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Post by Daedalus on Aug 3, 2010 9:32:23 GMT
On Saturday 4th September there are no Premier League or Championship games across England due to the national team playing the evening before. Someone has come up with a campaign to urge fans of bigger clubs to get out of their armchairs that day to support a local non-League club.
The Saints are playing Woking at Clarence Park on that particular day and I was thinking to myself that this is surely an opportunity to promote the club in conjunction with this campaign and get the fans into the ground for what could be a bumper crowd. Perhaps some 'floating' fans might get hooked on the Saints and come more regularly too.
I wonder if the club could do something to encourage this, perhaps reducing ticket prices for the match or putting on some special offer just for this occasion. Maybe some posters could be made up with 'Non-League Day: Come and Support the Saints!' advertising the City v Woking game, and the local press could surely be contacted with a view to running a story about it too.
It could be a good chance to show local Watford, Arsenal and Spurs fans what a great club St. Albans City is, and that the Saints could potentially be their 'second team'. There also seems to be a lot of 'floating' football fans out there at the moment who are disillusioned with top flight football. This is a chance for St. Albans City to show them that there is another outlet for their football support down at Clarence Park!
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 3, 2010 9:33:50 GMT
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Post by Saint on Aug 3, 2010 13:18:56 GMT
Good support from Woking should be expected with their kind of following, the weather should be okay also.
If we can get more fans in, we could get a very good attendence and help get more fans interested in St Albans City!
I hope the club publicise this through their website and local media.
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 3, 2010 14:31:20 GMT
Indeed Saint. We've seen how these Internet campaigns can take off in the past. Would be great to take full advantage and to try to tempt some new fans down to CP.
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 15, 2010 15:59:20 GMT
Non League Day (click to be directed to the Saints City Trust site to read the full story)Saints City Trust is backing the national campaign to generate interest in non-league football among a new set of fans.The inaugural Non-League Day is Saturday, 4th September, when no Premiership or Championship games are being played, because of England's European Championship qualifier against Bulgaria on the night before. The aim is to persuade supporters of these clubs (whether actual or armchair spectators) to visit their local non-league club for their football-fix. It is the brainchild of QPR fan James Doe, who said "As a youth with little cash, I used to go and watch Harrow Borough in what is now the Ryman League. I still try and go to two or three games a season and always love the experience. The idea for Non-League Day came to me after going to QPR’s pre-season game at Tavistock a couple of weeks ago. The club and fans were made really welcome by the hosts and it was obvious how financially important the visit was to them". He continued, "In the last year or so I’ve heard repeatedly how money is becoming really tight for all clubs but particulalrly non-league ones – the last time I went to watch Harrow they were about to hold a fundraising night to buy some new bulbs for the floodlights. Their plight cannot be unique so I wanted to start Non-League Football Day to try and give our local clubs a bit of publicity and a shot in the arm". With several league clubs on its doorstep, The Saints have a particularly good opportunity to attract new fans, to put on a show and provide them with an experience that will encourage them to come back more often. They are playing Woking in a Blue Square Bet South fixture that is as good as any to promote the best of the non-league game. Encounters between the two teams - whose rivalry dates back nearly ninety years - are normally humdingers in front of a decent crowd, last season this included league wins on each other's grounds and a high-scoring mauling for Saints in The FA Trophy. Woking fans are up for fun, too. A big crowd will provide an important boost for The Saints on the pitch and in the bank; as a Saints fan, you can play your part by encouraging friends, family and work colleagues who would normally watch a league club to come with you to Clarence Park to watch the game. And to help you with that task, here are ten reasons for new fans to feel at home watching The Saints: * Knowledgeable fans who love their football: not afraid to tell their players, the opponents and officials what they think of them - you're bound to find one who agrees with you too * Experience a unique closeness to the action: see the whites of the players' eyes, feel the crunch of their tackles and hear the crack of their shots * Get value for your money: thrills and spills, a match programme, raffle ticket, a cuppa. pint or glass of house white, chat and banter won't even cost you a Bobby Moore * Marvel at the green baize: admire a playing surface - paid for, this year, by the fans - that sorts out the deft from the donkeys * Take the heritage trail: see where the famous oak once stood behind the Hatfield Road goal and check out the trophy cabinet in the clubhouse * Bazza: Saints' Grade II listed, inspirational stopper and runner-up in the National Game Awards' Goalkeeper of the Season, whose banter and prowess alone are worth the admission fee * Join the half-time rush for refreshments: enjoy a warm welcome at the bar, but beware of the burger van's industrial strength condiments and pneumatic dispensers * Accessible owners: see the directors through the boardroom windows and watch how warmly they greet fans and matchday volunteers * Leave the ground richer than when you came in: whether it's from watching a game to warm the heart, making new friends or winning the Golden Goal cash prize * Catch up and contribute: read all about the game on the football club website and share your views on the SaintsChat forum If you can think of other, better reasons, please email them to marketing@saintscitytrust.co.uk and we will add them to the list.
