Back topic!
Firstly before I carry on with the rest of the post I don’t wish to come across as telling people how to do their job, I’m thinking out loud as such!
In terms of attracting new fans I have a few suggestions, talking points, what ever you want to call them! They may have been thought of before or may not work, I’m merely putting my thoughts out there, if it helps then great!
Before last season I was a part time fan and looking back I can’t recall seeing much advertisement letting the good people of Halesowen (and further away for that matter!) when our next home game is! I know there is a good job being done with Facebook and Twitter but how many of our potential fan base have social media accounts, furthermore how many ‘like’ or ‘follow‘ the respective pages of Halesowen. Maybe more (if not already) can be done to get knowledge of forthcoming games out there.
Ideas I have for this are simple things like ‘fixture cards’, ask to have a box of cards left on receptions of local business’, bars at local pubs, or counters in take-aways.
What is, has or can be done by way of advertising in the local press, particularly the News and the Chronicle? I very rarely see advertising of our fixtures in those? Express & Star?
I believe, maybe wrongly and I am sure I will be put right if I am wrong! But I feel that there is a decent sized catchment area for us to aim for. For example there is a no.9 bus stop right out side the Grove, could we not utilise the no.9 bus route to try and attract fans. This bus goes as far as Birmingham City Centre. Maybe a good advertising campaign aiming to attract fans from City could work? To get to a game would require a short bus journey, with plenty of pubs to stop along the way!
On the subject of buses I notice that as well as the advertising outside of the bus there are small posters inside, could this be something we could use?
I know a few people would rather go Wolves, Villa and Albion etc, but maybe really ramp up the advertising of our matches when one or the other aren’t playing, could we not work with these clubs? Surely they'd be open to helping out local clubs, especially when it's not coinciding with their own fixtures?
Again to reiterate I am no expert and have no idea how much advertising costs and whether the it’ll work.
Maybe the club could offer deals to season ticket holders; ‘bring a friend for £1.00’. Or season ticket holders of the aforementioned clubs get admitted for a discount price (seen that suggested elsewhere), for every x amount of fan you bring you get x amount off in the club shop or any like minded offer, an incentive for current fans to bring a mate.
How much are the club getting into local schools? Maybe a good campaign in our local schools trying to get kids into the club could work? What’s more feasible to a parent; taking his children to Albion-v-Villa, tickets for him are £40, his children £15, travel expenses and food & drink, you’re looking at £100 give or take, to go to a Premier League game. Or taking his kids to his local club where it would cost him well under a quarter of that price!
On the point of appealing to a younger generation, do Halesowen offer Sunday league children teams? They may do already, if so apologies. But again it may get some supporters in, in the long run. Also may lead to finding young talent to develop into the first team!
Just throwing some ideas out there, apologies if some of the above has been thought of, mentioned etc.
Anything I can do to help, I am more than willing.
