Improving atmosphere at the Keepmoat

[bobjimwilly]

Evening all. Some of you may have heard of a bloke called Mark Bradley from the Fan Experience Company? He's the bald Mackem that has been at a couple of meet the owners evenings in the past; his company basically helps bring fans closer to their clubs and improve overall customer service.

In the past he has worked with supporters groups such as Red Faction at Middlesbrough and North Stand Loyal at Huddersfield to help them improve the atmosphere at home games by creating singing/standing sections, amongst other things. Mark has kindly offered to help us, DRFC fans, achieve these things at the Keepmoat by meeting with the fans, finding out what we want and how we can get the club to agree to our terms.

Of course, there may be stumbling blocks that fans and the club have to overcome, but by all meeting up with Mark, separate from the club, I think there's a strong chance we can all get what we want. But Mark needs supporters who want things such as singing and standing sections to meet up with him and get the ball rolling. Does anyone on here like the sound of this? Who would be prepared to meet up, without the club present, to talk about what you want?
If anyone can help improve the atmosphere at the Keepmoat, I'm sure it's Mark.

Let me know what you think?

(I've asked this on the DRFC Facebook Group with little response, so I'm hoping some people on here, preferable a mix of VSC and non-VSC members, will respond. If you want to respond via Facebook, my post on there can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2208820057/permalink/10154738504330058/)

Just to clarify, this isn't specifically a VSC led campaign or anything; the club want views from all sections of support to be heard! Thanks.

 

[Donnybax]

Sounds positive

[Filo]

Here's a chance for all those not happy to do something about it, speak now or for ever hold your peace!

[Dagenham Rover]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

[Filo]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

[Wellred]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

Maybe if you wasn't constantly berating them they might be a bit more positive.

[Filo]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

Maybe if you wasn't constantly berating them they might be a bit more positive.

I doubt it, but given a chance to have a pop and you're on it in a flash!

[Wellred]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

Maybe if you wasn't constantly berating them they might be a bit more positive.

I doubt it, but given a chance to have a pop and you're on it in a flash!

Do you ever have anything nice to say about anyone?

[Glyn_Wigley]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

Maybe if you wasn't constantly berating them they might be a bit more positive.

I doubt it, but given a chance to have a pop and you're on it in a flash!

Do you ever have anything nice to say about anyone?

Oh the irony

[Wellred]

I would have thought you would have had a pretty good take up on fb  as they tend to be pretty vocal about some things

The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

Maybe if you wasn't constantly berating them they might be a bit more positive.

I doubt it, but given a chance to have a pop and you're on it in a flash!

Do you ever have anything nice to say about anyone?

Oh the irony

Yes but I get silenced for it!!!!

Strange that isn't it?

[bobjimwilly]

Yes but I get silenced for it!!!!

Strange that isn't it?

And yet here you are, Wellred?

Please fellas, don't turn this thread into a negative slanging match. If people don't want to respond on either here or fb, it's up to them. If it's because of perceived perceptions of me, then that's a shame as I have only met a handful of people in real life who are on that Facebook group.

Reading between the lines I'm confident we, the fans, can organise an unreserved singing section somewhere in the south stand, and I'm also confident we could work the club, safety officer, stewards etc to allow fans in that section to stand, as many fans already do at the Keepmoat. The sticking point is always going to be those few fans that are set on doing this in the west stand; if we could get those fans in a room to explain why this can't happen, and the compromises fans from other clubs have made, I'm sure we could make this work and improve the atmosphere as a result.

[Wellred]

Yes but I get silenced for it!!!!

Strange that isn't it?

And yet here you are, Wellred?

Please fellas, don't turn this thread into a negative slanging match. If people don't want to respond on either here or fb, it's up to them. If it's because of perceived perceptions of me, then that's a shame as I have only met a handful of people in real life who are on that Facebook group.

Reading between the lines I'm confident we, the fans, can organise an unreserved singing section somewhere in the south stand, and I'm also confident we could work the club, safety officer, stewards etc to allow fans in that section to stand, as many fans already do at the Keepmoat. The sticking point is always going to be those few fans that are set on doing this in the west stand; if we could get those fans in a room to explain why this can't happen, and the compromises fans from other clubs have made, I'm sure we could make this work and improve the atmosphere as a result.

