Ticket info back on Keepmoat website

[MrFrost]

Have to say, its very disapointing when you look at the numbers sold for our upcoming games, especially when you consider we are now only 4 points from a play off spot.

Barely 8000 home tickets sold for this Saturday. Less than 9000 for Newcastle and only 500 for Barnsley. I was hoping we'd take several thousand there.

Newcastle have almost sold there allocation, and I reckon Sheff Utd will just about sell theirs aswell.

Again, you have to look at how well DRFC and the Keepmoat communicate ticket details. It hasn't been on the Keepmoat site for the last couple of weeks, and DROS, well we know what that is like.

I'm not intending on making this a moan or being negative. The club needs as many fans as possible, so we can compete and signs the likes of Sharp, Shackell etc, but again it begs the question why we market ourselves so poorly. Has there been any mention of the season ticket deadline extension anywhere apart from on this forum or DROS?

[Filo]

MrFrost wrote:

Have to say, its very disapointing when you look at the numbers sold for our upcoming games, especially when you consider we are now only 4 points from a play off spot.

Barely 8000 home tickets sold for this Saturday. Less than 9000 for Newcastle and only 500 for Barnsley. I was hoping we'd take several thousand there.

Newcastle have almost sold there allocation, and I reckon Sheff Utd will just about sell theirs aswell.

Again, you have to look at how well DRFC and the Keepmoat communicate ticket details. It hasn't been on the Keepmoat site for the last couple of weeks, and DROS, well we know what that is like.

I'm not intending on making this a moan or being negative. The club needs as many fans as possible, so we can compete and signs the likes of Sharp, Shackell etc, but again it begs the question why we market ourselves so poorly. Has there been any mention of the season ticket deadline extension anywhere apart from on this forum or DROS?

No you`re not one to moan or be negative are you Frosty?  

[coventryrover]

Are you ever happy Mr Frost

[MrFrost]

I think you've missed the point. The club need money so we can compete. The club cannot communicate even the simplist of things properly. This is the problem, hence poor ticket sales.

Can anyone tell me, apart from on this forum and DROS where details of the early bird extension have been published? Or where ticket info can be viewed?

I firmly believe if the club spent more time and effort marketing itself and being more proactive communicating informtion, this would have an effect on ticket sales.

Example. Someone I know goes to the occasional game with his whole family. He's not a massive football fan, but he likes to go now and then. He's thinking about going this saturday and to the Newcastle game. His main gripe is that he can't find any ticket information anywhere. He can't understand why it isn't in the Free Press every week. I've told him to just call the ticket office, but his point to me is that the club should do more to make the general public aware when Rovers are playing, when you can get tickets and how much they are. Gone are the days where you can turn up and just pay at the gate, and I think that has put alot of people off in itself.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

MrFrost wrote:

Can anyone tell me, apart from on this forum and DROS where details of the early bird extension have been published? Or where ticket info can be viewed?

Matchday programmes for a start.

[MrFrost]

Your presuming people buy them. Alot don't, and besides, your only preaching to the converted with the programme, as generally, when you buy one, your already at the game, so this does nothing to attract the floating fan. Don't get me started on the programme, either. Please.

[Filo]

MrFrost wrote:

He can't understand why it isn't in the Free Press every week.

MrFrost wrote:

Your presuming people buy them. Alot don't

Nothing like contradicting yourself eh?  

[MrFrost]

Filo wrote:

MrFrost wrote:

He can't understand why it isn't in the Free Press every week.

MrFrost wrote:

Your presuming people buy them. Alot don't

Nothing like contradicting yourself eh?  

Someone else tell me why ticket sales are poor then. Or do people think its ok that we don't get the message out, especially when it comes to the early bird deadline being extended.

[The Duke]

coventryrover wrote:

Are you ever happy Mr Frost

He has some very strong and valid points. Maybe yourself and others who may moan next season if we don't sign players can look back and think Mr Frost was correct.

Heres hoping what John Ryan said last week with pushing ticket sales comes to light. More bums on seats more revenue.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I fail to see how the club could do much more than what they do?  Could they send random info out?  Yes, but it's costly.

They could and should send info to every single person on the KMS database that is for sure.  Maybe an ad in the free press would help, but then do people look at ads that much?  I know I don't.  Ads in the Frenchgate would help, but is there much more to be done?

