First Game of the season - MYFC take note!

[JimGNFC]

As a long standing Fleet fan, who has chosen not to attend games this season due to all the political "Shenanigans" at the Club, I opted to pay my first visit to Stonebridge Road this evening.

 

This was the first fixture I was able to attend POST MYFC takeover. To be honest I was a little apprehensive, uncertain how I would react to the "chants" of "Ebbsfleet united F.C.".

 

However, the "name change" aside, it quickly dawned on me that little has changed at the Club, despite the transfer of ownership to MYFC. For example:

 

- Seeing the players run out in the "red and white kit" of Ebbsfleet United made me realise they are still "The Fleet" aka Gravesend and Northfleet F.C.

- The former directors appear to still sit in the Directors boxes

- The style of football based on tonights evidence appears to be

much the same as last season - fairly direct.

- A loyal hardcore support of 5-600 regardless of MYFC attendance

 

In fact the only time I felt a little awkward was at the beginning of the second half when the PA Announcer called out "Please welcome Ebbsfleet United onto the pitch" etc etc.

 

However, leaving the result and performance aside I couldn't help asking myself two questions:

 

a) what has actually changed at the Club? Aside from "Fleet Life"

which is the best "Fleet Programme" I can recall.

 

What are MYFC doing to attract more local interest in the Football Club?"

 

As far as a) goes I can't see that a great deal has changed from last season to be honest based on this 1 visit.

 

With reference to tonights attendance of over 500 indicates that MYFC are reliant on "local" support rather than MYFC'ers for evening games.

 

With this in mind, should the Fleet get a "result" this Saturday at Aldershot, do MYFC recognise the importance and have the "know-how" of promoting a Wembly appearence to the locals?

 

I'm generally Pro-MYFC but as a "lapsed" supporter I feel the MYFC takeover has had "little" if any impact on local people.

 

A possible Wembly appearence represents a terrific opportunity for both MYFC and the Club to "Build a new local fanbase". Please don't blow this opportunity by not promoting the Club properly to the local populous. Here's for a positive result on Saturday. Up the Fleet!

 

[Yorkfox]

Very true words. I Know that the local support has always been very important to people on the MYFC boards, even before the involvement of the Fleet happened. Everytime something has been mentioned, eg tickets for schools, kids for a pound, the answer seems to come back that its been tried before. I fear it will be a long hard job to boost the local gate, but one that will have to be done. The pattern of MYFC members from all over the UK visiting matches will be a very individual one , based on their location. They talk of going to games in their area and getting to some at Stonebridege, but at the end of the day, you have to hope they follow through on their talk. I can only do what I can, with my own attendance when circumstances allow and cash is available. Although that said, I know I want to go every week. I hope the 4 MYFC buses from various parts of the UK will be successful for the Woking game, but I fear for the cold winters evening game, the attendance will mainly be down to locals and people living within say an hour. I know you dont know me, but I am trying my very best to try and get people to games. Infact just before I read your post, I was writing a post of my own to try and get the MYFC people out to Aldershot in some numbers. Like I said, you have to do your best and then hope. The numbers went to Burton, I hope that we can do even better on Saturday.

 

I feel people have to earn that ticket to the stadium in West London in May. The same could apply to locals aswell.

[clowntown]

The MyFC takeover has had an effect in that G&N/EUFC would be going rapidly bust without it. Look at the amount of debt you were and still are accruing (40k pcm or whatever, something that wouldn't have come to light without the takeover due dilligence). The MyFC moonies with their £35 charity donations have staved off bankruptcy at least for a year or two. As for the chants of Ebbsfleet United FC, you seem to be blaming MyFC for those. Have you been living up a tree for twelve months? Your board made THAT decision - the name change - several months before MyFC even existed, let alone became linked with your club. You can blame the Will Brooks cult for lots of things but blaming them for the name change is like blaming Gordon Brown for England losing the Battle of Hastings.

[Stu M]

Originally Posted By: clowntown

You can blame the Will Brooks cult for lots of things but blaming them for the name change is like blaming Gordon Brown for England losing the Battle of Hastings.

Find me the bit where he's blaming MyFC for that again would you clownbrains?