I haven't aimed any criticism at you BJW.
The first negative post was from Filo The trouble is that would mean them actually doing something about it, it's much easier to have a moan and berate those that do try

I merely pointed out that having a dig about the fb posters isn't going to help your appeal

But hey forget who posted it. It's Wellred having a moan again and Teflon man is innocent yet again.

[bobjimwilly]

I'm not having a dig at anyone. I don't bundle everyone in the facebook group together and to do so would be pointless. It is true that no-one has shown interest in attending though Wellred, which I have also stated on FB.

[Wellred]

I'm not having a dig at anyone. I don't bundle everyone in the facebook group together and to do so would be pointless. It is true that no-one has shown interest in attending though Wellred, which I have also stated on FB.

Only one person has had a dig. Its not you but he knows who he is.

[Hag]

Not sure he could help at all really.
Down to simple maths, football is pricing itself out of the reach of those who would like to go!
That is most league teams, you need to charge big to pay wages and compete, if not enough pay it.... weird spiral!

Whats the unemployment rate round here? pretty big, and they don't get any discount.
But if you gave them a discount, that penalises those who can pay the full amount, there's that weird spiral again!

[Copps is Magic]

The number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance is 6,323 in Doncaster around 7.3% of working aged population. Around 2,000 of those people are long-term unemployed linked to drug/alcohol issues and minor medical problems. As such I don't think targeting the unemployed would attrack many more fans or improve the atmosphere.

Discount tickets for youths would be a better approach. I'm talking 14-21. These are typically the people willing to make some noise but are often priced out once their parents stop paying for them to go.

The other problem is the club won't sanction a singing section anywhere other than the south stand. Which is why it won't work among a hardcore of 5k.

[Hag]

Got to be honest those figures amaze me, not saying they are wrong, but only 6,000+ in a borough our size, surprises me!
We have crowd size problems just the same as most teams in the country, the only ones who are doing well are such as Bradford, who set the prices at a realistic level for who they are, and where they are, and get great crowds.

[bobjimwilly]

Not sure who you're referring to when you say "A hardcore of 5k", but if those people who were frustrated about not being able to do something in the west stand would meet up with myself, Mark Bradley etc (not the club) then, like I said, maybe a compromise can be reached. The obstacles we're facing aren't unique in football; many hardcore fans from other clubs, Red Faction up at Boro for instance, had the same complaints and issues, yet they are now happy where they are sat and sing as loud as ever, with the clubs/police/stewards full backing, which is a great result. That's what we need to work towards at the Keepmoat.

[glosterred]

Having a team that plays good football and wins is always conducive to improving the atmosphere.

COYR

 

[goalkick]

Agree copps.many people in that age group are still in education, part time employment and have minimal income if any.good point

[Wild Rover]

The number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance is 6,323 in Doncaster around 7.3% of working aged population. Around 2,000 of those people are long-term unemployed linked to drug/alcohol issues and minor medical problems. As such I don't think targeting the unemployed would attrack many more fans or improve the atmosphere.

Discount tickets for youths would be a better approach. I'm talking 14-21. These are typically the people willing to make some noise but are often priced out once their parents stop paying for them to go.

The other problem is the club won't sanction a singing section anywhere other than the south stand. Which is why it won't work among a hardcore of 5k.

Those figures are DONCASTER not DMB is my guess as working age population would be 86.6 thousand ( around a third of Population of DMB) and I am sure there must be less than a third retired and less than a third under working age in DMB.

[wilts rover]

Got to be honest those figures amaze me, not saying they are wrong, but only 6,000+ in a borough our size, surprises me!
We have crowd size problems just the same as most teams in the country, the only ones who are doing well are such as Bradford, who set the prices at a realistic level for who they are, and where they are, and get great crowds.

2014-15 Season Tickets £199.00 for juniors, £249.00 for senior citizens and students, and £299 for adults.   

Matchday Prices
Adults : £20.00 
Senior Citizens/Students* : £14.00 
Juveniles U16 : £12.00

Rovers prices
Cat B Season tickets (pre 31st March prices): Juniors £70, 17-20yo £149, seniors £234, adult £324

Matchday Prices Cat B (Members)
Adults - £19
Senior Citizens -£15
17-20 -£11
U16 - £8

Notice anything there?

