Irish clubs v big European opposition

GLaDOS

eightyfish wrote: »

What do you think the clubs should be doing? I've been a Bohs fan for years - my own contribution the last two seasons has been asking friends to come along to the games. Everyone enjoyed themselves, some enough to come again. And again.

The likes of fixture lists, posters for matches etc in the surrounding area. Deals for families would be good too.

Superhands

Bohs and Rovers wouldn't be able to move these games

RDS has horse show and Aviva isn't opening until the following weekend

pablomakaveli

ntlbell wrote: »

What creative initiatives have your or anyones local clubs come up with in the last few years to try an attract new supporters?

Personally I see very little from any of the clubs.

You musn't be looking hard enough then because in fairness a lot of LOI do try stuff to attract supporters, both old and new, but unfortunately the general Irish sporting public don't want to know.

eightyfish

ScienceNerd wrote: »

The likes of fixture lists, posters for matches etc in the surrounding area. Deals for families would be good too.

How about the LOI/AnPost offer last season? You got free tickets if you paid a bill in the post office. Bohs have been branching into social media promoting the games on twitter, facebook, bebo etc. I don't live near Dalymount so I don't know if they put posters up in the area. However I do see posters up for St Pats games where I live (Rialto).

Family tickets are a good idea.

ntlbell

eightyfish wrote: »

What do you think the clubs should be doing? I've been a Bohs fan for years - my own contribution the last two seasons has been asking friends to come along to the games. Everyone enjoyed themselves, some enough to come again. And again.

I'm not a marketing genuis. but it shouldn't take one.

A small example, I live a few mins away from Dalymount, I've never once had a leaflet in my front door. or an invitation to come down.

I very rarley see any posters in the local shops, I think once I noticed one in the spar.

I'm not sure about _all_ the schools in the area but I'm sure most of them have never had a visit from the team.

I think it would have been an idea to go to each of them after the each league win with the trophy a few players and have a little kick about with the kids or a training session get them interested young.

It doesn't have to be any one big master plan but lots of small but significant efforts.

The list of things that could be done is really endless.

but the truth is there's really _nothing_ been done

ntlbell

pablomakaveli wrote: »

You musn't be looking hard enough then because in fairness a lot of LOI do try stuff to attract supporters, both old and new, but unfortunately the general Irish sporting public don't want to know.

Can you give me some examples?

ntlbell

speaking of the familiy thing.

I think I mentioned on a thread like this maybe last year.

Introductory familiy jobs.

A few drinks and nibbles in the jameson before the match, maybe a bit of a tour of the stadium and someone to give a bit short session on the history of the club.

Watch the game and a possible meet and greet with a player or two after etc.

Again, it's the small things.

People have a great expirience, they get some guest comps so they can bring back freiends or families to expirience the same thing etc

endless.

stovelid

dfx- wrote: »

I don't see your problem.

The problem is that unless the league teams are lashing the likes of Juve, United and Madrid out of it: it's perceived a failed league.

Agree with the points about lack of marketing although I think Rovers do excellent work and that's not being biased. The truth is though that unless you have a facility to sell, a lot of people won't come. Ntlbell's idea of a guided tour idea is a good one, but again, in its present state, Dalyer can't compare with even middling grounds in other countries and it's hard to sell that especially to people who support the EPL.

The old conundrum keeps coming back: without support, you have nothing to sell; without anything to sell, you cannot garner new support.

And that's not to excuse the lack of vision in a lot of clubs.

eightyfish

ntlbell wrote: »

but the truth is there's really _nothing_ been done

Well some is being done, but not enough as per your post. Good ideas. May forward them on the the Bohs office.

Superhands

stovelid wrote: »

The problem is that unless the league teams are lashing the likes of Juve, United and Madrid out of it: it's perceived a failed league.

Agree with the points about lack of marketing although I think Rovers do excellent work and that's not being biased. The truth is though that unless you have a facility to sell, a lot of people won't come. Ntlbell's idea of a guided tour idea is a good one, but again, in its present state, Dalyer can't compare with even middling grounds in other countries and it's hard to sell that especially to people who support the EPL.

The old conundrum keeps coming back: without support, you have nothing to sell; without anything to sell, you cannot garner new support.

And that's not to excuse the lack of vision in a lot of clubs.

what type of things do rovers do out of interest ?

ntlbell

stovelid wrote: »

Agree with the points about lack of marketing although I think Rovers do excellent work and that's not being biased.

I'm originally from Tallaght, my familiy home is a short walk to the stadium.

Same thing, never a leaflet in the door or an invitation to the stadium.

(even when it first opened)

I don't recall seeing anything in the local shops.

