Getting slightly bored now.

[frankowba]

First of all I really really don't want or mean to offend anybody, but I'm getting bored of reading on these forums and on twitter about how wonderful everything is at this level of football etc.

What I mean is there is a lot of fans who are fed up with there current club in the premier league and how it's such a rip off. Then they go and say how good it is at Halesowen and how cheap it is etc.

The reason why it's so cheap is because of the level of football that HTFC are playing, if you think for one second if HTFC was in the premier league and would charge under £20 for entry your very much mistaken.

I am a season ticket holder at WBA and I attend at least half the away matches per season and I love following my team. But when they are not playing I follow Halesowen, and I have done since 2001/2002 season (I was 15 then) so I think I have merit to speak about this. I have attend a lot of HTFC games home and away on Tuesday freezing nights too. If your fed up with your current club so be it but please refrain from keep going on about how they rip us fans off etc, I work hard all week and I choose to spend my money on watching WBA above anyone else, so my point is that some of us are still in love with out original club. As I also say I do like HTFC and wish the club the best in everything they do. Has anybody got anything they would like to add?? Like I say I don't want to upset anyone just a debate.

[Sccmkcyr]

Omg, yes I would like to add that you are talking out your backside! If you are getting bored of reading the forum and twitter then don't read it anymore! I don't mean to offend or upset you either but that's what happens at premier league matches, they do charge the earth and as you point out you work hard so can spend your money where you like so what's the problem? The people saying its great down at Halesowen are right! What exactly are you hoping people are going to say??

[RobYeltz]

I think everyone has the right to follow their club how they see fit. I'm a newbie if you like at football at this level, and thoroughly enjoying it. Having spent many thousands of pounds over 20+ years following Villa and England across Europe I decided that I (like you) work hard for my money but I don't want to lace the pockets of multi millionaire footballers with little or no regard for my club any longer. I haven't fell out of love with Villa, they'll always be my team but I have fallen out with professional football. I've fallen out with the fact that my team might be playing at home anytime between 12:45pm on a Saturday to 8:00pm on a Monday. Halesowen play at 3pm on Saturday and 7:45pm on Tuesday, this suits me and my family well.
Many people are falling out of love with the modern game, if via twitter we can get more people try Halesowen and they like it, surely that is good for the club? If Halesowen do get promoted to the Premier League and whack the prices up, then so be it. We'll all still have the choice to go or not won't we?
As I said, I'm new to this level of football so if my enthusiasm is seen a disrespectful to Yeltz veterans, that isn't my intention as I'm learning more about the club with every game I go to. I suppose if the time comes that you get fed up of the modern game you already know where your fall back option is.

[swipey]

Good posts by frank & AVFC.

It's all about choice, isn't it?

What I will touch on is this new trend for footy fans to start hating the England team. My mate's a classic example who refuses to watch England games and slags them off yet will sit in his living room and watch his top 4 PL team on Sky most Sunday afternoons, giving us a blow-by-blow account of his opinions on FB.

I'm English, proud of it, and support my country... but given the choice would rather watch the Yeltz play at The Grove (no matter how much the entrance fee is) rather than sit at home watching any other match.

My other point is that people like Marcus & AVFCYeltz need to be given credit for choosing to watch a way lower level of football after watching decent (ish) teams for most of their lives and I believe they're doing so for the same reason I did nearly two years ago - to watch your local footy team and help them out in any way you can!

[RaidenYeltz]

I guess this is aimed at someone like me...

I was a season ticket holder for 10 years at Albion, I've popped down Halesowen before, over the years, when ever I get chance, but nothing regular. Maybe once or twice a season.

Like the above poster I've spent thousands and thousands of pounds on following my team - Albion. Where did that money go? What use was it? I and all fans are charged the Earth when there is no need. I wouldn't mind paying £40 if it was vital to the club - it isn't.

Fans are charged for the fun of it, they're continuously charged because as a whole, they don't take a stand. Fans in the Premier League and probably down to league 1, if not lower, don't matter to clubs any more. We're just an after thought. A nuisance to cater for. If the clubs lowered ticket prices to a tenna a game it wouldn't affect the club what so ever.

All relevant revenue comes from Sky now. Not the fans. All the money goes into funding the obscene wages average to poor players are now earning. An average, no, a poor Premier League player will be on £30,000 per week. Just say that figure to yourself quietly...thirty thousand per week for being a poor player. £200k plus if you're considered world class...players who act like, what I describe as, glorified ASBO's and chavs. Their behaviour on and off the pitch leaves a lot to be desired. I actually hate modern day football. Its going to the dogs yet people seem to be blind to this fact because Jeff Stelling thinks as long as the top 4 are all ok and compete in Europe then that's all ok. While most fans agree with him and follow like blind sheep.

Now on to Halesowen. Like I say I was a season ticket holder at West Brom for 10 years, have been a regular every season since I was 5/6 back in 1994 (my first game) However I didn't renew this year because I can't justify spending £400 plus per season on a season ticket when I don't know what day or time the home games are. I struggle to make Monday 20:00 games due to working local in Halesowen and not being able to drive and having to rely on public transport...and don't really like Sunday games again due to transport.

I like the fact how Halesowen is 2 mins walk away and I like how I know they'll play every Saturday at 15:00 or Tuesday at 19:45. I can finish work at 17:00 and head straight to the ground.

When I go down the Grove I KNOW my entrance fee is vital to the club. I know it's all going to a good cause, supporting my local club. I like that feeling.