Info is on the websites, in the programme and at matches.  Where else apart from the above could be targeted realistically.  Is a fan who's not attending games to a large amount going to want a ST?  No, so that isn't relevant either.

As for individual games, well it's obvious when they're coming up and I'll make the same argument as before.  Fixtures are online, teletext, in papers, on the little cards, in the media etc.

But as with a gig, would you expect to be targeted with the info?  No, you have to find it.  Football clubs are more accessable than buying gig tickets is that's for sure.

[MrFrost]

Click on season tickets on DROS.
No mention anywhere of the early bird extension.

The club can't even be bothered to have the info available on its own website.

[bobjimwilly]

big fat yorkshire pudding wrote:

Info is on the websites, in the programme and at matches.  Where else apart from the above could be targeted realistically.

NewsPapers, billboards, shop windows, local schools, shopping centres, email marketing, car bumper stickers...

big fat yorkshire pudding wrote:

Is a fan who's not attending games to a large amount going to want a ST?  No, so that isn't relevant either.

Yes, if they feel the price is low enought and if they are already attending enough games that add up to near the cost of a ST. You can't just presume fans who come to a few matches aren't interested in becoming a STH???

big fat yorkshire pudding wrote:

But as with a gig, would you expect to be targeted with the info?  No, you have to find it.

Erm, yes the gig would be promoted, in papers, billboards, (big gigs) on TV, email marketing, and concise information on websites.

 

[wilts rover]

MrFrost wrote:

Click on season tickets on DROS.
No mention anywhere of the early bird extension.

The club can't even be bothered to have the info available on its own website.

Here it is if you are so bothered http://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10329~1985421,00.html

who is the early bird discount of interest to - existing season ticket holder, ie people who come to the games and would have been made aware of it through various outlets - and nobody else, why are you making a big thing of it...again..

why are people not coming, my guess is it has nothing to do with advertising, it is purely lack of interest and cost

[hatfield red]

Cost is the main issue, eight of my family went on saturday, three season ticket holders, if we all went for s/t next season with the early bird discount it still comes to £2000 money we dont have, so for most of us it will be same as this year we will pick and choose what games to go to

[Filo]

MrFrost wrote:

Filo wrote:

MrFrost wrote:

He can't understand why it isn't in the Free Press every week.

MrFrost wrote:

Your presuming people buy them. Alot don't

Nothing like contradicting yourself eh?  

Someone else tell me why ticket sales are poor then. Or do people think its ok that we don't get the message out, especially when it comes to the early bird deadline being extended.

Jesus! the point is totally lost on you isn`t it?


You Wrote:

Can anyone tell me, apart from on this forum and DROS where details of the early bird extension have been published? Or where ticket info can be viewed?

And

He can't understand why it isn't in the Free Press every week.

big fat yorkshire pudding then replied:

Matchday programmes for a start.

To which you then wrote

Your presuming people buy them. Alot don't

So I gather from that that you`re assuming everyone buys the Free Press?

[MrFrost]

Alot of people do.
But when the club cant even be bothered to highlight the early bird extension on the season ticket part of the website, it does make you wonder.
Some people just cannot accept critisism of the club at any level can they?

[Filo]

MrFrost wrote:

Alot of people do.
But when the club cant even be bothered to highlight the early bird extension on the season ticket part of the website, it does make you wonder.
Some people just cannot accept critisism of the club at any level can they?

It`s still lost on you isn`t it? I`m not calling you for criticising the club, I`m just pointing out how you manage to contradict yourself during your rants

[MrFrost]

I'm not. You just think I am. From someone who has a vast knoweldge of marketing, the club does nothing to market itself. Point made. End of.

[Keith Myath]

I now live in Scunny, and they put us to shame with regards to Marketing, the local telegraph has unbeliavble coverage of Scunthorpe United, Free press although better than it used to be (i.e. half the back page) is still woefull in comparison.

Ive never seen one single rovers billboard in all my years of going.

Walk down the high street in Scunny (dodging the needles and human feacies) and theres Scunthorpe United plastered all over.

Maybe as a town we are just not proud enough of our club.

[Filo]

MrFrost wrote:

I'm not. You just think I am.

Thats it then, you must be correct, what do I know eh?  