[godlike1]

Id be interested in this I think that by listening to what has been done in other grounds would certainly be of help.

One problem is that other clubs tend to have very passionate football oriented fans.

I don't think that is the same in doncaster, maybe because of how things have gone on with the off field antics over the last few years the buzz is not there as much

Build the hype, excitement, expectation and results of course then the atmosphere should come.

I do find that we are not alone though as a club because the number of games I've seen off clubs aka Chelsea where you can hear a pin drop for long periods shows seating and prices have taken some of the fun away from football

[Bentley Bullet]

The best way to attract more fans to the Keepmoat is to tap the market of Doncaster football fans who, on the contrary to being given  discounts to watch games, actually pay out far more cash to travel to, and watch nearby more successful clubs.

This market was exploited a few years back when we were on our rise up the football ladder, and our biggest football fan export, L**ds utd, was in decline. It was this period when some of those glory chasing mercenaries continued their trait by supporting Rovers in their continued pursuit of glory.

Unfortunately, the roles reversed and as L**ds rose again, Donny went in decline......Guess where the glory chasers went!

The answer to achieving a bigger attendance and better atmosphere is simple - get a successful winning team.

Achieving that is not so simple.

[bobjimwilly]

I'd agree that having a good football team is the best way to improve atmosphere and increase attendances, but when that isn't going so well you have to look at the other things, which is what this is all about.

[graingrover]

So there are your answers . Do't come on here expecting anything positive  whatsoever !!!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I'd like to speak in support of this from first hand experience.

I've met with Mark Bradley on 2 occasions, second time with Lee Croft a couple of years back.

Was was always a frustration in the past that the club (Teflon Dave) would not take on board any of our recommendations (many taken from this forum) yet when those same recommendations are put forard by a professional consultant, it has a different effect.

Not unique, we see it in buisness all the time, however Mark's involvement does help and he has influenced the club to listen and take onboard feedback. We would not have had those surveys had it not been for Mark persuading the club to be brave enough.

These things do need revisiting periodically and now seems the right time.

We have had a couple of bashes at this issue in the past and on reflection, if there is a trick we've missed, it's not involving the players. Having a players representative included in the discussion group would help us to understand what a 'good atmospehere' means to them.

In addition, when was the last time we saw Donny Dog running up and down trying to get everyone going?

Mark is good at helping us and the club to focus on the things we can do something about, rather than those out of our control. He has a wealth of knowledge about things that have been tried at other clubs so he can tell you what works and what might not.

There may be other things Mark can help with such as improving the communication between club and fans.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone who has an interest and is prepared to sacrifice a little time.

BB, why not give it a go? You always speak well.   

[Bentley Bullet]

Thanks DBR but I doubt my views on things, which when expressed are what I believe to be right, and not affected by fear of being unpopular, wouldn't do justice to the task.

The forum statesmen along with their followers would be far more impressive.

[Mr1Croft]

I'd like to speak in support of this from first hand experience.

I've met with Mark Bradley on 2 occasions, second time with Lee Croft a couple of years back.

Was was always a frustration in the past that the club (Teflon Dave) would not take on board any of our recommendations (many taken from this forum) yet when those same recommendations are put forard by a professional consultant, it has a different effect.

Not unique, we see it in buisness all the time, however Mark's involvement does help and he has influenced the club to listen and take onboard feedback. We would not have had those surveys had it not been for Mark persuading the club to be brave enough.

These things do need revisiting periodically and now seems the right time.

We have had a couple of bashes at this issue in the past and on reflection, if there is a trick we've missed, it's not involving the players. Having a players representative included in the discussion group would help us to understand what a 'good atmospehere' means to them.

In addition, when was the last time we saw Donny Dog running up and down trying to get everyone going?

Mark is good at helping us and the club to focus on the things we can do something about, rather than those out of our control. He has a wealth of knowledge about things that have been tried at other clubs so he can tell you what works and what might not.

There may be other things Mark can help with such as improving the communication between club and fans.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone who has an interest and is prepared to sacrifice a little time.

BB, why not give it a go? You always speak well.   

I will back this up and encourage every supporter who could make such an event to do so. Mark is the best in the business for a reason and he is someone who without none of the improvements already made under IRWT in the last couple of years would have been possible.

[the vicar]

there int enough people that want to sing at KMS these days