I think it's clear to see that Welling is run within it's means, however to move up to the next level Welling either dig deep and find the cash to employ someone with a commercial remit (which I assume on current crowds wont happen), or us as fans try and chip in and help out. I appreciate that the WSU guys do a lot for Welling, but perhaps some people who haven't been involved with the WSU can start to get involved more?
For a start the 'outside' toilets are an absolute disgrace - it wouldn't take much to tart them up with a lick of paint;
Promotion of games - posters promoting upcoming games put up in the local community;
Discounts for students/kids (as discussed in other threads).
Club shop - needs sorting. There are a number of people who post on here who could probably assist in this area - both off and online.
Set up a 'Welling' shopping site, where all the commission is paid to Welling United for all fans shopping online.
There are lots more ideas, I know JGFC has lots and has gone on (in a good way) about this in the past.
I myself will discuss with James/Barrie about putting together posters and getting these put up in my local area (Sidcup) - perhaps we could get a small team together to cover all the local areas?
I guess the next stage is for people like me to go to a WSU meeting and take the plunge....
Matchday posters. Donate 2 match tickets to pubs within 3 miles in exchange them displaying Regular posters of games coming up.
Shopping site is easy to set up.
Online Club shop orders, so easy to set up and admin. IF we sold DVDs away fans/exiles may buy.If James is too busy ask for someone else to join the "Media Team"
Advertising board at Crayford Dogs... Dartford have one there and they have regular mentions from Crayford and have Dog Winners at Princes Park. Two way thing.
Turn the new stand into family enclosure. Pick a school a match EVERY match and give 300 tickets for that stand. Anyone in there already can go in main stand, Get Family enclosure sponsored.
Sell the stadium name , paint road fence with sponsors Logo.
Stand Roof,is this elapsed sponsorship? Ask Red Bull for sponsorship to have their Logo on it.
Raffle a hoarding £10 a ticket have within reason what you want on it
Raffle the shirt sponsorship £100 a ticket, all entries get a small advert in programme for the season ie small logo/number fit 50 on a page. Flyer every shop in Welling, Sidcup, Darford, Bexley, Woolwich. Weeks work? plus printing,ink and paper. Get a pc broadband and decent printer at PVR.
Get a mailing list on main site for fans and one for Businesses. Keep everyone informed of everything on and off the pitch. Simple.
Theres loads more but said it all before. nothing gets done and its a commercial manager's job.
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Alexander O'Neal 1987 "I'm fed up cos all you wanna do is criticize "
Both great posts, but the same old story still exists - the club appear too lazy to do anything about the promotional side of things. PVR is in a catchment area full of commercial enterprise. Advertising our existence must surely be our main priority. Given the fact, as other posters on here have stated, different clubs offer discounted rates for under 16's, students etc, we must surely offer the same. We need bums on seats to exist and the only way forward is to promote the club. We all have to survive on a budget and live within our means, but, if the club want to progress further, it has to take action sooner rather than later. The toilets under the old stand are a disgrace, the smell of diesel from the tank is aweful and the guttering leaks so much, you could shower under it on a rainy day. Having said that, the most important issue is getting people in. So what is the answer? Can the club afford a commercial manager?
I agree with almost all of what you say. There are many good ideas which I would love to see the club implement. However I must take issue with what you say about making the new stand a family enclosure. As a season ticket holder for many years and a regular occupant of the new stand, I wouldn't be at all happy to be evicted from this comfortable stand and told I had to go into the delapidated and uncomfortable old stand to accomodate hundreds of people with free tickets. I am sure that all the other regulars in the new stand would feel the same. I do though believe that a family area is a good idea. I doubt that any school would fill 300 seats at a game even including parents and perhaps the answer would be for half of one or other of the stands to become a designated family area. I agree that it is vital for the future of the club to try to attract young people to the game but I hope that should the club manage to appoint a much needed commercial manager, he makes decisions which will not alienate supporters who have helped the club to keep solvent over many years.
Some excellent ideas/points. The club have used the park end of the old stand before and no one sits there so WHY NOT use that for kids? All of JGFC's ideas should be implemented, we have no god given right to be at this level so the club need to sort things out. There are loads of business minded fans. The trouble is the club don't welcome these people or encourage them. I have spoken to a few people at games who have gone to the club with ideas only to be brushed off. The fact the club is not online in this day and age is laughable, even 10 years ago it would have been a joke. The trouble is as people have said before the floating football fan will pay £10 to watch Charlton in a modern stadium rather than in a rotting stand at PVR.Other clubs have downloadable match posters to display. I would happily go round Greenwich and put them up, where Millwall are heavily advertising incidentally.
I was intersted in the posters idea for local business etc. Lets start with our own sponsor The Bed Post. I have bought 3 beds from them in recent years not because they were the cheapeast but because of their support of Welling. I have used both Eltham and Crayford shops but at neither have I seen any mention of Welling United. Could it be that while businesses are happy to advertise in programmes they do not wish to alienate others by putting up a small poster. I hope I am wrong, if I am how about getting the ball rolling Bed Post and put one of the yellow posters up in your shops for each game. Then we may find other business organisations are willing to follow suit.
I agree with the idea of using the park end of the main stand as a family enclosure. However if this were to happen we would need to ensure a standard of verbal reasoning both on and off the pitch. I know if some of my friends came with their children or grandchildren and heard some of the language they would never come back thus defeating the object. I realise we can all get annoyed at an officials decision or with a player who is not giving his all but if we are to encourage families we all need to think about what we shout out. I am not a saint and do sware too much but have always managed to control myself in the main stand due to the presence of people with kids.
One idea that JGFC had before was to appoint a commercial director paid soley on a commission basis - say 10 -15% of what (s)he brings in. A win-win situation surely.
