Attracting the next generation of supporters. Really?

[mrfrostsdad]

My brothers Grandson was one of the 9 and 10 year olds waving the flags as the teams came on on Saturday and then taking a penalty each at half time. 16 of them apparently, kids that is, not penalties. They were from a local kids football club. Apparently they had to pay £350 for the privilege.

To be honest, I thought he was having a laugh. Are we trying to attract the next generation of football fans or what?

Ok, it's an 'income stream' as we like to call them these days. £350 x 23 home games = just over 8 grand. But are we that desperate for that amount of money? Would it not be better to encourage every junior football club in the area to do this in the hope they enjoy their day and then pester their parents to take them back to watch more games? We are trying to secure the next generation of Rovers fans. Is this the right way to go about it? I'm not convinced

[roverssam1879]

If that is the case then that is tragic! be dipping into the poppy appeal tubs next!

Youth are the next 6000 to come and watch the rovers play. Clubs should be doing all they can to get the young ones through the gates!

It should be free for a club/school a game, doing the rounds in the borough.

[adamtherover]

Don't Everton charge summat like 5k for kids to be a mascot for the day?

[Spud]

Tbf the club do give out a lot of free tickets to schools & junior football teams.
The £350 package does also include a lot more than waving a flag & a pen at half time too, the details i can't exactly remember but are in the matchday programmes (or at least they were, i've not bought one for a while).

[Jenny]

The Rovers Community Foundation do a lot of amazing work - I think it is massively unfair to suggest that all that the club do is charge people for a half time kick around to attract the next generation. You couldn't be further from reality if you tried.

Check out http://www.drfc-community.co.uk/

[mrfrostsdad]

Fair enough Jenny, so why do we charge for that? Are we desperate for that 8k, or is it not worth the risk that we MAY make more money by not charging?

Hey, it's just a thought. People moan about the crowds.all I'm trying to do is offer a suggestion that may, or may not, work

[Jenny]

I don't see the issue in charging for it if I am honest. I have seen kids taking part at every game that I have been to this season which suggests that it isn't putting people off paying. If they were charging and there was no uptake then I would say we needed to do more.

Same as if this was the only way the Rovers were getting into the younger community then I would say that we needed to do more. But it isn't.... The work that they do in schools and with local teams etc is extensive and way beyond what most do at this level.
 
Factor in the cheap kids season tickets, family areas etc and I would say that this is one area that the club have spot on.

[mrfrostsdad]

Really?
So why were there only 6400 home supporters there on Saturday? Do you think that's spot on too?

[Jenny]

No but I fail to see what more the in could do with kids knowing all what they do already.

Obviously the parents need targeting to bring them but that's a different kettle of fish and I fail to see how making the flag experience free would help that.

[IDM]

Really?
So why were there only 6400 home supporters there on Saturday? Do you think that's spot on too?

I would have thought the work being done by the community foundation is for the future, for the long term.  Trying to pin a (in your opinion) disappointing attendance on your perception of what the club is trying to do for kids, is clutching at straws IMHO. 

Better performances and results will bring more fans in.  Enough? who knows but certainly more. 

[idler]

I went on Saturday and took two of my grandchildren.
About 1:50 whilst buying one of them a wrap I was approached by two stewards and asked if we would like to go and sit in the dug out while the team warmed up.
We were there for about 45 minutes and I managed to get some autographs for them. They were over the moon and telling all of their friends and relatives in Bradford all about it.
Well done to Jade and Sean for looking after us and well done to the Rovers for trying to get the fans closer to the club. 
Shame we couldn't finish the dY with a win though.

[Sammy Chung was King]

To charge you kids for the privilege of being a Mascot,is short sighted in the extreme,it's take the money now and never mind the future,i understand the club has to make money,they would make far more money out them in each kids lifetime,if they could convert them into one of us,and ruining an experience by charging that type of money,isn't going to achieve that.

[SLO@DRFC]

What is being mentioned isn't being a mascot Sammy, the mascots are chosen from the Junior Rovers and the only requirement is that the child has a DRFC kit.

What is being described is the Group Experiences, and the £350 fee which is being quoted gets you the following package for 18 people:

Match-day Tickets
VIP Stadium Tour
Rovers Coaching Session
Signed Football
Picture in the RTID matchday magazine
Copies of the RTID matchday magazine.

This is the GOLD Group Experience package as is available for a group of 12 for £250, there is also a silver package.

This is a very popular service that the club offer and is popular for kids birthday parties, but it is only a drop a ocean in terms of what the club do with the younger supporters. As mentioned above families are picked at random before the game to go and sit in the team dugout, kids are also picked randomly by stewards to take part in the shaking of the giant shirt pre-match.  The popular DCLT family stand is almost full every game which different activities taking place each game which has ranged from face painting, playing on a Nintendo Wii, pool, table tennis and a whole host of more.

Doncaster Rovers Community, Sports and Education Foundation (or Rovers in the Community as it was known) currently engage with 72 out of the 123 schools in Doncaster, which equates to 12,371 young people. They undertook 54,585 participants visited over a 39-week period this year averaging 1,400 engagements per week.  The target for a full year is 72,800 visits.

Players have conducted 343 visits, which equates to two per school day.

The business plan is to engage will all 123 schools within the Doncaster Borough within the next two years. 

The Club and Community Foundation have provided regular opportunities for children in Doncaster to secure Rovers match tickets.  Over 30 schools have already signed up to an attendance for attendance scheme for 2013/14 where throughout the season any child with an exemplary attendance record will receive a free match ticket for selected games and any adult wishing to accompany them will receive a discount on their ticket.