[Filo]

Keith Myath wrote:

Walk down the high street in Scunny (dodging the needles and human feacies) and theres Scunthorpe United plastered all over.

So there`s shit all over the walls as well as the floor then?  

[bobjimwilly]

I think Keith is making a valid point here; DRFC marketing certainly don't do enough in many of ours on here, but unfortunately you're just preaching to the converted mate  

[graingrover]

When I was a kid every bus in and around Donny carried stickers on the windows advertising the next game .. opponents and prices ... but that is 50 years ago so old hat I suppose!Marketing wasn't even a word in the dictionary but Rovers staff knew how the get the the club into the public eye. the same buses would run specials from every pit village and country village from Sykehouse, Rossington ,Thorne , Stainforth,Highfields, Bentley... . That was organised through the Supporters club ... It's a good job we have the dynamism of Retford Branch today but it would be nice to see initiatives like the new Thorne Branch flourish.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

All very valid points and you do wonder at times how much the 'town' is behind the team.

Thing is, by proportion of population, we don't need to increase attendances by that much to get near full houses.

Many of us feel there is an untapped network of local pubs/clubs with scope to form supporters club branches, to reach out to the masses.

I feel the club could do much more in assisting committed people get these things off the ground, and do more marketing AND market research to find out what would make more people turn out.

Cost ofcourse is a factor, and as I and I'm sure many others on here try to pusuade people to come down, they are turned off by the cost of the matchday experience.

I'll say it, and I'll say it again until I'm f**cking blue, get a couple of market reseach people down to the Frenchgate Centre on a Saturday at 3 O'clock and find out why folk are not at the game.

[Old Popsider]

The subject of the proper marketing of Doncaster Rovers Football Club is now a saga almost as long running as Coronation Street!!

The sound of silence on this one subject is deafening in the extreme from the one man who has been at the helm of the club for some time now - John Ryan.

Many of us have asked, via this forum, Gartom to address the issue for us with JR. I am 100% sure Gareth has done so. Yet no reply seems to be forthcoming from JR. Why?

Before anyone tries to shoot me down in flames, let me say that JR is the best thing to ever happen to DRFC in my opinion. He has worked tirelessly, hard and long to steer the club to where it sits now, 8th in the Championship.

So why oh why does the issue of marketing all things Doncaster Rovers seem to be evaded by the very man who is Doncaster Rovers through and through?

His other business interests seem to be doing quite nicely and they must have had the necessary publicity to raise awareness in the sector he operates. So why not so much drive in the sector that is very much the one we are all keen to see do well- DRFC?

JR cannot possibly be in all places at once, so he needs a reliable marketing team with a strong strategy to market DRFC to the wider public. This simply is not happening and has not been happening for several seasons now.

I note that in quite a few posts some contributors say they have experience in the marketing business. How about those that know what it takes to get things moving in a big way, getting together and sharing their ideas then asking to meet with JR to table their ideas and feelings to market Doncaster Rovers in a way that makes the club noticeable in the right way, and make the general public sit up and take notice and get their wallets out to buy match day tickets etc etc in a big way?

Then maybe, just maybe, the present deadwood marketing/pr department at Doncaster Rovers Football Club would be replaced by the new go-ahead marketing team and at long last that side of the DRFC business can be brought back to life.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I'm sure if they opened the door, they would be swept away by the wave of ideas and enthusiasm !

[Snods Shinpad 2]

Sheff Utd:
8597 + 2900  
         11497

Toon:
9229 + 3200      
    12429

[Thinwhiteduke]

Keith Myath wrote:

I now live in Scunny, and they put us to shame with regards to Marketing, the local telegraph has unbeliavble coverage of Scunthorpe United, Free press although better than it used to be (i.e. half the back page) is still woefull in comparison.

Ive never seen one single rovers billboard in all my years of going.

Walk down the high street in Scunny (dodging the needles and human feacies) and theres Scunthorpe United plastered all over.

Maybe as a town we are just not proud enough of our club.

They need all the help they can get though with their sub 6000 attendances.

Fact of the matter is, times are hard, alot of people have no job or only low paid work, Football isnt high on the list of a lot of peoples priorities.

Wish people would realise that the countries financial situation does affect Football attendances as well.

Having said that - Im off to renew my Season Ticket and buy one for my little girl right now.