How can we get the Wembley daytrippers into the Hall ?

[Jai]

The danger of course of reducing the south lower in price would be that people would choose to give up their more expensive seats elsewhere and sit in the lower tier, resulting in a possible loss of income rather than a gain.

I think it's worth that risk. A lot of people in the Southend area are simply priced out of football and it would be nice to give them the chance to watch their local team.

 

[Uncle Leo]

The danger of course of reducing the south lower in price would be that people would choose to give up their more expensive seats elsewhere and sit in the lower tier, resulting in a possible loss of income rather than a gain.

I think it's worth that risk. A lot of people in the Southend area are simply priced out of football and it would be nice to give them the chance to watch their local team.

Yeah, it is a risk, but one worth taking. Once people get in to it a bit more, they'd be more likely to graduate to other areas of the ground.

You could even make it part of an offer - three £5 tickets for three separate games in the Lower qualifies you for (say) a £15 one for the Upper as a taster. Not necessarily any easy one for the club to deliver though!

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

I'm not sure we would be able to charge £5 for Adults in the South Lower on a regular basis due to Football League rules? It would be classed as a special offer and I think you can only have a limited amount of special offer games per season (3 or 4?)

 

[Jai]

I only started watching Southend thanks to the quid a kid offer in the South Lower in the mid 1990s.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Good point. I first took my lad into the Family Enclosure when it was a quid a kid, aswell. He's now doing his A Levels and stands alongside me home and away. I say, get the kids in cheap and they'll be hooked forever :thumbsup:

 

[Uncle Leo]

I'm not sure we would be able to charge £5 for Adults in the South Lower on a regular basis due to Football League rules? It would be classed as a special offer and I think you can only have a limited amount of special offer games per season (3 or 4?)

Do it for a chosen month? Money often tight in January but possibly not ideal as we'll be rampaging through the FA Cup (ha!) sand it is bloody cold. But do it too late in the season and once the bug has got them, it's summer time and no more football for three months.

The club should definitely be thinking about doing something a bit bolder and more different though.

 

[RHB]

Why not reduce the ST price?

 

[rigsby]

We've had 4 pages about what the club could do, how about what we can do. I arranged a few lads days out last season, a sort of reunion for our old football team. Instead of a Friday night in the pub and a curry, why not a Saturday in the blues lounge or a box. All of them had been to the hall over the years and all want to do it again this season. One lad booked the lounge for a family birthday.
I dragged a friend along on Saturday an ex occasional shrimper now living in Greece, who had not been to RH for over 20yrs. He was pleasantly surprised at the standard and commitment of football. Next time he brings his boys to London he will skip their normal trip to West Ham and come and see some real football.
You all know people who went to Wembley or who haven't been for a few seasons. Why not make the effort to get them along to the hall this Saturday even, you never know that might just be the push or excuse they needed.
One thing the club should do....Allow season ticket holders to upgrade to the lounges/box when they have not sold, or for a special occasion. One lad who likes to join us in the lounge has already paid for the match with his season ticket. Would be nice if they nocked £20 off his bill. This would encourage some of you to treat yourself occasionally.

 

[tottenham541]

Why not reduce the ST price?

Well if they were around the £280-£300 mark I would start buying one again even if it meant I missed half a dozen games:smile:

 

[OldBlueLady]

This is what our club offers to those people who attend for the first time:

Ticket price high

Food offering / hygiene poor

Queuing times poor

Stadium dirty and run down, with fox excretion everywhere

Toilet facilities poor e.g. Where are there any disabled toilets or child friendly conveniences? I have seen some fathers with daughters having to take their girl into the mens toilets, where some cubicles do not even have locks.

Entertainment at half time poor. No offence to the Blue Bells (who do not even wear blue by the way) but (although I do appreciate their efforts) their performance can be amateurish and cringe worthy at times.

Entertainment on the pitch last season was generally poor (my son and his friends (7 in total) went last season and was bored silly, they will not be back!).

