Just going through some of the other clubs forum. I thought these two posts from a couple of Altrincham supporters just goes to prove, that whatever the decision and no matter which club you support, there are going to be differing opinions on this topic.



   
Re: National League Suspended Indefinitely

Reply #4 on: Yesterday at 10:15:58 PM

I hope we - as club - vote for Kings Lynn to go up and support Barrows right to go up

*****


Re: National League Suspended Indefinitely

Reply #5 on: Today at 10:19:49 AM

null and void it for me if you can't take it to a conclusion.......how can you promote kings lynn when their form has dipped and York are top???

Man, I miss  this place!!

The most important of the less important things.

 

Seriously though. Until the fat lady sings, no club has won anything, no club has lost anything.

Whatever the decision there are going to be people disagree with it. Having read fors and against and people's alternative ideas, imho I still think it should be a case of "as you were".

No promotions, no relegations.

 

https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/features/29789/football-fans-want-to-know-their-clubs-can-survive-coronavirus-crisis/

Locked down, so more time to read items from sources I wouldn't usually follow.

I think its fair to say that many are expecting a very different world when the current crisis is finally over (whenever that may be), and not just with regards to football. All sorts of things will have to change and the billions of pounds that is being returned to the taxpayer will obviously have to be recouped over a period of many years to come. How we go about our everday life is going to change and effect us all one way or another, and not just finacially.

I've just read an article by Maidstone Chairman. He seems to have managed to get his head around this to a certain degree.

He is of the opinion that non league football needs to press the reset button. i.e. going part time, as their wil be fewer people buying season tickets, fewer advertisers, fewer sponsors etc. Basically a lot less money available for people to spend on football (and of course other pastimes and even things in general).

He continues by saying that some Clubs have made it difficult for themselves by existing on an owner subsidy for years and now the owners are having  trouble funding Clubs because their own business's are experiencing financial problems themselves.

He goes on to say that there are too many clubs in the country, TV money is expected to be less, so even less will filter down the leagues. The league structure will have to be different in terms of Clubs travelling from one end of the country to another (every cloud.........).  He expects to see Clubs go the wall and when one does, it could have a domino effect.

Doom and gloom? Maybe but imo if this is coming from a Chairman of a Club, this kind of warning as to what we can expect has to be listened to.

If you tie that in with what our Govt , its Officials, scientists and health specialist are saying regarding life in general, then going forward, then things could get even worse as far as football is concerned.

It sounds to me that the lockdown will be extended, with some thinking as far as June. Social distancing could go on even longer, maybe as long as 18 months.

If that happens its goodbye to next season, but by then I suupose we will all have far greater concerns than football and even the individual football clubs we support.

Who knows whats to come. We are entering uncharted territory. If people think that this will not get far worse before it gets better, ask yourself if you ever thought we would be in our current position only a matter of 6 weeks ago?

#stay safe.

 

Taken from Facebook;

So, I feel there needs to be some careful PR work done here before we alienate the core of the club from more people.

A ) We have the issue with the Trust. I understand what has occurred, but there was no need to go public with it. That's just caused more juicy gossip for no reason. I would love a trust spokesperson to make a statement, but feel it won't occur due to risk of arguments and worsening the issue?

B ) The tendency to snipe out in the public forum from our chairman needs, well HAS to be reigned in. You make no friends and make every single team that plays us get "up" for their cup final. Not going to win in the long run and it will make more unfavourable decisions come back to haunt us.

C ) This new signing, whatever has occurred. Buy now-pay once season commences? Buy now, defer wages until playing commences? You really need to get it under control. We look a laughing stock, issue a statement asap.

D ) The fundraising, when combined with above. We are community running a raise of around £5000, when it looks like you just spent £10,000 on a new player? Do you see how this looks to all of us?

E ) Local businesses are scared of you, or your tongue(s) and don't want to "invest" or contribute. I know of at least 3 of the big area companies that want 0, nothing, NADA to do with the club with how "businessly" it is running right now. You need to work on relationships and trust back to them all. Local community workshops, giving back to the community and more.

And now some useful ideas to help save face and be a community beacon of hope moving forward:

F ) GET into Schools and offer a scheme when all schools have a flyer or ticket scheme, "bring a parent". If you bring the flyer to a game, you get £2 off the combined entrance fee for a parent and child ticket.

G ) Offer a school "year" or "class" the opportunities to be ball boys once a month. Competitions like colouring in a team mascot or "guess where the ball is" from a still image, or a "submit a video of your class/school club doing a trick as a team or a warm-up drill /goal from a game" and the club chooses one to attend a game. FREE Press in all the local newspapers, schools will promote it as it's fun and there is an actual prize at the end of it.

H ) Local leagues. Maybe run a scheme where you simply have someone at the club check out local leagues and invite clubs near the top of the tables, or after a big game a free invite to warm up before a game and be ball boys. Parents will pay to attend to watch their kids and you get youngsters "bitten" by the Linnets bug and they may want to come back, again and again. Build up the fan base from early. Heck, sponsor the under 16's cup competition, lads then may wish to follow and come through to the u18's scheme.

I ) Local business weekend. Every 3 or 4 home games. if you work for X,Y,Z - you obviously canvas the businesses in advance, you have a marketing/business team now for this sole purpose. If they attend or pay for a ticket in advance, they get a free pint/soft drink and £1 off entry.

J ) JUMP ON THE KEY WORKERS thing. Offer reduced rates for key workers from the current climate next year. NHS, Police, Fire services, delivery couriers, truckers, posties, supermarket staff? Show a pass and get a permanent discount for the whole season. Local people will adore you for the incentive and you WILL get potential national press coverage for offering the scheme. Show you appreciate them and they will appreciate you in return.

All of these will take man-hours, a few logistics, but come on, we have a rife area here, LOTS of kids playing football and a gazillion parents and adults all looking for something fun to do when this is all over. Get planning and put in the work now to reap the benefits next year. It's not like you can't sit at a computer as a collective and brainstorm it together

Now before you say 'tried it before' people don't respond to it. Well, they will if you do it right, actually take the time to promote it properly. Get things created and made up in advance. 

Before you say  "it means fewer takings" - well £13 x 30 is better than £15 x 0 .... simple business here....

Thoughts?

Far to sensible For your own good Captain. Certainly has been the usual hysteria. Even Trust funders are apparently at it. People who have been there from the start. They of all people should know the Trust cant just give its money away for no return. Whatever the circumstances. Tis a shame there's no football, the Chairmans notes would certainly be interesting.

I did hear that someone went public saying they were going to resign from the Trust, and was then informed that they were not a member of the Trust anyway.

Why on earth would someone want to say that?