From September when the school term started again the club have once again been visiting schools in Doncaster through the Rovers Roadshow.  On the back of every Roadshow visit to a school the opportunity to take part in a special match day experience, which includes chance to meet Donny Dog and take part in the family area experience, which has complimentary face painting and computer games available for children.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Ah that's me spouting off before having the full story,it's not that bad when it's a group thing,all well and good,i wasn't aware of everything being done by the club in the community,but did know it has been improved massively,for example when i went to my local school(Campsmount) i can't remember Rovers ever sending anybody to our school it was always the one's round the town centre area,i always remember playing for the school team and being slightly jealous,when we were playing in our kit with the WBA Yellow and Green stripes with the Seventies collar,i think that was they're change colours back then,anyway the town centre schools used to have old Rovers kits on,i used to think you f..kers,it made me more determined to win the game

[wilts rover]

Sammy, I don't understand your post? How does charging 'that amount of money' ruin any experience? Surely the experience is what it is - and people/parents wouldn't pay it if they didn't think it was worth it? You only get 23 per season - so its obviously not for everybody? And why does being a mascot automatically not convert kids into being Rovers fans? The club has a heck of a lot going on with Junior Rovers & Football in the Community.

Its £350 for a group of 18 btw, not each.
http://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/tickets/GroupTicketsandExperiences/

[Sammy Chung was King]

I Know it's three fifty for the group now Wilts,i jumped the gun thinking it was each,i am aware they are doing a lot of good stuff nowadays,i notice they are round all the schools,and the summer training schools,i would have loved that when i was a kid,for a group the three fifty is good value,as it was pointed out to me,it's not charging to be a mascot,it's for a group experience,i see your point,but i got the wrong end of the stick and thought it was each,i do understand the club needs to make money from different angles to compete.

[wilts rover]

Yes sorry Sammy, I missed your second post as I was writing mine. The club deserve criticism for somethings they do, but certainly not for the work they do in attracting kids along.

[swintonrover]

350/18 is £19.44, which is bloody good value by any stretch, as its £3 cheaper than an average adult ticket!

[Belle_Vue]

Having a junior football club as ball boys at belle vue was a good experience. Did a job and got them involved. But I believe health and safety stopped this?

[graingrover]

Where's Mr Frost now then?

[redwine]

I'm sure he suffers from that new fangled virus "selective postingism"



 

[mrfrostsdad]

No he doesn't.
In my opinion, we should be encouraging every junior football club in Doncaster to take up this 'duty' free of charge in the hope they will want to return with their parents therefore attracting the next generation of supporters. The money we make from charging is minimal, £8k a season. But I've already said that so what's the point of repeating it?

My brother, from whom there is 3 season ticket holders at his address, couldn't believe the charge and is so ###### off with the situation he would consider not renewing his season tickets.

I am more than happy for others to have a differing opinion, but please don't accuse me of whatever just because I don't sit on this forum 24 hours a day. For your information I've been watching football on Sky, not sat with VSC on all the time

[hoolahoop]

It is great value for money for such an experience.....the take up rate reflects that too.
There are few if any other clubs in the football league that do as much work in the community as our club.
It will convert youngsters into supporters over time and the club are to be commended over their commitment to most and eventually all of the youngsters in the Borough.

[IDM]

My brother, from whom there is 3 season ticket holders at his address, couldn't believe the charge and is so ###### off with the situation he would consider not renewing his season tickets.

If they don't like the fee for the experience, then don't buy it!  Why would that alone make a difference to renewing a ST?  I suggest you have a look again at the SLOs reply, and see what is actually provided for this price, looks pretty good value to me, especially if it is a once in a lifetime thing? 

Surely they would have investigated the cost before deciding to go ahead?  It's like buying a home shirt, then complaining afterward that £45ish was too much, and you're so pissed off you'll not renew your STs?

I don't get that argument at all.  It looks like you're clutching at straws here....

[andysly]

No he doesn't.
In my opinion, we should be encouraging every junior football club in Doncaster to take up this 'duty' free of charge in the hope they will want to return with their parents therefore attracting the next generation of supporters. The money we make from charging is minimal, £8k a season. But I've already said that so what's the point of repeating it?

My brother, from whom there is 3 season ticket holders at his address, couldn't believe the charge and is so ###### off with the situation he would consider not renewing his season tickets.

I am more than happy for others to have a differing opinion, but please don't accuse me of whatever just because I don't sit on this forum 24 hours a day. For your information I've been watching football on Sky, not sat with VSC on all the time

My brother, from whom there is 3 season ticket holders at his address, couldn't believe the charge and is so ###### off with the situation he would consider not renewing his season tickets.

If they don't like the fee for the experience, then don't buy it!  Why would that alone make a difference to renewing a ST?  I suggest you have a look again at the SLOs reply, and see what is actually provided for this price, looks pretty good value to me, especially if it is a once in a lifetime thing? 

Surely they would have investigated the cost before deciding to go ahead?  It's like buying a home shirt, then complaining afterward that £45ish was too much, and you're so pissed off you'll not renew your STs?

I don't get that argument at all.  It looks like you're clutching at straws here....

So because someone is miffed at the charge for the kids thing they and 2 others aren't renewing ST's, either thats bulls**t to help his already flawed and beaten argument or someone is looking for an excuse to cancel.
Personally I'm sure kids love this experience, and stumping up just shy of £20 for a one off special day for your kid is good value to my mind.

[Mr1Croft]

As a percentage of our core fan-base, we have more kids than most football teams in the country. A couple of years ago we were the most active team in the entire country for players visiting schools and the work undertaken by our community foundation is second to none.

I don't see how charging for this experience (which is exceptional value in my opinion) would even stop attracting young kids. I think you will find this service is aimed at young people who are already supporters and it further enhances their love for this club (for under £20 a person as well) rather than aimed at first time fans...