 5th of August 2018 04:29:20 PM
Can you explain how it's our fault we lost the ground..
The stadium was never owned by the club
An ex owner sold it to the people who ran Fisher Athletic, they went bust and Meadow bought it from the receiver.
They fell out with the council and so kicked the club out to give them vacant possession which is better for them
And we go on about it because all the time we do nobody can just forget it happened and just ignore us like has happened to so many other clubs who have faded away with no home.
Hope it never happens to you but as we have been high profile enough to get to government and, as a result there is now a piece of work into the ownership of stadia, we may just stop it happening to any other clu
Thanks for the solidarity
.
-- Edited by dhfc on Sunday 5th of August 2018 07:46:05 PM
I tell you why, because you all had your heads so far up your own arses thinking you were the best thing to ever happen to non - league football that you didn't see it coming!
The most important single thing to a club is the stadium and you were so busy being the next big thing (that's taken a while hasn't it) you took it for granted and then got your arses tickled.
High enough profile? Behave, you have a couple labour ministers as as fans who had a word with the biggest tosser in London sadiq Khan. He'd never heard of you before that..
God what hero's you are!!! Nobody goes in them during the week then? Good job you haven't gone pop, the whole economy would be in danger.
We, at Welling, should thank whoever or whatever we believe in that the London Borough of Bexley own our ground. If a property developer got hold of it heaven knows what could happen.
Which has written in it that if it's sold by the council it shall remain a sporting venue for about another 80 years...
-- Edited by Jamison on Sunday 5th of August 2018 10:28:59 PM
which could easily be reversed by an act of parliament if Bexley needed a major financial boost. Unlikely but in this day and age anything could happen. But dont worry I be there chained to the gate stopping the bulldozer
I tell you why, because you all had your heads so far up your own arses thinking you were the best thing to ever happen to non - league football that you didn't see it coming!
The most important single thing to a club is the stadium and you were so busy being the next big thing (that's taken a while hasn't it) you took it for granted and then got your arses tickled.
High enough profile? Behave, you have a couple labour ministers as as fans who had a word with the biggest tosser in London sadiq Khan. He'd never heard of you before that..
God what hero's you are!!! Nobody goes in them during the week then? Good job you haven't gone pop, the whole economy would be in danger.
Sorry Jamison, but I think that is very unkind and, seemingly, slightly politically motivated. There are a number of reasons why clubs lose their way and we have been there and pulled ourselves out of the sh*t. Yes, keeping hold of a ground and stadia is vital but there are always some sneaky, scheming, blighters out there who could wheedle it away before you know it. I know solidarity seems to be a dirty word these days - certainly among Thatcher's generation and today's right wing acolytes, but I would rather back causes like DHFC and Hereford than be part of the self-serving, devil-take-the-hindmost, me me me brigade.
Did I read that Dulwich havent paid rent which totalled about 120 grand.
Very naive to just plod on spending it on budget etc or think they'll get free rent for life. Ill admit it was arsey for meadow to say right you owe us three years rent or what ever it was. That doesnt mean Dulwich have not had an advantage and spent the money elsewhere quite happily And not worried about consequences if the chit hit the fan later.
Its also weird how with 1500 plus crowds they then struggled and needed saving. I realise that at some stage Meadow were keeping the gate receipts but for a time Dulwich were flying along thinking this is great weve got it easy.
There must be mismanagement or naivety at the very least and theyve turned it into help the hipster weve been stitched up.
-- Edited by TheGhostOfJodyBrown on Monday 6th of August 2018 09:32:43 AM
-- Edited by TheGhostOfJodyBrown on Monday 6th of August 2018 09:34:43 AM
Jamison, thank you for the support. In fact, we were all too aware of the risks that we faced which is why we have been so well prepared in getting our message out there. We have also worked hard to grow our gates from an average 172 when our current manager joined us to where we are now.
I am not sure why you think we think we are "the best thing to ever happen to non - league football ".
