Kit competitions in future

[River Don]

For me there are two ways it could be done.

Start with a clear entry deadline, then have participants email their designs to the VSC or Club. Limit the entries to say only one or two each. The competition would be open to anyone and everyone including club chairmen, players, kit men and their wives.

Announce a vote online, in the press, on the official site and the VSC. Leave the vote open for a decent length of time so everyone who wants to has chance to participate.

The only slight draw back with this is opposition fans can vote too.

The other way is announce a competition, that would be judged by a panel comprising for example the club owners, Gavin Baldwin, a member of the VSC and a technical advisor from the company making it.

I think it would be fairest if members of the judging panel weren't allowed to enter.

[hoolahoop]

Hmm seems a good idea to me RD

[Belle Vue Popside]

Just let John Ryan do as he please, imo. Kit competitions should now be scrapped in future because it's so clear that they don't appreciate your efforts (no matter how much they say differently).

IRWT

[River Don]

Just let John Ryan do as he please, imo. Kit competitions should now be scrapped in future because it's so clear that they don't appreciate your efforts (no matter how much they say differently).

IRWT

Well of course that would be fine.

But John has said he's very enthusiastic about the competition idea, in which case perhaps he would prefer a system where he is a judge and has final say on a winner?

[Belle Vue Popside]

Just let John Ryan do as he please, imo. Kit competitions should now be scrapped in future because it's so clear that they don't appreciate your efforts (no matter how much they say differently).

IRWT

Well of course that would be fine.

But John has said he's very enthusiastic about the competition idea, in which case perhaps he would prefer a system where he is a judge and has final say on a winner?

That enthusiastic about it that he wants to move the goalposts and get his own way.

Nevermind him being judge... Let him design the kit,  sew the kit, wear the kit and sleep with the kit. It's obvious that's what he wants. We can't upset John Ryan.

[Mr1Croft]

With all due respect when I started designing kits, along with others including yourself River Don, Skellow and Akinfenwa, I never imagined that we would actually be in with a chance of having our shirt being the one the players wear next season. Everything just came about so quick it didn't give many people the chance to think it through. If we knew from the start that we would actually be having a competition everything would have been done with much more thought and much more organised. The VSC did actually speak of running a very long competition of pitting shirts against each other daily, but the sudden timescale we were given meant we had to run the poll we did, in the time we did.

If this does happen again we have many lessons to learn from and I think we will be better prepared. But, remember that because of IRWT we have the Chairman of our football club, a man who needs know introductions and commands the respect of every Rovers fan, asking us, the fans, whether he can submit his own designs. That is not something we should overlook here, it is a great credit to what we the fans have become to Doncaster Rovers, and a credit to the IRWT program.

[Belle Vue Popside]

It's not the VSC that needs to learn from this... It's the club/John Ryan!

[River Don]

MrCroft, I know it was all unexpected and hurried.

I just think in future it's something the VSC/IRWT ought to encourage the club to do and maybe give them a reminder about it around November time?

[IDM]

Some folks on here seem to think that just because JR wanted to join in the kit competition (late) then this would automatically undermine everyone else's efforts. And if we think he is too late for the competition he will accept it. 

If you actually read what JR has asked, and SM's post today, he is coming to us for our permission.  What other chairman would do that FFS?

So now we have folks like BVP over reacting.  Get a grip - without JR we would not have had club. Period.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Agreed, there are some ridiculous reactive comments here.

The whole thing was spontaneous, class effort put in by the designers, and as you say, JR asked if he could join in, and it all seems transparent enough just that the voting results won't be anounced till the kit is ready hence keeping some excitement. Makes sense.

Great work by the VSC and the club