There was a huge backlacsh from people in the watergate/old bawn area opposing this staduim, people moved out of old bawn because of it.

Wouldn't it have been nice to give them back something? Again, ceasing a good opportunity.

stovelid

ntlbell wrote: »

Same thing, never a leaflet in the door or an invitation to the stadium.

(even when it first opened)
.

Tallaght was leafleted for sure. My mum and dad still live in Killinarden (again: a couple of minutes walk away too) and they got one. I think I have it around somewhere.

Plus there was a decent marketing campaign before the first game:

http://www.shamrockrovers.ie/news/55-features/533-rovers-latest-advertising-campaign

As somebody who is in Tallaght a lot: I live nearby and my folks live there, I think the club have a decent presence in the area. I've seen faces at the games that I haven't seen for donkey's years: old school mates, their parents and whatnot. There continues to be a real buzz around the club there, despite the fact that they have enemies in the long-grass at every turn.

I think this has all been reflected in the attendances which are by far the best in the country., especially given the fact that the club hasn't won the league for so long and haven't been in Europe for seven years.

ntlbell

stovelid wrote: »

Tallaght was leafleted for sure. My mum and dad still live in Killinarden (again: a couple of minutes walk away too) and they got one. I think I have it around somewhere.

Plus there was a decent marketing campaign before the first game:

http://www.shamrockrovers.ie/news/55-features/533-rovers-latest-advertising-campaign

As somebody who is in Tallaght a lot: I live nearby and my folks live there, I think the club have a decent presence in the area. I've seen faces at the games that I haven't seen for donkey's years: old school mates, their parents and whatnot. There continues to be a real buzz around the club there, despite the fact that they have enemies in the long-grass at every turn.

I think this has all been reflected in the attendances which are by far the best in the country., especially given the fact that the club hasn't won the league for so long and haven't been in Europe for seven years.

I know it sounds like I'm being harsh, I'm just going on what I see myself.

I love that on the luas and the stops, this is the sort of thing I'm talking about. It brings so much identiy and that's a big part of it, identifying with the club and the area and really feeling part of something.

stovelid

ntlbell wrote: »

I know it sounds like I'm being harsh, I'm just going on what I see myself.

I love that on the luas and the stops, this is the sort of thing I'm talking about. It brings so much identiy and that's a big part of it, identifying with the club and the area and really feeling part of something.

The club are doing other stuff like soccer summer camps, as well as a pretty big schoolboy section (15 or more teams I think) now with local scholarship programmes too.

You know yourself there's nobody harsher on the clubs than ourselves. I do stand by the fact that clubs are stymied by the lack of money. If the local authorities could get involved more (and help with facilities) and in turn the clubs themselves could market those facilities, I think the league could move forward a bit more. I just think that the situation has got too dire at the minute for things to work without outside help or a big influx of cash.

djpbarry

ntlbell wrote: »

A small example, I live a few mins away from Dalymount, I've never once had a leaflet in my front door. or an invitation to come down.

I very rarley see any posters in the local shops, I think once I noticed one in the spar.

I'm not sure about _all_ the schools in the area but I'm sure most of them have never had a visit from the team.

I don’t know about Bohs, but Pats regularly do this sort of thing – they have a community newsletter, posters for games and players regularly visit local schools and football clubs. Sure, there’s always more that could be done, but to say that nothing is being done is just disingenuous.

ntlbell wrote: »

I'm originally from Tallaght, my familiy home is a short walk to the stadium.

Same thing, never a leaflet in the door or an invitation to the stadium.

Would you like Jonathan Roche to call to your door personally and lead you by the hand to the stadium?

ntlbell wrote: »

(even when it first opened)

I don't recall seeing anything in the local shops.

You must be walking around Tallaght with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears, because I remember being around Tallaght just before the stadium opened and Rovers branding was everywhere. Even now, I can’t believe there are many people in the Tallaght area who do not know that they have a local club called Shamrock Rovers.

pablomakaveli

ntlbell wrote: »

Can you give me some examples?

I know that in the last few years in Cork, City players have visited hospitals, schools etc. They let kids soccer teams come to the Cross on matchnight to play at half time in front of the crowds. I'm sure some of the players are involved with coaching kids.

There are usually ads for Cork City games in the local media. There was a free entry match last season as well.

I've also often seen Bohs, Shams and Shels matches advertised in the national papers as well.

These are only a few examples i can rattle of the top of my head.