[clowntown]

The bit where has says "This was the first fixture I was able to attend POST MYFC takeover. To be honest I was a little apprehensive, uncertain how I would react to the "chants" of "Ebbsfleet united F.C."." He references the name change throughout a post directed at the MyFC takeover. Why? I don't understand how the two are connected, other than both resulting from your board trying to make financial arrangements to secure the short to medium-term future of the club.

[waggamick]

Not how I read it.

I got the impression that he hadn't attended since the change of names and that hearing the new name would be odd to him.

I didn't get the impression that he held MYFC responsible for the name change.

Words, context and meanings....how lawyers make their $$$$$

[Stu M]

Originally Posted By: clowntown

The bit where has says "This was the first fixture I was able to attend POST MYFC takeover. To be honest I was a little apprehensive, uncertain how I would react to the "chants" of "Ebbsfleet united F.C."."

I'm at a little bit of an advantage here in that Jim has previously expressed concern about the name change and this was his first game back so he was taking on board how he felt about that AND about MyFC since he hasn't attended a game since either event.

Not the first time you're wrong, though, clowntown, so don't sweat it...

[Hempstead Gaz]

I thought Clownbrain had been banned for being too stupid to maker proper posts.

He belongs to Confguide (or it's new guise Conferenceforum)

[chris blanc]

If we banned everyone who made stupid, pointless, ill thought out comments on here there would be very few people left

[doheochai]

Jim - I would agree with the vast majority of what you have said - and it is great the see you back at Stonebridge Road.

 

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

a) what has actually changed at the Club?

Very little to date - although the MyFC Board will be elected this week and that will facilitate future possible changes and hopefully, in most cases, changes for the better. No one involved in MyFC is under any illusion that it will be difficult and mistakes will be made. Hopefully, we (MyFC and EUFC) will recognise when these are happening and will be able to correct them without any impact on the club.

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

What are MYFC doing to attract more local interest in the Football Club?"

MyFC has only been in ownership for 4 weeks and is still currently in the process of electing a Board etc. However, the vast majority of MyFC members recognise that the long-term sustainablity of EUFC is based on building the local fan base. It is not going to happen overnight and will require a long-term strategy with the involvement of everyone who wants to see EUFC progress.

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

tonights attendance of over 500 indicates that MYFC are reliant on "local" support rather than MYFC'ers for evening games.

I think that it is the club that is reliant on 'local' support rather than MyFC. MyFC can and will only have a certain impact. Realistically, it will only be Saturday games that MyFC members will travel to attend. We are in the process of trying to increase the number of MyFC members attending Saturday games, but a different strategy is certainly required for mid-week games.

 

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

do MYFC recognise the importance and have the "know-how" of promoting a Wembly appearence to the locals?

A Wembley appearance is an unmissable opportunity to promote the club in the local community.

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

I'm generally Pro-MYFC but as a "lapsed" supporter I feel the MYFC takeover has had "little" if any impact on local people.

I would agree and it will take time to happen and only if we do the job right.

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

A possible Wembly appearence represents a terrific opportunity for both MYFC and the Club to "Build a new local fanbase". Please don't blow this opportunity by not promoting the Club properly to the local populous. Here's for a positive result on Saturday. Up the Fleet!

Absolutely.

[JimGNFC]

Clowntown - sorry but you have totally "misunderstood" my post. In no way am I blaming MYFC for the name change. The 2 episodes are completely un-related. The 7th post on this thread by Stu M summarises perfectly my feelings. Read it!

 

As for MYFC doing more to attract "local" support, as doheochai points out MYFC is only 4 weeks old. I'm not expecting MYFC to perform miracles.

 

I was simply trying to emphasise the importance of MYFC promoting a potential "Wembly" appearence to the locals in order to re-ignite interest in the Football Club. When Fleet drew Aston Villa, the Fleet took some 6000 fans away so there is some untapped potential for improving gates amongst the locals.

 

I want MYFC to be a success else the Club will fail and the best way to do this is a combination of MYFC support and increased local support.

[Derryman]

It should be clarified that the MyFC members (those not disenfranchised by the autocrat Flasher, that is) are only electing a SOCIETY Board. This is not the Club Board.

 

As you were.

[David Holden]

Originally Posted By: JimGNFC

I was simply trying to emphasise the importance of MYFC promoting a potential "Wembly" appearence to the locals in order to re-ignite interest in the Football Club. When Fleet drew Aston Villa, the Fleet took some 6000 fans away so there is some untapped potential for improving gates amongst the locals.