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 15, 2010 16:07:24 GMT
An excellent list above (I especially liked the idea that Bazza is Grade II listed!  ) Saint and I were wondering if making up some 'Non-League Day' posters specifically for this match might be a good plan? |
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 16, 2010 13:22:39 GMT
I quite like the slogan ‘bring a mate and boost the gate’ for the upcoming ‘Non-League Day’. Might go quite well on a poster!
I wonder if it is worth contacting the local papers so that they might cover the story too?
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Post by Hatboy on Aug 18, 2010 21:08:40 GMT
This looks like it could gather pace getting more publicity lately
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Post by Saint on Aug 18, 2010 21:42:53 GMT
That's good news Hatboy, hopefully it does!
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Post by northamptonsaint on Aug 19, 2010 14:28:24 GMT
Non-League Day now has a website - see www.nonleagueday.co.uk - which features Saints City Trust's coverage in the 'Spread The Word' section |
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 19, 2010 14:48:09 GMT
Nice one northamptonsaint!  |
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 26, 2010 20:24:46 GMT
Quite a few clubs are offering deals for this date.
I read that Maidenhead United, for instance, are offering fans of Premier League and Championship clubs a half price ticket on the day if they can produce a season ticket or ticket stub from one of their club's games.
Are the board missing a trick here? It's surely a great chance to promote the club to new fans.
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Post by Saint on Aug 26, 2010 20:29:52 GMT
I think it's quite obvious the club are missing something rather good here, I thought the club had a new company to help advertise the club? Doesn't seem to be doing much dose it?
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Post by Daedalus on Aug 27, 2010 12:14:53 GMT
Basingstoke Town have also come up with an offer for fans of Premier League and Championship clubs. Similar to Maidenhead, they have the incentive of half price entry if they can produce either a season ticket or a used ticket stub from the current season from the professional club they support. See here - www.footballconference.co.uk/news/news_article.asp?id=3703 |
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Post by northamptonsaint on Aug 27, 2010 22:35:12 GMT
From Non-League Day's latest Facebook update: A lot of exciting things have been happening. If you haven't seen it already our website is fully up and running giving you most of the info you need about selecting a match to watch on 4 September: www.nonleagueday.co.uk In the last few hours we've added a downloadable flier to it so you can help publicise NLD in your local community. Also our friends at the Football Supporters Federation have been pulling out all the stops to try and make NLD as successful as it can be. Not only have they got us some space in this weekend's Sunday Mirror (providing there are no major scandals in the next couple of days) but they have also launched a special NLD promotion with Blue Square: www.fsf.org.uk/non-league-day.php They've also kindly dedicated a section of the 'Free Lions' magazine which will be distributed for free at Wembley on Friday ahead of the England v Bulgaria game. The ever supportive Non-League Paper are also running another feature on Sunday so don't forget to pick it up too. |
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Post by EFMTFTV on Sept 5, 2010 19:17:44 GMT
So nothing was done by the club
I'm sorry but we all know the club is useless in this area so the trust need to step in with ideas
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Post by Daedalus on Sept 5, 2010 19:49:40 GMT
Totally agree EFMTFTV. A major opportunity lost. Why on earth didn't the club do anything?  |
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Post by minty on Sept 5, 2010 20:01:11 GMT
I saw two fans turn up wearing Doncaster Rovers shirts. I think that was the grand total of Premiership/Championship fans that turned up. Just as well there wasn't a large crowd as they wouldn't have got into the ground until half time if they'd gone to the York Road gate.
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