Communication poor. Some speakers in the South stand upper don't even work!

I'd like to respond to the comments you've made:

High ticket price - we have just gone up a league and increased our ticket price for the first time in 6 years. There are many schemes and incentives to attract young people along with adults;

Food offering / hygiene poor - The hygiene rating at Roots Hall was, indeed, poor, but it was re-assessed and the offending (and dangerous) outlets were closed down. I have found that the food on offer in the main West stand is generally ok. As I said recently elsewhere, the burgers in the West are actually warmed on a griddle before being served so they have a sense of being fresh. I do feel they should offer bags of crisps alongside the chocolate, these would be an easy sell for children;

Queuing times poor - queuing for what...tickets, food, into the stadium? All of these can be avoided with a bit of fore thought, on Saturday we went to the food bar on 35 minutes and were back in our seats within 5;

Stadium dirty and run down, with fox excretion everywhere - yes, it is run down, that is precisely why Ron Martin is trying to get us moved elsewhere. It is not cost effective to make too many improvements to Roots Hall. I have to confess that I have never noticed fox poo anywhere around where we sit in the West;

Toilet facilities poor e.g. Where are there any disabled toilets or child friendly conveniences? I have seen some fathers with daughters having to take their girl into the mens toilets, where some cubicles do not even have locks - there are disabled facilities in the West stand which is where the majority of disabled allocated seating areas are. There are cubicles that children can used in the West also, and in the East. I wouldn't ever recommend taking a young girl into the men's toilets at Roots Hall!

Entertainment at half time poor. No offence to the Blue Bells (who do not even wear blue by the way) but (although I do appreciate their efforts) their performance can be amateurish and cringe worthy at times - I don't have a problem with the Blue Belles, I think they do a good enough job and they certainly work hard selling the draw tickets. I do agree that we miss the "crowd participation" events and if you have an idea then put if forward to the club;

Entertainment on the pitch last season was generally poor (my son and his friends (7 in total) went last season and was bored silly, they will not be back!) - what a shame, it's all about instant gratification these days. That's not the way supporting a lower league team works;

Communication poor. Some speakers in the South stand upper don't even work! - Please let me know which speakers do not work as this is a Health and Safety issue.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Additionally, reading the comments about South Lower, the problem is that people have a tendency to migrate upstairs. It would require more stewarding to police the area to make sure people remain in the right area.

 

[IloveShrimp]

I'd like to respond to the comments you've made:

High ticket price - we have just gone up a league and increased our ticket price for the first time in 6 years. There are many schemes and incentives to attract young people along with adults;

Food offering / hygiene poor - The hygiene rating at Roots Hall was, indeed, poor, but it was re-assessed and the offending (and dangerous) outlets were closed down. I have found that the food on offer in the main West stand is generally ok. As I said recently elsewhere, the burgers in the West are actually warmed on a griddle before being served so they have a sense of being fresh. I do feel they should offer bags of crisps alongside the chocolate, these would be an easy sell for children;

Queuing times poor - queuing for what...tickets, food, into the stadium? All of these can be avoided with a bit of fore thought, on Saturday we went to the food bar on 35 minutes and were back in our seats within 5;

Stadium dirty and run down, with fox excretion everywhere - yes, it is run down, that is precisely why Ron Martin is trying to get us moved elsewhere. It is not cost effective to make too many improvements to Roots Hall. I have to confess that I have never noticed fox poo anywhere around where we sit in the West;

Toilet facilities poor e.g. Where are there any disabled toilets or child friendly conveniences? I have seen some fathers with daughters having to take their girl into the mens toilets, where some cubicles do not even have locks - there are disabled facilities in the West stand which is where the majority of disabled allocated seating areas are. There are cubicles that children can used in the West also, and in the East. I wouldn't ever recommend taking a young girl into the men's toilets at Roots Hall!