Trouble with commission only is, if he or she is selling commercial stuff worth £1,000 a month then they only take home £150 a month (based on 15% commission) and no one can live on that. Meaning that he or she will need another job and not be able to commit full time hours to Welling.
One idea I have seen before is to put match posters in the passenger windows of your car meaning every where you go games are being advertised. That could work.
As any long standing viewer of the forum will know I have been critical of the Club's lack of an effective Commercial Manager and my view has not changed. Having said that I'm sure that it is, at least to some degree, a matter of funding. Lets face it if the cash ain't there to invest you can't do it without joining those clubs who cannot balance the books and whose very existence is threatened.
Consider the following scenario. Barrie: "Jamie the Club needs to get a Commercial Manager in as we cannot move forward/survive as a Club without one. However the only way we can afford to appoint one is to cut your playing budget by 15%. It's a gamble but the odds are in our favour provided that we select the right person. It goes without saying but we will restore your budget when we have raised sufficient revenue and as more income is generated we will be in apposition to increase the budget."
Jamie: " I'm not averse to the odd gamble but the chances of staying in the Conference South with such a reduced budget are minimal."
What does the Club do?
-- Edited by bruno on Tuesday 17th of November 2009 04:52:18 PM
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YOUTH are the future
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"The worst thing you can do is make a committment and not meet it and I understand that." Barrie Hobbins 14 August 2010
I would take issue with some of the comments made in this thread.
Cynical said "the club appear too lazy to do anything about the promotional side of things." I don't believe it is a matter of the Club being lazy. Both Barrie and Barry put in more hours per week to keep the Club running than many of those reading this post would be prepared to do week in and week out.
Hales Out said "The trouble is the club don't welcome these people or encourage them. I have spoken to a few people at games who have gone to the club with ideas only to be brushed off." I have recently had a lot of contact with both Barrie and Barry in connection with a fundraising event and they were both very accommodating. Perhaps, the significant factor was that I was't going to them with suggestions which merely added to their already overloaded work schedule but seeking some input from the Club.
Addressing the topic of the thread 'You the fan - how can you help?' I agree with JgFc that the suggestions made in this thread are a commercial manager's responsibility but if we can help by displaying posters etc I see no harm in that.
As far as supporter fundraising for the Club goes this is an area which can be contentious since it may be seen as allowing the Club to use the supporters as its commercial arm rather than a supplement to what is generated by commercial activity. I can completely understand this and those who have attended WSU meetings which I have attended will be familiar with my view that WSU should not allow itself to be regarded as the commercial arm of the Club. I know there is a view held by some that WSU is the Club's 'poodle' but it has been my experience that WSU is an independent group who work with the Club but not for the Club in terms of being a substitute for a Commercial Manager.
As a group WSU organise events within the limits of their capability and the time that people have available to undertake the arranging, promotion and staging of events/activities. There is always scope for more supporters to be involved especially if they are able to bring skills and/or contacts and time which would enable it to promote more and different events/activities.
It is no good supporters suggesting that WSU do this and that when so few are actively involved and those that are are on the limit of what they are able to offer. As suggested by Sidcup Graham's post think about getting involved in WSU if you have ideas and are able to offer the skills and time to help promote them or if you don't feel you are able to contribute do your utmost to attend the events arranged and/or take part in their regular fundraising activities.
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YOUTH are the future
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"The worst thing you can do is make a committment and not meet it and I understand that." Barrie Hobbins 14 August 2010
The above post represents a purely personal view and should not be taken as any form of statement from WSU though I would hope that it is not too far off of their view.
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YOUTH are the future
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"The worst thing you can do is make a committment and not meet it and I understand that." Barrie Hobbins 14 August 2010
ITS NOT LIKE US (Me n Patsy) TO HAVE A RANT, AND WE'RE NOT POINTING FINGERS AT INDIVIDUALS
A Problem from where We see it is, People are willing to suggest all these ideas but when it comes down to an actual commitment the head goes into the sand and the idea just goes by. No one seems to be prepared to follow up on their Idea and as usual nothing gets achieved, Dispite how good the idea was.
Is It Ok to sit back and Moan and find faults when your not prepared to help?
I Appreciate not every one has time or The Money BUT How many people attend Quiz night, WSU meetings (which are open to anyone), and other Functions and Events, even buying a Scratch card for £1. We went to a WSU meeting and ideas were turned down due to poor attendances of similar functions in the past.! all of which could have raised monies. Its Ok Sayng get the local business involved but if the clubs fan base dont help then all is lost.
OK If the club were to have a commercial manager something Ive spoke to bruno about weeks ago then the commercial manager would gladly take these ideas on board, as well as do his own.
On Saturday I heard Someone from The forum say At the game Say if the club had put out a statement to help clear the water or fork the ground he would have been there. This Is Great it shows That we have people willing to help if asked. the club Just Needs More of these people.
Sorry For the Rant and Hope no one Is angered by it, We All want what is best for the club.
I Think the UNITED bit should start to apply and not just be part of the Team Name.
The clubs commercial failings should not mean that fans SHOULD raise funds so the club can compete.
Agree 100% JgFc but equally it does not mean that they cannot.
It is my firm personal opinion that the critical point is that the use of funds raised MUST be for identifiable projects determined by the fundraisers themselves and not just put into the Clubs coffers.
If the fundraisers determine that funds raised should go towards the playing budget as they did last year which helped the Club compete (and allowed the supporters to enjoy a better standard of football than they might otherwise have done) that is their prerogative.
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YOUTH are the future
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"The worst thing you can do is make a committment and not meet it and I understand that." Barrie Hobbins 14 August 2010
