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Post by redunderthebed on Apr 1, 2017 10:23:47 GMT
There are no quick fixes to this. It will be years rather than months that will lead to significantly and sustainable increased crowds
The team are doing better on the field but let's be honest we have seen them go well til Easter before and the fall away. It feels different this year but you can imagine people thinking "let's wait and see" and 40 years of disappointment. If we stay in top 8 and have a decent cup run this year then next year will see us build on the improvement this year
The club are doing much better off the field. Massive increases in engagement with community clubs and schools, bigger presence in places where people go. More to do but it's way better at building support than the occasional mass poster/leaflet and free tickets to all that we used to do. But it is a long term and slow burning way to increase. Big short term increases are unlikely to be sustainable. Neither Marwan nor Bleasey are known for their patience so I hope they hold their nerve on this as it will pay dividends, esp if the team keep improving
We shouldn't be too down hearted by a Thursday night low crowd. Al clubs suffer on Thursdays and if you have a lower base to start with then it is more marked when there's a decrease
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Post by knightsthatsay on Apr 1, 2017 12:53:54 GMT
As supporters what can we do? The club on and off the field are working hard but I feel we 'the fans' need to do our bit.
On match day the atmosphere is getting better and better. We got to keep that, even when the results don't go our way!
But in between games we need to promote the club to friend family, basically anyone who will listen.
The other thing we could do is volunteer to promote the club. Maybe help with some of the out reach / pop up stalls events. Not just in Salford but places like Urmston. It's only across the canal from the ground but sense is an untapped reserve of support.
Has any of this been suggested to the club does anyone know? Or even attempted before. One afternoon isn't going to do it but over a period of time maybe catch the interest of RL virgins.
Thoughts?
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Post by Eehred on Apr 1, 2017 18:03:44 GMT
Before I retired , I worked in thousands of domestic properties / building sites around G Manchester and the North West and had many conversations with customers or tradesmen. I was usually asked if I was a red or a blue. When I said, neither, I support rugby league ( for 60 years ) I was usually given a funny look and the general conversation would be turned towards football. The ONLY thing the general public around here are interested in is UNITED, not even City. As long as United are successful, I feel we will never get great support. I've tried to educate people towards the better game , but it falls on deaf ears....
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 22:51:59 GMT
He`s very down about only 2,200 Salford fans at the game last night. Obviously Thursday night is always a negative but as he`s picking up the tab very week his views should be respected. The Salford public needs to get behind the club or I for one can see him pulling out and moving to Mcr once he is free of the Lease shackles. Earlybath Tell Marwan that we're all sad that there are not more people coming through the door. Tell Marwan that all owners of rugby league clubs are disappointed that their clubs are not attracting more support. Tell Marwan that most owners of football clubs are disappointed that their clubs are not attracting more support. Tell Marwan that if he thought that buying a rugby league club would not be a financial drain, he was misled. Tell Marwan to stop putting his proganda forward through you, it's laughable. Tell Marwan he can afford it, because if he can't, he'd have been out of the game years ago. God bless. |
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Post by dodgybobmcmayday on Apr 2, 2017 0:13:36 GMT
I'm not really a poster, more of a lurker, but (and as an outsiders view, so to speak) I've had a few whiskys so...
I moved to Salford several years ago, I now live and work here, always been a Rugby League fan but never been to games due to being from Stoke. Therefore,no rugby league near me growing up so it was always football.
Anyway, since moving to Salford I've got a family of my own so as football up here is out of the question (I have my own team, Port Vale) I'm supporting my local team in the Reds and I've been taking the wife and kids. Also got a mate and his two lads to come too, so they are now reds too.
Salford is a big new popular area to live, Monton, Worsley, Quays and Eccles... properties are through the roof now but unfortunately Rugby League remains a minority sport as far as I can see.
Obviously, the best way to win back existing fans is to keep doing well on the pitch, and it's been fantastic so far so hopefully there will be a return.
But for new fans, if I wasn't already a Rugby League fan and looking for it, then I wouldn't know. I personally haven't seen any promotion or incentives to get people through the gates. What the answer is I don't know but I've even seen more Liverpool shirts than Reds in Salford!
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Post by Carnster on Apr 2, 2017 7:31:04 GMT
I'm not really a poster, more of a lurker, but (and as an outsiders view, so to speak) I've had a few whiskys so... I moved to Salford several years ago, I now live and work here, always been a Rugby League fan but never been to games due to being from Stoke. Therefore,no rugby league near me growing up so it was always football. Anyway, since moving to Salford I've got a family of my own so as football up here is out of the question (I have my own team, Port Vale) I'm supporting my local team in the Reds and I've been taking the wife and kids. Also got a mate and his two lads to come too, so they are now reds too. Salford is a big new popular area to live, Monton, Worsley, Quays and Eccles... properties are through the roof now but unfortunately Rugby League remains a minority sport as far as I can see. Obviously, the best way to win back existing fans is to keep doing well on the pitch, and it's been fantastic so far so hopefully there will be a return. But for new fans, if I wasn't already a Rugby League fan and looking for it, then I wouldn't know. I personally haven't seen any promotion or incentives to get people through the gates. What the answer is I don't know but I've even seen more Liverpool shirts than Reds in Salford! Welcome! You make some good points. We have some similarities in that we're not Salfordians and we came to RL via other routes. As a kid growing-up in Stockport I was an avid Stockport County fan but myself and my Dad grew fed-up with the dross week in week out and my Dad suggested we try a RL match one weekend for a change. I must have been about nine or ten. That match was a close loss to Wigan at a packed Willows and we were hooked. The fact that my Dad had been a RL fan as a younger man maybe helped but we found our way to RL and Salford off our own backs so to speak. I think new fans will come as the game sells itself once they're actually in the ground. Getting them to the ground in the first place is the tricky part and probably relies on existing fans bringing them along. It's tough but the Club should keep doing what it's doing on and off the pitch and like previous posters have said, it hopefully should make our attendances crawl up steadily. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2017 7:40:55 GMT
I alluded to this the other day on Twitter and was ignored by the club.