Entertainment at half time poor. No offence to the Blue Bells (who do not even wear blue by the way) but (although I do appreciate their efforts) their performance can be amateurish and cringe worthy at times - I don't have a problem with the Blue Belles, I think they do a good enough job and they certainly work hard selling the draw tickets. I do agree that we miss the "crowd participation" events and if you have an idea then put if forward to the club;

Entertainment on the pitch last season was generally poor (my son and his friends (7 in total) went last season and was bored silly, they will not be back!) - what a shame, it's all about instant gratification these days. That's not the way supporting a lower league team works;

Communication poor. Some speakers in the South stand upper don't even work! - Please let me know which speakers do not work as this is a Health and Safety issue.

Thank you for your reply OBL, but if you don't mind I would like to comment on your comments.

High ticket price - we have just gone up a league and increased our ticket price for the first time in 6 years. There are many schemes and incentives to attract young people along with adults;

For a 1st time attendee whether the tickets prices were held for 6 years or not is irrelevant. I don't know about you, but if I visited somewhere for the 1st time I would have no idea what the entry prices were beforehand and wouldn't expect to research them so that the price I am paying could be justified . I would only be interested on what it was going to cost me on the day.

Not sure what schemes and incentives there are to attract young people along with adults on match day … and I am a regular attendee!

Food offering / hygiene poor - The hygiene rating at Roots Hall was, indeed, poor, but it was re-assessed and the offending (and dangerous) outlets were closed down. I have found that the food on offer in the main West stand is generally ok. As I said recently elsewhere, the burgers in the West are actually warmed on a griddle before being served so they have a sense of being fresh. I do feel they should offer bags of crisps alongside the chocolate, these would be an easy sell for children;

This actually demonstrates my case about 1st impressions.

Would I have returned to Roots Hall after experiencing the previous food / hygiene quality and dangerous conditions after my 1st visit…. Answer = NO.

In your answer you have said 'in the main' which indicates to me that some outlets are still poor. There is no excuse for poor hygiene imo.

Queuing times poor - queuing for what...tickets, food, into the stadium? All of these can be avoided with a bit of fore thought, on Saturday we went to the food bar on 35 minutes and were back in our seats within 5;

Queuing takes ages at half time, and if you wanted to purchase on 35 mins in the South or East stands you would not be able to watch the game at the same time as you can in West.

Stadium dirty and run down, with fox excretion everywhere - yes, it is run down, that is precisely why Ron Martin is trying to get us moved elsewhere. It is not cost effective to make too many improvements to Roots Hall. I have to confess that I have never noticed fox poo anywhere around where we sit in the West;

I am talking about 1st impressions, new customers are not interested on whether it is financially viable to make improvements to RH or that there may be a new stadium (or lack of) on the way (how many years is it now?) they are only interested in their match day experience.

Try walking from the West to the South stand, where there is lots of fox poo.

Toilet facilities poor e.g. Where are there any disabled toilets or child friendly conveniences? I have seen some fathers with daughters having to take their girl into the men's toilets, where some cubicles do not even have locks - there are disabled facilities in the West stand which is where the majority of disabled allocated seating areas are. There are cubicles that children can used in the West also, and in the East. I wouldn't ever recommend taking a young girl into the men's toilets at Roots Hall!

I used to have my seaso in the West (for approx 25yrs) but have never noticed any signage informing people of disabled loos or child friendly conveniences.

Seeing as I now sit in the South, there are definitely not any there or any notices outside informing people where their choice of seat should be for disabled or child friendly facilities.

Entertainment at half time poor. No offence to the Blue Bells (who do not even wear blue by the way) but (although I do appreciate their efforts) their performance can be amateurish and cringe worthy at times - I don't have a problem with the Blue Belles, I think they do a good enough job and they certainly work hard selling the draw tickets. I do agree that we miss the "crowd participation" events and if you have an idea then put if forward to the club;

Entertainment on the pitch last season was generally poor (my son and his friends (7 in total) went last season and was bored silly, they will not be back!) - what a shame, it's all about instant gratification these days. That's not the way supporting a lower league team works;

Self gratification does not come into it, football is an entertainment industry. No matter what level of team you go to watch if it costs your group nearly £200 plus travel to attend you would expect to be at least a little bit entertained.