The problem is that at the home game a week later the crowd was back to about 600.

The fact that people will turn out for the big occasions doesn't mean that we will see them again until the next time.

[Derryman]

That was always going to be the way, David. The vast majority of the newcomers may turn out to be no more than Good Time Charlies, fair weather supporters.

 

Which leads one to question of what EXACTLY is behind the MyFC "ethos". In interviews to newspapers, Flasher has recounted his days as a Fulham follower (where his estimates of attendances vary considerably from interview to interview btw) and his dreams of getting his fellow Fulham punters to pitch in a few quid to buy and run the club. But he didn't do anything about that at Fulham and he doesn't now seem happy that they are getting full houses in the Premier League.

 

So there must be something "else" on the agenda.

[JimGNFC]

Originally Posted By: David Holden

The problem is that at the home game a week later the crowd was back to about 600.

The fact that people will turn out for the big occasions doesn't mean that we will see them again until the next time.

True, I knew someone would mention this fact.

On the other hand, in the case of Villa I would argue the Club made the classic mistake of many teams on a successful Cup run by failing to build on this success, by simply expecting some of the casual support from Villa to turn up for the next league fixture.

Did the Club offer discount admission to the following league game on production of a Villa ticket? I can't recall now. The club certainly didnt advertise its league fixtures in the local press at the time, as it does now, as this was something I took Brian and Jason to task on a few years ago at a fans forum.

I'm not saying the Club hasn't tried things in the past to generate local interest but just because it didn't work then - it doesn't mean the Club shouldn't try them again.

Its my view the club has run a lot of good incentives but has generally failed to promote them properly to the locals.

Purely as an example and this may well be factually incorrect but didn't the Club offer a reduced season ticket for U16's - something like £25? Well, when have you seen this publicised in the press or promoted to the local schools. I've never seen either done.

All I'm saying is MYFC is a clean slate and as such the Club needs to re-try some of the good initiatives it has previously done but this time promote them better tenfold.

[clowntown]

The problem is locals who don't attend games at Stonebridge already but who turn up for cup finals are either glory hunters or supporters of other teams. It's the spectacle of the 'big day out' for the local community that they are buying into with something like a Wembley final, rather than ongoing support for the club itself. Hence the number of people you'd see at such games weraing replica kits that date from 15 years ago (the last time they went to games), or the number of people in Charlton, Arsenal, Gills etc shirts turning up to see a local team they don't really support just 'cause they're local and in a big game. I support Charlton but was born in Woking and live in Brighton, and will happily admit that I turn up to support Woking and Brighton whenever they are in a major final (eg recent FA Trophy and Play-off Final respectively) but wouldn't give either club a second thought otherwise. A large portion of any extra support G&N take should they reach the Trophy final will be of a similar mindset. Expecting to be able to convert more than the tiniest handful to start attending league games on wet and windy midweek evenings is, I'm afraid to say, hopelessly optimistic. C'est la vie.

[Alan ( GNFC )]

Is not the biggest problem that Fleet games can be viewed on the net for £45 a year - £35 MYFC membership and then £10 for some gismo thingy ?

 

[PatMan]

Originally Posted By: Alan ( GNFC )

Is not the biggest problem that Fleet games can be viewed on the net for £45 a year - £35 MYFC membership and then £10 for some gismo thingy ?

Is it not only £35? The extra £10 just gives hi-definition if I am right?

But, THAT could be a factor why very few MyFC would want to make the effort to leave their armchairs on a cold night for anything less than cup-glory!

[Fleet Jordy]

Originally Posted By: PatMan

But, THAT could be a factor why very few MyFC would want to make the effort to leave their armchairs on a cold night for anything less than cup-glory!

Even if a local came through the door, signed up to MyFC and realised that they could watch all the games for the cost of £35 per year, would they go back to watch another game in the flesh?

[PatMan]

Originally Posted By: Fleet Jordy

Even if a local came through the door, signed up to MyFC and realised that they could watch all the games for the cost of £35 per year, would they go back to watch another game in the flesh?

Its a bit different for 'locals'. There is no real effort involved in a 20-30 minute journey to watch your side play.
And real football fans know its all about 'being there'!

And if the £35 to watch the games can influence attendance, this is surely a good argument to reduce admission??