The clubs and their fans do make the effort but it seems to fall on deaf ears a lot of the time.

bohsman

Its all been tried/suggested. Kids go free promotion probably the best we've had. Unfortunately you could offer to pay most football fanatics in this country to go to games and theyd decline. Lack of promotion is another good excuse for people to use though. It tough to go through Phibsboro on a match night without noticing the floodlights.

ntlbell

djpbarry wrote: »

Would you like Jonathan Roche to call to your door personally and lead you by the hand to the stadium?
You must be walking around Tallaght with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears, because I remember being around Tallaght just before the stadium opened and Rovers branding was everywhere. Even now, I can’t believe there are many people in the Tallaght area who do not know that they have a local club called Shamrock Rovers.

I don't live in Tallaght, so I don't be walking around it at all.

I'm not talking about someone calling to the door, I'm talking about a simple leaflet every now and then, you know, the same way I don't expect four star pizza to come and ask me to pop around, but they do intice me with deals,special offers.

Football clubs don't need to worry about me, I'll watch two 10 yr olds doing keepy uppys

But it's about trying to attract new blood.

CiaranC

ntlbell wrote: »

I don't live in Tallaght, so I don't be walking around it at all.

I'm not talking about someone calling to the door, I'm talking about a simple leaflet every now and then, you know, the same way I don't expect four star pizza to come and ask me to pop around, but they do intice me with deals,special offers.

Football clubs don't need to worry about me, I'll watch two 10 yr olds doing keepy uppys

But it's about trying to attract new blood.

We have leafleted Old Bawn and Watergate three times since moving in. I dropped them myself. The shops at Old Bawn have a poster weekly, as do the local pubs.

Our volunteer graphic designer produces a poster every home game which is distributed to lads all over the shop to hang up. We advertise on 98fm at least one or two games a month. We have a text service sending out news and updates, a top class website, have run poster campaigns in the toilets of the local boozers, on the luas, on the N81, run dozens of local youth teams, events and soccer camps in the stadium, stuff in the local schools etc etc

Sorry for not calling around to your Ma's house to invite her in person. We are an LOI club, our advertising budget only goes so far.

ntlbell

CiaranC wrote: »

We have leafleted Old Bawn and Watergate three times since moving in. I dropped them myself. The shops at Old Bawn have a poster weekly, as do the local pubs.

Our volunteer graphic designer produces a poster every home game which is distributed to lads all over the shop to hang up. We advertise on 98fm at least one or two games a month. We have a text service sending out news and updates, a top class website, have run poster campaigns in the toilets of the local boozers, on the luas, on the N81, run dozens of local youth teams, events and soccer camps in the stadium, stuff in the local schools etc etc

Sorry for not calling around to your Ma's house to invite her in person. We are an LOI club, our advertising budget only goes so far.

There's no need to be so poxy sarcastic.

ntlbell

someone suggested what teams should be doing, i was referring to boh's as an example.

I was just curious why there was no leaflet for a house fairly close to the ground, I wouldn't have thought dropping on the whole of tallaght once a season would be that costly.

CiaranC

Sorry I just quit smoking and I really hate deliverin leaflets

pablomakaveli

ntlbell wrote: »

someone suggested what teams should be doing, i was referring to boh's as an example.

I was just curious why there was no leaflet for a house fairly close to the ground, I wouldn't have thought dropping on the whole of tallaght once a season would be that costly.

You do know that dropping leaflets in houses isn't the only marketing ploy available nor a mandatory one. Just because teams aren't doing thisdoes'nt mean there's no marketing.

stovelid

ntlbell wrote: »

There's no need to be so poxy sarcastic.

Cone on. ntlbell, between what Ciaran and myself outlined, that's sufficient effort on finite resources. Less resources than some other clubs.

At the end of the day, you can only market so much. People have to make the jump and go to games. A large majority have never even been to a game of the English club they support so why would they go to a LOI game?

There were posters in places like Templeogue too IIRC.

ntlbell

stovelid wrote: »

Cone on. ntlbell, between what Ciaran and myself outlined, that's sufficient effort on finite resources. Less resources than some other clubs.

I never said otherwise lads, relax

me-skywalker

stovelid wrote: »

Apologies. Was only teasing.

well guess ive to eat my hat and attend Tallaght now haha

djpbarry

ntlbell wrote: »

someone suggested what teams should be doing, i was referring to boh's as an example.

I was just curious why there was no leaflet for a house fairly close to the ground...

Thought this might be relevant:

This week St Patrick’s Athletic have taken the promotional battle to the streets and are running a special targeted door drop campaign in Ballyfermot.

Saints striker Derek Doyle has grown up in Cleggan Road Ballyfermot and all the households in the surrounding streets will soon receive a special invitation to support local Derek and his St Pat’s team mates when they take on Sporting Fingal on Sunday.

Each household receives a match programme and a free child’s ticket as an incentive to come along to Richmond Park and “to bring a little somone with them”.

http://stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=3822