Even I (a diehard supporter) almost never renewed my season card this year because most of last season I was bored with the lack of excitement at RH.

Communication poor. Some speakers in the South stand upper don't even work! - Please let me know which speakers do not work as this is a Health and Safety issue.

Speaker at approx block G does not work.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Thank you for your response. I will take forward the issue with the speaker.

Ticketing schemes such as Kids for a Quid have run in the past successfully, SUCET also regularly do promotional things with schools which bring school children in at greatly reduced rates. I don't believe we did any last season, but I believe plans are in hand to do so this time, including a dedicated Junior Blues promotional - joining up to this is for under 16s, naturally, a great idea!

Children in South lower and the family stand have always used the ladies toilet up near the snack bar at the back of the West bit of the stand. I had a season ticket with my son in South lower for 3 or 4 years, so I do know that is where children are supposed to go. The gents is next door. In the West, the disabled toilet is to the left of the bar at the back of the stand (facing away from the pitch). Any steward should be able to direct a disabled person, and I believe there is signage, I will check on Saturday.

You misunderstood what I said about food. Hygiene is now GOOD throughout Roots Hall, it is the standard of the food that I think is not so good other than in the West, although the pies are ok across the ground. Simple answer is, as I did for years, bring your own from home if you're not happy. I always used to take a bottle of drink and packet of crisps for my son when he was young. Now we just usually have a hot drink, unless, like Saturday gone we have a strange kick off time.

I also walk through the South lower most home games as we park in the ground and I still can't say I've noticed fox poo!

 

[Jai]

Stadium dirty and run down, with fox excretion everywhere - yes, it is run down, that is precisely why Ron Martin is trying to get us moved elsewhere.

:hilarious:

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

You don't have to move elsewhere, if something is run down. You can modernise it ! :blush:

 

[Jai]

Additionally, reading the comments about South Lower, the problem is that people have a tendency to migrate upstairs. It would require more stewarding to police the area to make sure people remain in the right area.

Not wishing to shoot the messenger here as I know you're only relaying what you've been told by the club, but this does seem a little weak.

Three staircases I do believe - three stewards required. Probably on minimum wage of about £7 an hour, so we could well be talking less than £30 a game here. I'm sure if the club charged £15 for the South Lower then it would be beneficial in terms of attracting more lower-income fans who at the moment are alienated from their club.

That comment does remind me of the time, as a young scamp, I was watching a game in the West Stand once and we decided we wanted to try for the South Upper in the second half (it was more expensive back in the 1990s). We got all the way up there, sat down, and not five minutes after the second half began, were hauled out by a steward and sent back to the West, tails between legs. I suspect they're not quite so eagle-eyed these days!

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Just under 5,000 home fans today. Not live on TV, normal kick off time, kids back at school, no one on holiday, no V Festival and we won our last home game. Where was everyone?

 

[sufclee]

Just under 5,000 home fans today. Not live on TV, normal kick off time, kids back at school, no one on holiday, no V Festival and we won our last home game. Where was everyone?

Poor form will not attract floating fans, even more so now the prices have increased.

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Poor form will not attract floating fans, even more so now the prices have increased.

Yep I agree. But it just seems a bit odd we lost about 250 fans in the space of a week. I suppose more people decided that with 2 consecutive homes games they would go last week rather than this week. But to not gain any extra fans after a win is a bit of a concern.

 

[davew]

no trains on running from Billerciay onward to Send v did not help.

Also they need to sort out the ticket office, long delays answering phone etc people just give up.

not an easy answer to attract bigger home crowds winning should help, but did not this weekend