I took the decision to not renew but to pick and chose Albion games, and only go to the Saturday 15:00 ko's and to the catogory 'B' games at £25 a ticket - I refuse to pay £40 a tick, that's scandalous...anyway I've been regular at the Grove this season and I've loved every minute of it. Yet, the club I loved for all my life - I haven't attended once this year. I loved the Yeltz experience so much so that I'm not even bothered about Albion and the ridiculous costs of Premier League football. I won't bother going down the Hawthorns this season because everyone at Halesowen have made the experiance brilliant.

I love how the players want to play for us. They play for the love of the game, they don't play and take your money and take the pi$$ like many a Prem player.

I went to Marske away Satrurday. Went with the players coach on Friday night. They couldn't be a more nice bunch. The staff in particular (Especially Trev!) made us feel so welcome. I loved the interaction with players and staff you'd never get with Premier League footballers - who think they're something special. They almost think they're God's. You can see this with the way they think they're above the law...

Sorry for the long rant, but if you find people posting about how much they love Halesowen and how it compares favourably to professional football then sorry. Go sign up to a Premier League football forum with the other sheep who carry on paying needless amounts to follow their team who doesn't care about its fan base the same way Halesowen Town FC care about their fan base, and go and read posts from fans salivating about how much they love Wayne Rooney's latest hair transplant or Rio's latest rambling nonsensical tweet or how many DJ's Stevie G has bettered this week.

Sorry you found the post I made - and others like me - telling the good fans of Halesowen how good it is down the Grove atm, how accessible and yes, cheap, the games are, boring. Jesus Wept.

From a personal view I posted a post with subject you found boring as a sort of pro-longed roundabout thanks. Sorry it offended you.

Fucking rant over *takes breath*

[frankowba]

I'm not knocking anybody's support of HTFC, like I say I like the club, there like my second team. Only yesterday I kept checking my twitter to see what the score was and was really happy with a 5-0 thumping. As regards to the premier league and it's prices, I totally agree, it is a rip off and it can be well over priced, but Unfortunatly I don't make the ticket prices up and if I want to follow my team I have to accept that I'll pay over the odds. It may come to a time when I have kids, get my own house etc that I can't afford to go and may well be a regular at HTFC. It depends how you view it, I paid £350 for my season ticket which for premier league I don't feel that's too bad. You pay £500 + for a holiday that lasts a week so I feel it's good value for the season. I'm finding this post quite interesting and please don't confused with the topic title of getting bored, it's not of Halesowen or what they are doing, thanks.

[Capinjazz]

I never even liked football until my dad took me to HTFC, for the first 3-4 years i wouldn't even watch the match, i would just play around pitch side, getting cold and bored.

Eventually i got hooked on not only Halesowen Town FC but football itself, afterwards i couldn't miss a match at the grove.

I watch a lot of football now, premier league, championship, foreign football etc. Aston villa are my second team and i like to watch teams that play attacking football, (obviously Aston villa aren't included in that). I have only been to Villa a couple of times because with the ticket, train and the overall daily cost well over £80-£100 it was too much. Not only the price, i felt the atmosphere was not like it is at the grove. Obviously there are more people there, and more noise and especially more away away fans, there just doesn't seem to be that sense of a family when you go to a premier league game. At non league you can talk to the manager, the players, the owners, you can have a drink on the terraces, it's more real than some of the Eastenders like story lines you see with PL clubs (although we have had our few)

I do like the premier league, and i have no problems with people that spending their hard earned money watching it (it's better than playing golf......)

I actually feel sorry for people who only watch the premier league, especially those who laugh when you mention which team you support.....Halesowen who??

The football that i know from the start has always been non league...the other one (premier league) is like the Mc Donalds, looks good in the pictures, but when you take a bite their really isn't much substance.

If Halesowen ever get to the premier league (which i don't think will happen?) i will still support them, it is my home team! Maybe even people from London might start to support the yeltz as well?

[Washy002]

I have been going down the grove since I was 7 (now 24 so not really a veteran).

I personally live and breath football! I play, coach and watch. I enjoy watching all games of football, from international all the way down to kids games on a Sunday morning. But come 3pm on a Saturday afternoon there is only 1 place I want to be, watching Halesowen Town. I don't even have a premiership team... I like all the midlands clubs to do well and my partner is man utd but I have one team and thats Halesowen.

If I won the lottery, I would still go down Halesowen (just land my helicopter in the rec lol)

[dazzlingdazza]

If I won the lottery, I would still go down Halesowen (just land my helicopter in the rec lol)[/quote]

If I won the lottery I would buy Halesowen and make it my ambition to get them in the football league ! (If Steve would sell obviously) lol

[RobYeltz]

If I won the lottery, I would still go down Halesowen (just land my helicopter in the rec lol)

If I won the lottery I would buy Halesowen and make it my ambition to get them in the football league ! (If Steve would sell obviously) lol[/quote]

I would do similar, but maybe not throw money at players who maybe wouldn't have the love of the club but spend it on the long term future of the club. I'd insist on my money going to improving the youth set up of the club, with a view to being the first youth academy at lower league level. The intention would be for Halesowen to have the best local players play for Halesowen, who have the club in their hearts.
I'd try to buy the land next to the Grove and build an indoor training facility as well as an outdoor Astroturf. The idea would be for the local community to use the facility and this would generate a regular but modest income for the club to re-invest in the youth set up. I would also give local people the opportunity to do coaching and referees courses to join in with the community ethos of the club.
Oh well, just need the numbers to come up now...