I picked up a guy from NY near Eccles and took him to his hotel next to the BBC on Wednesday, asked him the normal taxi driver things when he said he was disappointed that he hadn't had the chance to watch any live sport while he was here.
2 things, he'd asked the reception staff if they could suggest anything and they didn't mention Salford V Saints, I know the Quays is near Old Trafford but it is Salford so they really should know about our games. Then he said will the staff be able to get him a ticket and when I asked they seemed incredibly unaware what RL was or who Salford were.
The hotels on the Quays are now full of international corporate types so the club should be getting it's name out there. Some bumf on the desk and tickets for the staff to sell. If he did attend on Thursday I guarantee he would have become a Salford fan for life as I don't care what your sport is that was theater of the highest quality.
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Post by Chico on Apr 2, 2017 11:22:40 GMT
A good test is Good Friday. If we defeat Hull away, I’d expect it to be a big crowd – minimum 6,500, hopefully over 8,000. If we scrambling for less than 5,000, it’s a sad state of affairs.
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Post by jeffmcrib on Apr 2, 2017 20:04:08 GMT
A good test is Good Friday. If we defeat Hull away, I’d expect it to be a big crowd – minimum 6,500, hopefully over 8,000. If we scrambling for less than 5,000, it’s a sad state of affairs. I have to send my apologies in advance. We are on hols in the new touring caravan that my wife thinks we need - I've mentioned on here before - so that will be one down. However I got my cousin to come a few weeks ago and he's going again on Good Friday, so I hope I'm forgiven !! 😬 |
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Post by knightsthatsay on Apr 2, 2017 20:51:42 GMT
I'm not really a poster, more of a lurker, but (and as an outsiders view, so to speak) I've had a few whiskys so... I moved to Salford several years ago, I now live and work here, always been a Rugby League fan but never been to games due to being from Stoke. Therefore,no rugby league near me growing up so it was always football. Anyway, since moving to Salford I've got a family of my own so as football up here is out of the question (I have my own team, Port Vale) I'm supporting my local team in the Reds and I've been taking the wife and kids. Also got a mate and his two lads to come too, so they are now reds too. Salford is a big new popular area to live, Monton, Worsley, Quays and Eccles... properties are through the roof now but unfortunately Rugby League remains a minority sport as far as I can see. Obviously, the best way to win back existing fans is to keep doing well on the pitch, and it's been fantastic so far so hopefully there will be a return. But for new fans, if I wasn't already a Rugby League fan and looking for it, then I wouldn't know. I personally haven't seen any promotion or incentives to get people through the gates. What the answer is I don't know but I've even seen more Liverpool shirts than Reds in Salford! The key is to try and get people in to RL and SRD. I grew up WATCHING RL from afar too. In Bury, Trafford and even Manchester there is possible untapped reserves that need to to be made aware of the game of RL and it's entertaining possibilities. |
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Post by dodgybobmcmayday on Apr 2, 2017 22:43:51 GMT
That's the thing... those people that don't know what rugby league is, or the people that have only seen union and think it's boring, those are the people to target I suppose. The old fans will hopefully see results and return...
An obvious idea would be a fan day, quid a kid and £10 adults etc. Really properly promote it. Particularly now, as there is some really good stuff being played, and if anybody new was at the Saints game then I'm sure they would be coming back again!
Unfortunately there seems to be scarce coverage even in Salford, nevermind casting the net further across Greater Manchester. Even the Salford edition of the MEN free weekly paper only really seems to cover Utd, City and Salford FC.
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Post by ayresrock on Apr 2, 2017 23:05:22 GMT
I took 2 extra with me Thursday. Blokes who when we played at the willows attended games, more frequent than not. However since the move to the AJ they this was only the second occasion both have. The stigma that has built of "How hard it is to get to games" is fully engrained in them. We dispelled that notion quite quickly Thursday with a £2.50 taxi fare each there and similar back to Swinton. After the game we had a pint in the tent to allow the traffic to filter off and were back in the local for 22:30. I did make a point of saying "That was easy wasn't it".
These blokes are big football fans and getting them to games at Salford has been difficult because of the stigma to get to games but also it's always "same old Salford" when we have taken that one step forward only to go 2 back. Those two things alone are what is keeping crowds low. We lost any momentum we had when we moved there with the chaos that did exist at the time but also the momentum of when the Doc arrived and declared all he did only for us to fall flat back to where we have been since the early 80's.
One of the blokes commented on how good we looked in the game and was shocked by the performance. Both on the back of that game Thursday and seeing that all is not as they believed, will be at the Good Friday game along with one also making the trip to Catalans as well.
The fans are there but we need to keep being consistent and producing. People just see this as another one of those false dawns and us "die-hards" can see already this is something different and in time those stop aways will too. OK it won't be like walking from the height down to the willows but it will be worth that little bit extra effort to see a team challenging up at the top. It is though not going to change on the back of 3 or 4 wins. The true acid test will be if we continue this form all season and what our crowds are like come October.
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