We do what we do and it is designed to fit around what is important to our area. The fact that it attracts interest from around the world is a bonus and we are helped by our strong online presence. Any other club can do what we have done if they want to. In fact, I think the problems at Charlton are an ideal opportunity for Welling Utd to grow if there is clever use of time, resources and some interesting ideas that appeal to those people disenfranchised by the professional game.
You seem to have a bit of a political angle in your post so I suppose the support of Tracey Crouch in Parliament and the support of the whole of Southwark Council (which at the time had representatives from all major parties) is just a couple of Labour politicians. It wouldn't matter to us who the Mayor of London is, we have targeted that angle because the office has the power to call in every development that Meadow want to undertake.
On another note, Champion Hill does have protection as Other Open Space but that has not stopped an American investment fund (which is what Meadow really are) from speculatively buying it up and wanting to build on it.
Thanks to the majority of Welling fans for their welcome on Saturday, you are good hosts.
TheGhostpofJodyBrown please do not believe the rent figure. That rent was charged by Meadow whilst Meadow also controlled the club's finances. It appears that they conveniently "forgot" to take their rent until such time as it suited them to do so. All the purported debts that Meadow created have now been written off by them because they are aware that they would not stand up in court and they are all debts created between various companies they own.
Until last October, when they pulled out at 6 days notice, the club did not handle any monies and Meadow controlled all finances on the site, set the wage budget, agreed player contracts etc - this was all done on the authority of a person who owned 98% of the club's shares on whose behalf they were acting.
They also promised all matchday receipts, including bar profits, but reneged on that when they realised it meant we could easily survive.
To get what they wanted, Meadow had to show the council that the club was unsustainable in its current stadium and everything they did was geared towards achieving that.
By the way, hope you have a Trade Mark on the name Welling Utd as they tried to claim our name as well.
Finally, their preferred security company employed to lock us out are Bridge Security, does that name ring any bells in your Boardroom or sponsors list?
-- Edited by dhfc on Monday 6th of August 2018 09:48:00 AM
Seriously, read what I said. Meadow collected the gate money, took the bar takings and paid all the associated bills. They just "forgot" to take their own rent from them. Does that not seem a little strange even to you? They also claimed they would not take it when we asked and then slapped in a demand within 14 days. Still, let's hope it doesn't ever happen to Welling and that your owners deliver on their promises.
We seem to have been diverted from the original thread of this post - our own event management.
We certainly could do better, not just in terms of programs but the whole event, we need to learn from others, increase pre-match publicity, control access to the stands, deter money being spent in the E&B bar and tea hut, by making the offer in the Welling facilities more attractive, including the toilets.
Finally, off topic, I was very pleased to meet the fans from Dulwich, before / during / after the match, they were a credit to their club & I look forward to the return fixture, and another win of course.
For what it's worth, I thought the event management was more than adequate. Charging extra for seating just means needing more volunteers who could maybe do other things such as walk around selling 50/50 tickets to those who missed them by the entrance. You do have a lot of leakage points you need to close so maybe just a one off fee and take your chance on seats, of which there are more than enough.
Posting on other club's forums before they visit may also deter visiting fans from using E&B facilities.
Congrats on the win and I hope we can be back at Dulwich by the time me meeting again.
Certainly some poor decisions here on the commercial side, selling out of programs by 2:30 is hopeless.
need to do better!
Just been reading about Barnet. They have taken the decision to make matchday programme free and online only. Seems the EFL agreed in April that clubs no longer need to print programmes. Wondering how long before this filters down to our level.
In regards to the programmes, In the SCEFL (step 5 and 6) clubs had the option to just make an online programme if they wish. Only Rusthall have confirmed to do it with many waiting to see how it works out. Programmes are pretty much a loss maker at that level.
Certainly some poor decisions here on the commercial side, selling out of programs by 2:30 is hopeless.
need to do better!
Just been reading about Barnet. They have taken the decision to make matchday programme free and online only. Seems the EFL agreed in April that clubs no longer need to print programmes. Wondering how long before this filters down to our level.
will be a shame if that happens - getting a programme is part of going to football imo
